Compare the2024 Mercedes CLAVS 2023 Kia Stinger

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 Kia Stinger 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 Stinger 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 Stinger doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Both the CLA and the Stinger have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver 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.

The CLA’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Stinger runs out after 100,000 miles.

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

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

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

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 Stinger doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

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 Stinger doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The CLA 250 4MATIC handles at .86 G’s, while the Stinger pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the CLA’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Stinger’s (36.1 feet vs. 36.7 feet). The CLA’s turning circle is 2.3 feet tighter than the Stinger AWD’s (36.1 feet vs. 38.4 feet).

The Mercedes CLA may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 550 pounds less than the Kia Stinger.

The CLA is 5.6 inches shorter than the Stinger, 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 Stinger (.3) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the CLA get better fuel mileage.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Stinger GT2, 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 front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Stinger’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

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 Stinger can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

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 Stinger 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 Stinger doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Mercedes CLA outsold the Kia Stinger by 12% during 2022.