Compare the2024 Mercedes CLAVS 2023 Acura TLX

The CLA’s optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The TLX doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The CLA’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The TLX doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The CLA has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the TLX’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the CLA has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Alert and Active Brake Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Acura charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Monitor on the TLX and the TLX’s Rear Cross Traffic Monitor does not include automatic braking.

Both the CLA and the TLX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, lane departure warning systems and around view monitors.

There are over 41 percent more Mercedes dealers than there are Acura dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the CLA’s warranty.

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the CLA’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the TLX’s camshafts. If the TLX’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the CLA second among small premium cars in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The TLX isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mercedes vehicles are better in initial quality than Acura vehicles. With 6 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mercedes higher than Acura.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mercedes vehicles are more reliable than Acura With 49 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Mercedes higher than Acura.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mercedes CLA is faster than the Acura TLX turbo 4 cyl.:

On the EPA test cycle the CLA gets better mileage than the TLX:

Regenerative brakes improve the CLA’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The TLX doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The CLA offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The TLX doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The CLA stops much shorter than the TLX:

The CLA’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the TLX’s standard 50 series tires.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the CLA can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The TLX doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The CLA’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The TLX doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The CLA 250 4MATIC handles at .86 G’s, while the TLX A-Spec SH-AWD pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The CLA 250 4MATIC executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the TLX A-Spec SH-AWD (26.5 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 26.9 seconds @ .64 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the CLA’s turning circle is 4 feet tighter than the TLX’s (36.1 feet vs. 40.1 feet). The CLA’s turning circle is 4.1 feet tighter than the TLX with 19/20-inch wheels’ (36.1 feet vs. 40.2 feet).

The Mercedes CLA may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 600 pounds less than the Acura TLX.

The CLA is 10 inches shorter than the TLX, making the CLA easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the CLA’s trunk can be opened just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The TLX doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its trunk, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors in the TLX, the CLA has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The power windows standard on both the CLA and the TLX have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the CLA is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The TLX prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The CLA’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The TLX’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the CLA to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The TLX doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the CLA offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The TLX doesn’t offer cornering lights. The CLA also offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The CLA’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The TLX has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Mercedes CLA has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the TLX.

The CLA’s Active Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The TLX doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its January 2021 issue and they ranked the Mercedes CLA 250 4MATIC higher than the Acura TLX A-Spec SH-AWD.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the CLA first among small premium cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The TLX was rated second in its category.