Mercedes fit & finish - better than Tesla? Let's have look: CLA 250

[Brando]

 

[Peteski]

Well I have to say the panel gaps on this Merc are still considerably more consistent than my 2018 MX. It's also pretty common knowledge that Merc build quality, especially on their low end models, is nothing special and certainly not up to Audi/Porsche levels.

I would still rate Tesla build quality well below all the German brands, but its not that bad and I actually prefer Tesla choice of materials i.e. soft touch plastics, vegan leather etc. over the usual German bling and buttonfest.

I agree that the Merc interior is a complete dog's dinner and much prefer the Tesla approach to interior minimalism and tech.

I would also take a Model 3 any day over this Merc, even if the panel gaps are a little more dubious, lol.

 

[glide]

Isn’t that their entry level vehicle?

Why not make a comparison of something similarly priced?

 

[Brando]

Isn’t that their entry level vehicle?

Why not make a comparison of something similarly priced?

Compare for yourself. I'm just a Saab guy. You can search the internet.
CLA 250 Coupe vs Model 3
$33,100* MSRP ........................$35,000 MSRP

MSRP $42,575 CLA 250 Coupe - seems similar to Model 3 base price vs what you can actually buy.
New 2019 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 4MATIC® Coupe

 

[glide]

Compare for yourself. I'm just a Saab guy. You can search the internet.
CLA 250 Coupe vs Model 3
$33,100* MSRP ........................$35,000 MSRP

MSRP $42,575 CLA 250 Coupe - seems similar to Model 3 base price vs what you can actually buy.
New 2019 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 4MATIC® Coupe

Is the build quality of the Performance model 3 any different?

 

[Peteski]

Compare for yourself. I'm just a Saab guy. You can search the internet.
CLA 250 Coupe vs Model 3
$33,100* MSRP ........................$35,000 MSRP

MSRP $42,575 CLA 250 Coupe - seems similar to Model 3 base price vs what you can actually buy.
New 2019 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 4MATIC® Coupe

Yeah, most definitely a direct Model 3 competitor. I haven't seen a Model 3 close up to judge its build quality, but based on my MX experience I would be surprised if it matches Merc - not that I think Merc C-class build quality is anything special, but it's a pretty decent and very relevant benchmark. But in every other respect I think the M3 is (literally) light years ahead!

I think Brando made a good point in stating that German engineering is not the perfection that some people perceive. There's a lot of subliminal bias going on due to the "badge". Take the badge away and the quality is really not much different from the better budget brands and often the tech is inferior.