Mercedes CLC

Mercedes CLC

Average. The newest addition to the Mercedes Coupe family isn't quite the revelation we'd hoped for. But it is a stylish and relatively inexpensive entry-point into Mercedes Benz ownership

Mercedes is introducing its newest member of the coupe family, as the CLC. The German carmaker is keen to distinguish this new car from the rest of the C-Class range, and it has been designed to go head to head with rivals such as the BMW 1 series, Audi A3 three-door and the new VW Scirocco. However, take a look at the new front end, and it is essentially a C-class. Move towards the rear and it is almost identical to the C-Class Sports Coupe which it replaces.

So what is different? The answer is, not a lot. Although it looks the part, underneath it is essentially the same car. Mercedes has made some minor alterations to suspension and steering set up, but the platform is still based on the previous generation C-Class, meaning that it lacks the panache of the rest of the current C-Class range. It's not awful to drive by any standards, and all the engines offer reasonable performance. It goes round corners well, the steering is fluid and it makes an ideal motorway companion, but it just isn't all that exciting. On longer journeys there's no denying this car will eat up the miles with great ease, but unlike the BMW 1 Series coupe, the CLC feels out of place on a twisty B-road. The changes that have been made to the suspension have made the ride poor and it feels unstable as it crashes over bumps and potholes. It's reasonably big inside though; the keen golfer will be pleased with the boot space - plenty of room for clubs- and the rear seats will easily accommodate two adults on shorter journeys.

There are six engines to choose from, the 180K and 200K petrol engines, two diesels - the 200 and 220 CDI - and two V6 variants, the 230 and 350. The pick of the bunch is the 220 CDI which offers a good blend of fuel economy and performance. Despite this, Mercedes says the best seller is likely to be the C180K entry-level petrol model. All the engines however, have had a significant reduction in fuel consumption - around an 8 percent improvement , while CO2 has been reduced by up to 7 percent. The interior has been smartened up with a dashboard similar to the current C-Class saloon and there is plenty of adjustment for the driver's seat so a good driving position is not a problem. Mercedes is offering the CLC at the same starting price as the outgoing Sport Coupe, which it says will have a sizable impact on the cars' potential residual value. Extras don't cost the earth either, as options are available in packages. There's also an upgrade from SE to Sport trim which costs £1,100, but it includes items like 18-inch alloy wheels, sports suspension, smoked headlights, sports exhaust, metallic paint and additional interior styling, worth over £2k.

Overall the CLC isn't a bad car and is certainly reasonable value for money, but it lacks the driving quality of the BMW and isn't quite as pretty as the Scirocco.