Compare the2024 Mercedes CLAVS 2024 Volkswagen Jetta

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Jetta 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 Jetta doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The Mercedes CLA has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Jetta doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The CLA offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Jetta doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The CLA offers an optional Surround View System to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Jetta only offers a rear monitor.

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 Jetta doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the CLA and the Jetta have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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 and available lane departure warning systems.

The Mercedes CLA weighs 458 to 721 pounds more than the Volkswagen Jetta. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts. Crosswinds also affect lighter cars more.

Warranty

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

Reliability

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 Jetta’s camshafts. If the Jetta’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 Jetta was rated third 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.

Engine

The CLA’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 63 more horsepower (221 vs. 158) and 74 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 184) than the Jetta’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

Transmission

The Mercedes CLA comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Jetta.

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 Jetta doesn’t offer an SMG.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the CLA’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Jetta:

	CLA	Jetta
Front Rotors	13 inches	11.3 inches
Rear Rotors	12.6 inches	10.7 inches

The CLA stops much shorter than the Jetta:

	CLA	Jetta
70 to 0 MPH	166 feet	191 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	131 feet	135 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the CLA has larger tires than the Jetta (225/45R18 vs. 205/60R16).

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 Jetta S’ standard 60 series tires. The CLA’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Jetta Sport/SE/SEL’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the CLA has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Jetta S. The CLA’s optional 19-inch wheels are larger than the 17-inch wheels on the Jetta Sport/SE/SEL.

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 Jetta doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Mercedes CLA has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Volkswagen Jetta has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The CLA offers an optional driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The Jetta’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

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 Jetta doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CLA’s wheelbase is 1.7 inches longer than on the Jetta (107.4 inches vs. 105.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the CLA is 2.8 inches wider in the front and 2.7 inches wider in the rear than on the Jetta.

The CLA 250 4MATIC handles at .86 G’s, while the Jetta SEL pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The CLA 250 4MATIC executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the Jetta SEL (26.5 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

Chassis

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 Jetta (.27 to .28) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the CLA get better fuel mileage.

Cargo Capacity

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the CLA’s trunk lid uses concealed beam hinges that don’t intrude into the trunk. Its intrusive beam hinge reduces the Jetta’s useful trunk space.

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the CLA. The Jetta doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

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 Jetta doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its trunk, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Servicing Ease

The CLA uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Jetta uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors in the Jetta SEL, 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 and exit feature glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Jetta doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

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 Jetta doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

If the windows are left open on the CLA the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Jetta can’t use the remote to operate the windows.

When the CLA is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Jetta’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

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 Jetta has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The CLA has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Jetta SE/SEL.

Both the CLA and the Jetta offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the CLA has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Jetta doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

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. Only the Jetta SEL offers wireless charging.

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

Recommendations

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 Jetta isn’t in the top three in its category.