NEW YORK MOTOR SHOW: Mercedes-Benz CLA facelift revealed

Mercedes has tweaked its successful front-drive CLA-Class sedan and Shooting Brake.

Coming to Australia in the third-quarter of 2016 after its global premiere at the 2016 New York motor show next week, the mid-life update for the popular Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class is subtle but changes design elements inside and out and adds native support for iOs and Android smart phones.

The second best-selling Mercedes-Benz in Australia in 2015 with 3659 sales (behind the C-Class's 9373), the CLA is a crucial model for the three-pointed star brand globally. The update is expected to boost interest in the models.

Dubbed the 'designer' car of Mercedes-Benz small vehicle range, which include the A-Class and B-Class hatches and GLA-Class compact SUV, visual changes to the CLA-Class's exterior include new grille detailing, alloy wheels, and front fascia – the latter providing the biggest aesthetic change to the updated models.

A new colour, Cavansite Blue Metallic, has been added and advanced LED headlights are now optional above the regular Xenon units.

The interior of the trendy Benz has been tizzied up with more chrome-plating on the door-mounted seat controls and around the centre console. A "slimmer-looking" 8-inch media display has also been introduced says the Stuttgart-based car-maker along with improved smartphone connectivity.

Like the new A-Class, Mercedes-Benz has also given the top shelf Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 (Coupe and Shooting Brake) models more power and torque, rising 15kW and 25Nm to 280kW and 475Nm. This results in a supercar-like 0-100km/h sprint of just 4.2sec for the CLA four-door.

The CLA 45 AMG Shooting Brake takes 4.3sec but both consume fuel at a rate of 6.9L/100km.

Although Mercedes-Benz Australia hasn't confirmed specification or pricing for the updated models, it's expected to mirror the current range, which means the super-frugal 1.5-litre turbo-diesel CLA 180 d is unlikely to be offered here.

That model uses just 3.5L/100km and emits CO2 of 89g/km.

Instead the range is likely to be maintained as is, meaning the CLA 200, CLA 250 Sport, CLA 200 d and CLA 45 AMG will continue.

Pricing is likewise expected to be unchanged, starting at $51,400 for the CLA 200 and rising to $89,500 for the Mercedes-AMG CLA 45.