Cuts a dash but the Mercedes CLA doesn’t really do a dash

IT’S AMAZING sometimes how the car business works. 

More often than not a manufacturer will come up with a sane and practical contender which is aimed at a specific target market — be it the single city dweller, the executive market or the family buyer.

Sometimes though a car maker will take a punt on something different which is not already defined by the accepted norms of the business.