Both engines come on the SE trim and my car had a price tag of £22,260 topped-up with £3,500 worth of extras. One was the 5-speed automatic gearbox that, quite frankly, was not as smooth as Mercedes predecessors. The response was surprisingly delayed and the ride quite ropey, despite the MacPherson three-link suspension at the front and multi-link suspension on the rear. Fuel consumption was better, resulting in 42.8 mpg, and CO2 emissions come in between 172-170g/km.
Changing into the 6-speed manual gearbox saw a remarkable improvement with far better response, thus a far better ride. Of course, being manual, fuel consumption was marginally cost-saving with 47.9 mpg on a combined, and lower CO2 emissions of 156-166g/km. Both models come with rack and pinion power steering while Direct Steer is only available on Sports variants.
Keeping me safe whilst tackling the London traffic, was dual stage driver and passenger airbags, front sidebags and window bags. Both front and rear seatbelts had pre-tensioners with force limiters and were height adjustable. The rear had two three-point seatbelts and ISOFIX child seat fixing points. However if I did go into panic mode as the thought of driving in London suddenly overwhelmed me, I was safe with ABS, plus Brake Assist, ESP and Acceleration Skid control. Securing the CLC 220 CDI SE was remote central locking, and an alarm with immobiliser.
Mercedes Benz is synonymous with producing high quality luxury cars. While I can understand they want to appeal to a wider range of customers by slashing the price tag to make them affordable, something has to give. The CLC is a prime example of these cost-cutting measures. It lacks the ‘wow’ factor other Mercedes Benz cars have, especially in the drive department. Normally, you could be put blindfolded into a car, have the interior disguised, yet, as soon as you drove off, would instantly recognise the superb ride and handling characteristics of a Mercedes Benz. The CLC sadly lacks this, but would it bother new customers who up till now could not afford such a car? I very much doubt it.
Jackie Violet Female First