Controlled circumstances these were not, but all the better to demonstrate just how good Mercedes's reinvented CLA already is. The 2026 CLA is far more than a simple refresh for Benz's smallest and most affordable U.

During a brief ride in a 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA EV prototype in the Austrian Alps, Timo Stegmaier, senior manager of electric drive systems for Mercedes, and Tom Steller, a spokesperson for the automaker, demonstrated the next-gen EV’s braking and propulsion systems in near-whiteout blizzard conditions.