Insurance Group: 33
MPG: 34.4
CO2: 191
0-62 Mph: 9.9 secs
BHP: 141 BHP
Range: 469 miles
PROS: Upmarket image, great equipment levels.
CONS: Expensive to buy, underpowered engine.
The CLC can get from 0-62mph in 9.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 134mph. These figures really aren't good enough for a car with the CLC's sporting pretensions and the CLC feels slower than it should.
From behind the wheel, you'd be hard pushed to tell the difference between this and the old C-Class coupe. The engine is very noisy and the steering manages to feel both heavy and lifeless at the same time.
Overall the CLC lags significantly behind its rivals. The main rival of the CLC is the BMW 1-Series, which is both a more thrilling and entertaining ride, and more capable than the Mercedes.
The CLC is a fairly handsome car. While it lacks the elegant proportions of its bigger brother, the C-Class, it still cuts a fairly attractive profile. The rear end, however, is a bit fussy and doesn't fit in well with the rest of the car's styling traits.
The interior is a bit disappointing - many of the plastics feel cheap and the cabin design feels dated.
Kit wise you get: automatic air conditioning with fully automated climate control, central door locking, cruise control, body coloured electric door mirrors, heated with integrated indicator lights, front electric windows, speed proportional power steering with variable rack, leather covered multi-function steering wheel with tilt adjustment and telescopic adjustment, radio with cd and MP3 connectivity, six speakers, and 18 inch alloys.
There is a good amount of space in both the cabin and the boot. The boot can hold 310 litres with the seats up, and with the seats down it can hold 1100 litres. A wide boot opening means that loading and unloading should be an easy job.
After a blip in quality a few years ago, Mercedes is back on form producing reliable cars. However, the CLC's underpinnings are so dated, the car was designed when Mercedes weren't building their cars properly. However, this is unlikely to be too much of an issue and expect reliability to be above average.
The Mercedes CLC has yet to be tested by Euro NCAP but, thanks to the decent level of standard equipment, it seems that it will be a very safe car. Safety kit includes six airbags, traction control, electronic stability control and Isofix child seat mountings as standard.
With a price tag of £22,650, the Mercedes isn’t cheap but, in all fairness, you do get a decent amount of car for the money.
CO2 emissions of 191g/km put the car under road tax band J which is pretty high, and fuel economy is 34.4mpg, making it expensive to run. If the CLC was a great car we could forgive the cost, but it isn't.
The CLC is based on the previous generation C-Class and it shows. The old C-Class is now 12 years old and because if this, the CLC simply cannot keep up with the competition.
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The CLC is not a bad car, it just lags behind its rivals. Having been based on the previous generation C-Class, it is starting to show its age and it is expensive for what it is.
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