4 months ago 07th Jul 09:36
What you have to be very careful to do here is to set your budget, for the list of optional extras could send the price tag spiralling out of control, just like the fuel prices today. A panoramic sunroof will set you back £1,400, the Comfort pack, £440, Visibility Pack, £800 or the COMAND multimedia package £1,850, to name but a few. The only monetary incentive will be to pay the £1,100 extra to upgrade to the Sports model, gaining £2,000 worth of extras. These comprise of metallic paint, 18-inch alloy wheels, sports suspension and full Artico upholstery. However, bear in mind that the CLC 230 and CLC 350 are exclusively available as Sports models, priced at £24,280 and £27,240 respectively. These are both on the petrol engines that claim 29.7 mpg and 28.2 mpg on a combined cycle with the 6- and 7-speed automatic gearbox.
Realistically, you would be better sticking to the turbodiesel engines that have been refined to improve fuel consumption. As the well-known supermarket slogan states, ‘every little helps’. Two are on offer, the 200 CDI and 220 CDI, the latter being the car I drove the most on this launch, from the deepest depths of Surrey right into the centre of London, but missing the congestion zones of course.
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
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