Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118: a coupé that dares to speak up, the exhaust system guide
With its four-door coupé lines, the CLA250 C118 plays the sporty elegance card. Its 224 hp, 350 Nm 2.0-litre turbo gives it the performance to match, but the factory exhaust is designed so that you hear almost nothing. This guide helps you configure a ROG valved exhaust that finally matches the sound of your CLA to its looks: material, tips, valve control and fitting.
Written by ROG Motorsport · Updated
Your ROG exhaust for the Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118
From €2,490 in stainless steel, €2,990 in titanium
Configure my exhaust- Vehicles
- Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118 2.0 turbo (2022-2024)
- Engine
- 224 hp · 350 Nm
- Exhaust
- Valved cat-back, built for your VIN
- Material
- 304 stainless steel or titanium
- Front section
- Optional: catted downpipe with 200 or 100 cells, or decat
- Valves
- ROG remote, or factory control if your vehicle has it
- Lead time
- 20 working days from order confirmation to delivery
- Warranty
- 3 years, parts and workmanship
Closely related versions have their own guide: Mercedes-AMG CLA35 C118 2.0 turbo, Mercedes-AMG CLA45 S C118 2.0 turbo.
The 2.0-litre turbo: the four-cylinder of the CLA250 C118
The CLA250 C118 uses a 2.0-litre direct-injection four-cylinder with a turbocharger. It produces 224 hp and 350 Nm, with torque available from low revs that makes the car pleasant and responsive, in town and on the open road. Mounted transversely, it powers a four-door coupé with dynamic handling and a flexibility that suits everyday journeys as well as livelier outings.
On this type of engine, the turbo and the factory exhaust combine to erase almost all the sound. The result is comfortable but characterless, out of step with the car's style. The ROG valved exhaust hands control back to you: a more assertive sound with the valves open, factory discretion with them closed, without changing either the engine or its mapping.
What makes up the exhaust on your Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118
An exhaust system is best understood in two parts. Here is what each one does, and what ROG replaces.
The cat-back is the complete exhaust system
It is everything you can see under the chassis of your Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118, from the outlet of the front section to the tips: pipes, silencer, valves. This is the part where most of our research and development goes: it is what shapes the sound, and it is enough on its own to transform the car.
The front section, where the catalytic converter sits
On your Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118, that is the downpipe, the pipe leading from the turbo. It contains the factory catalytic converter: the second restriction in the exhaust, after the silencer. Replacing it is optional: it frees up the flow, and it is the ECU remap that turns that into horsepower.
The figures for your Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118
An exhaust system is judged first by ear and on the scales. The extra horsepower comes from an ECU remap.
Power
Torque
Published factory and Stage 2 figures.
The ROG exhaust works with or without an ECU remap. To get the full potential out of your Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118, we advise taking it to an approved tuning centre for a remap afterwards.
The CLA250's turbocharged four-cylinder keeps some headroom that a Stage 2 remap can exploit by reworking the mapping and the boost pressure. That potential depends on the condition of the car and on the tuner you choose. The ROG exhaust, which is independent of the ECU, plays no part in it: it gives the tuned engine a sound more in keeping with its temperament.
Configuring your exhaust, step by step
4 choices, in the same order as the product page configurator.
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Step 1 of 4: Material: stainless steel or titanium
For your Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118, the exhaust costs €2,490 in stainless steel and €2,990 in titanium.
304 stainless steel
2 490 €
- Weight
- Baseline
- Sound
- Full and rounded
The safe bet: strong, corrosion-proof, with a full, rounded sound. The best value for money.
Titanium
2 990 €
- Weight
- Around 40% lighter
- Sound
- Metallic, crystal-clear
It makes the exhaust around 40% lighter for the same design. Its note is more metallic and clearer higher up the rev range, and its finish ranges from brushed to blued.
No worries on durability: 304 stainless steel shrugs off winter road salt and titanium does not rust. Stainless steel or titanium: what really changes.
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Step 2 of 4: Front section: downpipe and catalytic converter
Optional: the downpipe on your Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118, with its catalytic converter. Each option is placed on our sound scale of 0 to 10, valves open, with the factory exhaust at 3.
Cat-back only
Included
7/10Factory emissions control
The factory front section stays in place. It is already a complete transformation, and the choice of many of our customers.
200-cell sports catalytic converter
+650 €
8/10Road use and French MOT
More flow, emissions control retained: the right option for road use.
100-cell sports catalytic converter
+650 €
9/10French MOT pass not guaranteed
More open than the 200-cell: the sound hardens at high revs and emissions control is reduced.
Decat
+420 €
10/10Track use only
Flow with no filter at all: the rawest sound and the sharpest response.
Sound intensity, on a scale of 0 to 10
- 10/10Decat downpipe + ROG cat-back
- 9/10100-cell sports catalytic converter + ROG cat-back
- 8/10200-cell sports catalytic converter + ROG cat-back
- 7/10ROG cat-back only, factory catalytic converter retained
- 3/10Factory exhaust, for comparison
Valves open. With the valves closed, every configuration becomes discreet again.
