Mercedes CLC : A QUESTION OF SPORT

June Neary takes the chance to step into Mercedes CLC sports coupe and asks whether it can live up to expectations

Mercedes Benz has a lot of expectations to live up to. After all, the triple pointed star has produced some of the highest quality vehicles seen on the road today think E-class, A-class and chunky S-class luxury saloon. In the higher reaches of the prestige market, Mercedes is the byword for quality and style. So I was justifiably excited when the CLC 200K rolled up for my motoring pleasure.

The CLC is basically a facelifted replacement for Mercedes most affordable coupe, previously known as the C-class Sports Coupe. Its a car to rival relatively affordable smart coupes like Alfa Romeos GT or Volkswagens Scirocco: a kind of junior Mercedes CLK if you like. The German brand however, would prefer you to see it as a rival to premium hatchbacks like Audis A3, BMWs 1 Series and upper versions of the Volvo C70. At first glance, it looked like the CLC would suit me down to the ground. Smart sculpted styling, luxurious leather seats in my test car and enough horses to make Ascot look inadequate.

Plus I like the idea of driving a Mercedes.

Lets begin at the beginning as they say. Blip the strangely shaped key-fob and youll notice the indicators flashing in the wing mirrors. This look has come in across the Mercedes range and, while it essentially does nothing for the driver, does let everyone else know what you are doing. In the roads around my house, these high level indicators are essential for road communication.

In the battle of Mercedes versus the rest of the industry, the first point decisively goes to Mercedes. Hop into the (optional) electronically adjustable leather seats and spend ten minutes finding the right seating position. If, like me, you prefer to sit up rather than lie back in your seat, then you had better be under average height as the headroom isnt wonderful. The Mercedes marketing men will claim that because the seat moves vertically as well as laterally, everyone should be able to find the perfect position.

Maybe so, but I would like to see the speedometer at the same time and not have to peer over the top of the steering wheel like my grandma in her battered Micra. One on the scoreboard for the opposition. In a similar fashion, elbowroom is at a premium on both sides, creating a very cramped sensation not helped by the voluminous dashboard. 15-30 to the competition.

While I am on the interiors soapbox, I may as well mention the adjuster for the seat back supports very hard to locate and then turn for anyone with large-ish hands. And dont even think about wearing a stone-set ring while you do it Then there is the aluminium trim in the centre console. Touch it and the illusion is shattered cheap plastic sees the competition surge to 15-40 ahead. Look a little harder at the interior and youll start to spot the clever touches.

The controls for your mobile phone are set into the steering wheel, as is the stereo control. The large speedo is easy to see (providing of course that you havent set the seat into the floor), the controls are mostly set in logical locations and the speakers are nicely hidden, giving the stereo a reassuringly expensive sound. Mercedes sneaks one down the line to 30-40. The one thing that you will notice getting in and out of the C230K is the reassuring weight of the doors and the satisfied clunk with which they latch home.

Despite some flimsy materials on the dashboard, the car does feel impeccably screwed together, bringing Mercedes to a reassuring Deuce. The tie-break, of course, will be the engine and driveability.

The CLC is available with a quartet of four-cylinder engines and a couple of six-cylinder units with power outputs ranging from the modest (122bhp) to the muscular (272bhp). The engines are a virtual carry-over from the C-Class Sport Coupe of old, and very good they have proved too. The headliner is the CLC 350 and despite its position as the most powerful version, its a good deal more relaxed than the Kompressor-engined versions at the opposite end of the line-up. Indeed if you take the Sports section of the cars name at all seriously, a Kompressor may be a better bet, the engine being a real terrier of a powerplant, always on, always encouraging you to acquaint the accelerator pedal with the carpet.

A broad spread of power means smooth driving. Mercedes have less than stellar reputation when it comes to manual gearboxes but the latest range of gearboxes do away with the lever and cable system in favour of a single rod, giving a far more direct feel. So how does it feel on the road? It depends on how you drive. Advanced engine management software means that this car attempts to learn your driving style.

Punch the accelerator hard and the response is instant and spiky. Unlike turbocharged cars theres no annoying lag as you wait for the blower to spool up, the CLC 200K that I tried offering drive on demand. If youre smoother with the accelerator, the software takes the edge off the rate the throttle valves are opened, making the car seem creamy smooth. Its an impressive showing.

Whereas the first Sports Coupes were a little uninvolving, the latest CLC generation models promise a good deal more fun.

The Mercedes CLC looks set to perform very well in terms of residual values, as theres never a shortage of customers looking to buy sensibly-priced Mercedes models, especially if the carsin question represent a relatively fresh face. Insurance ranges between Groups 13 and 18, so theres likely to be a model to suit most target pockets. Economy is an area where the CLC scores relatively strongly, the CLC 200 Kompressor managing an average of 35.5mpg, which isnt too shoddy for a 183bhp coupe.

If you really want to reduce your frequency of visits to filling stations, try the CLC 200CDI diesel which will average over 48mpg. This means that youll be able to get over 1,000 kilometres out of a tankful of derv. Emissions range between 161 and 225g/km.

The CLC continues in its predecessors footsteps, offering Mercedes brand values with stylish looks at relatively modest prices that start at around the £20,000 mark. Its appeal has been updated just enough for it not to look out of place in a gleaming Mercedes dealership next to more precious metal. Keen drivers may still opt for something else but keen drivers dont account for the majority of buyers in the sports coupe sector: this cars predecessor proved that. The CLC is a model that plays more subtle hand than most of its rivals but nonetheless plays it very well. For its intended buyers, it will continue to be a difficult package to resist.