Compare the2024 Mercedes CLAVS 2023 Volkswagen Arteon

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes CLA have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Volkswagen Arteon doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

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 Arteon 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 Arteon doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The CLA’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Arteon doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

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

The CLA’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Arteon’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

J.D. Power and Associates rated the CLA second among small premium cars in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Arteon 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 Volkswagen vehicles. With 48 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mercedes higher than Volkswagen.

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 Volkswagen With 22 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Mercedes higher than Volkswagen.

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

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

An eight-speed automatic (SMG) is standard on the Mercedes CLA, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the Arteon.

The CLA stops shorter than the Arteon:

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 Arteon doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The CLA has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Arteon’s suspension doesn’t offer front gas-charged shocks.

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 Arteon doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The CLA 250 4MATIC handles at .86 G’s, while the Arteon SEL Premium R-Line 4Motion pulls only .84 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 Arteon SEL Premium R-Line 4Motion (26.5 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 26.9 seconds @ .65 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the CLA’s turning circle is 2.9 feet tighter than the Arteon’s (36.1 feet vs. 39 feet).

The CLA is 6.9 inches shorter than the Arteon, making the CLA easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Mercedes CLA amounts to more than styling. The CLA has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .27 Cd. That is lower than the Arteon (.3) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the CLA get better fuel mileage.

The CLA has .8 inches more front headroom and .6 inches more front legroom than the Arteon.

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors in the Arteon SEL/SEL Premium, 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 CLA offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Arteon doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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 Arteon doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The CLA’s Active Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Arteon SEL Premium’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

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 Arteon isn’t in the top three.

The Mercedes CLA outsold the Volkswagen Arteon by over five to one during 2022.