Mercedes CLA sedan: 0.23 drag coefficient (0.22 for BlueEfficiency model)

[MetroMPG]

Also it's a safe bet the photo doesn't necessarily show the lowest-drag variant.

Thus the disclaimer in nearly every car ad: "model may not be exactly as shown".

[NachtRitter]

Originally Posted by Vekke

Have they released their fuel consumption figures out yet?

I found that Co2 is 118 g/km which gives 4,45 l/100km average fuel consumption.
Mercedes-Benz CLA 180 BlueEFFICIENCY, 2013 C 117 technical specifications & information 304480

The brochure linked by niky in post #6 gives a range of 4.5 - 4.2 l/100km (52 - 56mpg) for the combined (urban & extra-urban) on the CDI with auto transmission... 3.8 - 3.6 l/100km (62 - 65mpg) for extra-urban! Pretty dang good! I'm assuming the (higher) FE numbers in the brochure for the BlueEFFICIENCY (with lower Cd and manual transmission) are estimates... ?

[Cd]

( Image above is a CG rendering, but might be close to reality )

Some good images here - plenty from inside an actual wind tunnel : http://www.google.com/search?q=Merce...w=1436&bih=786

[lowglider]

A few weeks ago I went to go take a leak at a highway rest station and during the relieving part a corner of my eye caught a parked semi-truck full of CLA`s.
I love the beauty of this thing, they truly shoved a finger up the behind of all those whiny designers who said you must make compromises between efficiency and aesthetics. It`s a work of art. I hope those soccer moms drop those SUVs and go for this beauty.

[kach22i]

Using the latest overlay on the Benz.
Industrial Design - Transportation Photos by kach22i | Photobucket


Using a green felt tip pen to redesign it for maximum effect.

[NeilBlanchard]

Very nice sketch - I'd tweak the rear wheels back a bit and narrow the rear track, so the side taper can start a little bit closer to the front.

Do you have SketchUp George? [/Nudge, nudge, wink, wink - say no moah!]

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

Do you have SketchUp George?

I downloaded it over a year ago but haven't even opened it up.

A friend has offered to walk me though it, but I just have not made the time for it.

I click enough keys for AutoCad 2D drawings and just surfing the Internet, drawing by hand is my relaxation.

[California98Civic]

Fiddling around on a sleepless night, I found these videos. A couple stills from the first video were posted earlier in this thread, but the video itself seems to have only just appeared on Youtube. Watching the smoke test of several details that make the low Cd possible is interesting: wheel-well curtains, spoiler, tail light fixtures, a-pillar, rear view mirrors, and others:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNXgYSbEaKg

And here is the "preparation" vid, which is kinda fun. It shows the procedure for putting the car in place and securing it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=LqeljvJ6j-k

Impressive facility. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a bit of a sought-after privilege to work in it.

[jime57]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

Fiddling around on a sleepless night, I found these videos. A couple stills from the first video were posted earlier in this thread, but the video itself seems to have only just appeared on Youtube. Watching the smoke test of several details that make the low Cd possible is interesting: wheel-well curtains, spoiler, tail light fixtures, a-pillar, rear view mirrors, and others:

And here is the "preparation" vid, which is kinda fun. It shows the procedure for putting the car in place and securing it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=LqeljvJ6j-k

Impressive facility. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a bit of a sought-after privilege to work in it.

It is all very impressive and no doubt that the car is good, but I remained unconvinced on much of these MB Cd numbers. After all, we only have their testing and their word for the results. There are ample areas of doubt such as the open rear wheel arches, the huge wake (shown in the video) and the questionable wheel designs. It would be very interesting to have the Insight and the CLA tested in the same wind tunnel.

[mcrews]

Originally Posted by jime57

It is all very impressive and no doubt that the car is good, but I remained unconvinced on much of these MB Cd numbers. After all, we only have their testing and their word for the results. There are ample areas of doubt such as the open rear wheel arches, the huge wake (shown in the video) and the questionable wheel designs. It would be very interesting to have the Insight and the CLA tested in the same wind tunnel.

really.......

do you also believe that the oil companies squashed a carb that got 99mpg???????

Here is something to think about.
Some other german car maker w/ a big windtunnel (bmw maybe) has some engineer come in and say "mb is blowing smoke on the .23 cd......let's go buy one, run the test and then expose them!!"
2 days later MB is retracting and firing.
Loses MASSIVE credibility in the marketplace.........

just sayin......