Compare the2023 Mercedes CLAVS 2023 BMW 2 Series

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 BMW 2 Series 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 2 Series 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 2 Series doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the CLA and the 2 Series have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, lane departure warning systems and around view monitors.

There are over 9 percent more Mercedes dealers than there are BMW dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the CLA’s warranty.

On the EPA test cycle the CLA gets better mileage than the 2 Series:

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Mercedes CLA higher (5 out of 10) than the BMW 2 Series (3 to 5). This means the CLA produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the 2 Series every 15,000 miles.

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 2 Series doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

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 2 Series doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the CLA is 1.2 inches wider in the front and .3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the 2 Series.

For better maneuverability, the CLA’s turning circle is .3 feet tighter than the 230i’s (36.1 feet vs. 36.4 feet). The CLA’s turning circle is 2.1 feet tighter than the M240i’s (36.1 feet vs. 38.2 feet).

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 2 Series (.28 to .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 .4 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more rear headroom, 1.7 inches more rear legroom and 2.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the 2 Series.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the CLA’s available trunk can be opened just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The 2 Series 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 system in the 2 Series, 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’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The 2 Series doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The CLA’s standard power windows have a locking feature to keep children in the rear seat from operating them, but the driver can still raise and lower all of them with the lock engaged. BMW does not offer a locking feature on the 2 Series’ standard power windows.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the CLA to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The 2 Series doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the CLA keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The 2 Series doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.