What about the engine warning light? With a sports catalytic converter it can come on, because the rear oxygen sensor reads less cleaning. Nothing mechanical is wrong: an ECU remap or a session with a diagnostic tool sorts it out. Without a catalytic converter, you will need an ECU remap. If it happens to you, call us and we will point you in the right direction. Passing the French MOT with a sports exhaust.
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Step 3 of 4: Valves: ROG remote or factory control
Two ways to control the valves on your Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118.
ROG remote
A discreet control unit in the boot and a two-button remote: you open and close whenever you like, independently of the drive modes. For fitting, we support you by phone or by email.
Factory control
- Only for vehicles fitted with factory valves
- Controlled by the drive modes
For vehicles fitted with factory valves: the exhaust connects to their control and the drive modes stay in charge, with no extra control unit.
At 130 km/h, many sports exhausts drone. Here, with the valves closed, the exhaust flows through the silencer and stays composed when cruising; open, it makes itself heard when you choose. More about exhaust drone.
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Step 4 of 4: Tips: the visual signature
Match the tips to the style of your Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118, understated or bold. A particular finish in mind? Send us a photo and we will look at it together.
- Stainless steel
- Black
- Carbon
- Blued titanium
The ROG sound signature on the CLA250 C118
When it is allowed to speak, a turbocharged four-cylinder has a lively, slightly metallic voice that picks up a muffled grain as the boost rises. In the standard CLA250, that voice is almost entirely absorbed: you hear more wind and road noise than engine, even under hard acceleration.
With the valves open, the ROG exhaust gives the CLA a full sound on start-up and a sporty note under acceleration, in keeping with its coupé profile. With the valves closed, it regains the refinement of a Mercedes, perfect for daily journeys and long motorway runs.
From order to fitting
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Configuration
You configure the exhaust and enter the VIN from box E of your registration certificate.
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Check
Your VIN is checked before any manufacturing begins.
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Manufacturing
The exhaust is produced to order, for your vehicle.
-
Delivery
Free in Europe, insured parcel, tracking number from dispatch.
-
Fitting
Around two hours in the workshop, with no welding or cutting.
20 working days from order confirmation to delivery
- Warranty
- 3 years, parts and workmanship, from the date of delivery
- Payment
- In instalments with Klarna
- Installation
- At the garage of your choice
Is your Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118 still under the manufacturer's warranty? In Europe, the manufacturer cannot refuse it simply because a part from another brand has been fitted: it is up to them to prove that the fault stems from it. Our article on the manufacturer's warranty.
Our recommendations for your Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118
-
Daily driving
2 490 €
- Stainless
- Cat-back only
- ROG remote
Your Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118 stays easy to live with, the factory emissions control is retained, and you open the valves whenever you choose.
View this configuration -
Fast road
3 640 €
- Titanium
- 200-cell downpipe
- ECU remap
The best of both worlds: character and breathing, with emissions control retained.
View this configuration -
Track
3 410 €
- Titanium
- Decat downpipe
- Stage 2
The most extreme configuration, for track use only.
View this configuration
Every Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118 has its own history and use: if none of these profiles sounds like you, let's talk it over.
Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118: your questions
How much power does an exhaust system add to the Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118?
From the factory, the Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118 produces 224 hp and 350 Nm. The exhaust alone acts first on sound, breathing and weight; the extra horsepower comes from an ECU remap. With a Stage 2 build, the published figures reach 265 hp and 470 Nm.
Stainless steel or titanium: which material for the Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118?
For the Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118, the ROG exhaust costs €2,490 in stainless steel and €2,990 in titanium. Stainless steel is the safe bet, with a full sound; titanium makes the exhaust around 40% lighter and gives a more metallic note higher up the rev range.
Do you need to replace the catalytic converter on the Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118?
It is not compulsory. The cat-back alone is enough to change the character of the Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118. Replacing the downpipe is how you go further, together with an ECU remap: 200 cells for the road, 100 cells or decat for more radical use.
Does the Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118 pass the French MOT with a ROG exhaust?
The cat-back only and the 200-cell converter both retain emissions control: present the Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118 with the valves closed. With the 100-cell converter, a pass is no longer guaranteed; the decat fails the emissions test.
How is the ROG exhaust fitted to the Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118?
With clamps and gaskets, no welding or cutting: around two hours in the workshop for a well-equipped mechanic. The exhaust is built to the VIN of your Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118.
What does a ROG exhaust for the Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118 cost, and how long does it take?
From €2,490 to €3,640 depending on the configuration. Allow 20 working days from order confirmation to delivery. Delivery is free and the exhaust comes with a 3-year warranty.
Unsure about your configuration? Give us a call.
Between stainless steel and titanium, between the cat-back only and the full system, the right choice depends on how you drive and on your Mercedes-Benz CLA250 C118. We take the time to talk it through before you order, with a reply within 24 hours. We are not here to sell to you over the phone: we help you choose, even if that means a cheaper option because it suits the way you drive.
ROG is a French brand, and the way we work comes down to one idea: an exhaust system should be sold with advice, not just a product page. More than 500 exhaust systems fitted and a rating of 4.9 out of 5.
Further reading
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