Compare the2023 Toyota CamryVS 2023 Mercedes CLA

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Camry are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Mercedes CLA doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Camry are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The CLA doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Camry has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The CLA doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Camry XLE/XSE offers an optional Rear Cross Traffic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The CLA doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Camry’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the CLA.

Both the Camry and the CLA 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, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Camry its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The CLA has not been tested, yet.

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Camry 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the CLA. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the CLA ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Camry for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the CLA.

There are over 3 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Camry’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Camry’s reliability 32 points higher than the CLA.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in initial quality. With 17 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Mercedes is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. Mercedes is ranked 24th.

The Camry’s optional 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 80 more horsepower (301 vs. 221) and 9 lbs.-ft. more torque (267 vs. 258) than the CLA’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Toyota Camry V6 is faster than the Mercedes CLA:

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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Camry uses regular unleaded gasoline. The CLA requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Camry AWD’s standard fuel tank has almost a gallon more fuel capacity than the CLA (14.4 vs. 13.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Camry FWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the CLA (15.8 vs. 13.5 gallons).

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Toyota Camry, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the CLA.

The Camry stops much shorter than the CLA:

For better traction, the Camry SE/XLE’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the CLA (235/45R18 vs. 225/45R18).

The Camry has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the CLA; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the CLA don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Camry’s wheelbase is 3.8 inches longer than on the CLA (111.2 inches vs. 107.4 inches).

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Camry a Mid-size car, while the CLA is rated a Compact.

The Camry has 11.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the CLA (100.4 vs. 89).

The Camry has .3 inches more front legroom, 2.6 inches more front shoulder room, 2.3 inches more rear headroom, 4.1 inches more rear legroom and 1.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the CLA.

The Camry has a much larger trunk than the CLA (15.1 vs. 11.6 cubic feet).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Camry easier. The Camry’s trunk lift-over height is 26.8 inches, while the CLA’s liftover is 30.1 inches.

Consumer Reports rated the Camry’s headlight performance “Fair,” a higher rating than the CLA’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Camry has standard extendable sun visors. The CLA doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Toyota Camry has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

The Toyota Camry outsold the Mercedes CLA by almost 34 to one during 2022.