There’s something about driving through San Francisco that feels like a real-world stress test for any new automotive technology. Steep hills, chaotic lane merges, cyclists slipping through traffic, and drivers who treat stop signs as optional all demand relentless attention. That’s precisely why Mercedes-Benz chose the city to evaluate its AI-powered self-driving systems, debuting Drive Assist Pro in the all-new 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA. Here, San Francisco wasn’t just a backdrop, but rather the benchmark.
For more than 30 minutes, we rode shotgun while the CLA drove itself entirely through city streets, confidently handling traffic lights, congestion, lane changes, and sudden braking moments with an ease that felt surprisingly natural. Full disclosure: there was someone from Mercedes behind the wheel to turn on the Self-Driving feature, and for legal reasons, so it wasn’t a ghost-car situation. The thing about San Francisco is that there are already several autonomous vehicle fleets roaming the streets. At some points in the drive, all the cars at the intersection were self-driving. It’s a surreal feeling. In this city, self-driving cars are already part of the daily routine.
This drive felt like the natural evolution of what we first saw when the CLA debuted in Rome earlier in 2025. Back then, the focus was on its sleek electric design and minimalist interior; now, the spotlight is firmly on what’s happening beneath the surface. Drive Assist Pro operates at what’s considered SAE Level 2+, meaning the car can manage steering, braking, and acceleration simultaneously while the driver remains attentive. Mercedes already offers Level 3 conditional automation in limited scenarios with Drive Pilot, and Drive Assist Pro is clearly designed as the bridge toward that future.
A significant reason the system feels so intuitive is that Drive Assist Pro runs on the NVIDIA DRIVE Orin chip paired with Mercedes-Benz’s new MB.OS platform that allows the car to process enormous amounts of sensor data in real time. Cameras, radar, and lidar work together with AI models trained on real-world driving behaviour, helping the CLA predict traffic flow rather than react to it. Clear visual feedback inside the cabin shows what the car sees and plans to do next, building trust almost instantly.
It’s also worth noting that Drive Assist Pro won’t come standard with the CLA at launch. Mercedes plans to offer it as a downloadable over-the-air upgrade that customers can purchase once regulatory approval in the U.S. is finalized. After experiencing it on San Francisco’s unforgiving streets, the 2026 CLA feels less like a glimpse of the future and more like a confident preview of where everyday autonomous driving is headed.