After a rather cheesy debut of the new 2020 Mercedes CLA at the CES in Las Vegas that included a cringy discussion between a talking EQ C and a talking CLA, we finally got an opportunity to see the complete car. It is a big deal for Mercedes-Benz who managed to sell 750,000 units of the CLA since its introduction in 2013. With its debut at the 2019 CES, the 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA displayed the latest electric technology and a very convincing voice interface.

Regardless of the fact that we haven’t seen any major drivetrain changes or any other dramatic improvements over the first generation car, the 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA did bring a few cool tech leaps you have to know about.

The 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA Has Energizing Coach Technology

While we have seen this technology first in the latest Mercedes-Benz GLE, the Energizing Coach option landed in the new CLA as well. It is a system that promises to make the most of the comfort features inside.

This is how it works:

-* The smartwatch continuously monitors your physical parameters (like the temperature, heart pulse, your activity, etc.)

-* It uploads all the acquired data to the Mercedes MBUX infotainment system

-* Then, with some kind of an impressive algorithm, the system automatically chooses the energizing package

-* The air conditioner, the ambiance lights, the stereo, and the massage functions are tailored specifically for the current condition of the driver

It is quite, quite something, don't you think?

Mercedes-Benz vivoactive® 3 Smartwatch is Compatible With the 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA

It seems that everyone wants to get on the smartwatch wagon and that includes Mercedes-Benz. Aside from the Garmin smartwatches that work with Mercedes-Benz cars (they only watches that can work with the MBUX, it seems), now the Mercedes-Benz vivoactive® 3 smartwatch can do the same. No surprise there as the watch is actually a rebranded, more stylish Garmin watch. It is packed with all sorts of smartwatch sensors such as the heartbeat sensor, GPS, speaker, and virtual assistant. It looks cool too, especially with a completely tailored software with visuals that suggest it comes from Mercedes-Benz.

With the smartwatch feed of health data into MBUX, Mercedes-Benz can tailor the wellness to a specific customer. Try to do that in your Honda.

For now, the Mercedes-Benz smartwatch will work with the A-Class, the GLE, and the CLA. I believe that, with an over-the-air software update, other MBUX-equipped Mercedes-Benz cars will have this smartwatch capability too.

The 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA Comes With Updated MBUX Infotainment Software

MBUX clearly isn't going away anytime soon. At least that is what a Mercedes-Benz official inferred at the presentation. In fact, he said that you will be able to talk to your car. And not just tell it to adjust the temperature, but give it specific orders.

The system uses all the knowledge of the Internet to accommodate a proper answer. In essence, if you ask it to find you a four-star restaurant, without sushi, it will do it. Just like that.

Another example Mercedes-Benz officials noted is the air con command.

It goes like this:

" Hey Mercedes; I’m hot."

Then, the MBUX system should automatically adjust the temperature to a more pleasurable level. I wonder, what if you set the temperature to the lowest possible setting and then say: "Hey, Mercedes; I’m still hot!"

The 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA Is The Ultimate Wearable

I read somewhere that Mercedes-Benz now operates as a software company more so than a car manufacturer. After all, can you possibly imagine how many programmers are required to create a system as perfect as the MBUX infotainment system?

Nevertheless, one sentence from Mercedes-Benz officials at the CLA presentation caught my attention more than any other. Mercedes-Benz officials call the new CLA "the ultimate wearable." I mean, really?

This is how Mercedes plans to give more value to its product. After all, the Mercedes-Benz CLA buyers aren’t traditional Benz buyers. They are young people, who transitioned to Mercedes from other brands. And more importantly - they look to spice up their life with experiences, emotions, and purpose. Mercedes-Benz obviously wants to give them more than just a car. It turned a car into a platform for expression.

If you think about it, the car has always been just that, but Mercedes-Benz doesn’t beat around the bush with it anymore. In short, as the Mercedes-Benz CLA is the Ultimate wearable, Mercedes tells to all millennials - “the 2020 CLA is a really cool car”.

The 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA is Aerodynamically Sound with a Low Cd of 0,23 - The Same As A Biker On A Racing Bike

The 2017 BMW 5 Series EfficientDynamics Edition and the 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA BlueEfficiency are still among the most aerodynamic cars on earth with a drag coefficient of only 0,22 Cd. Now, I expect Mercedes-Benz to introduce ever more efficient models, so the drag coefficient could fall further.

The 2020 New Mercedes-Benz CLA Has More Interior Space

Designers visited all of the important comfort segments and improved them. Numbers below show how the rear seats compare to the previous CLA.

2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA Edition 1

All the photos of the CLA with those cool copper parts designate the CLA Edition 1. It is distinguished by numerous interior and exterior visual enhancements, and it will be produced only for 12 months. It was the same story in 2013 when the first CLA appeared. However, we won't get it. I have a strange feeling that all the pieces you can see on Edition 1 will actually be available as an option for any CLA available in the U.S.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA.

Read our full speculative review on the 2020 Mercedes-AMG CLA 45.

Read our full review on the current 2014 Mercedes-AMG CLA45.

Read our full review on the 2015 Mercedes-Benz CLA.