On paper the CLC220 CDI’s credentials do not look promising. BMW’s 120d M Sport and Audi’s new common-rail diesel TT produce 175bhp and 168bhp respectively, and both hit 60mph from rest in the mid-sevens. The CLC, with only 148bhp, needs 9.6sec (claimed 9.7sec to 62mph).
And yet on the road this deficiency is less obvious, mostly because Mercedes’ 2148cc four-pot near enough matches its rivals for torque with 251lb ft. In most driving the CLC feels adequately quick and remains relaxed at a 90mph cruise, a state when this particular CLC feels at its best, the cabin impressively refined and the engine happiest working through its mid-range.
Why Mercedes hasn’t gifted the CLC with the 168bhp/296lb ft version found in the C220 CDI is a mystery. With it, the CLC could move beyond merely adequate and start thinking about presenting a credible retort to the one rival we’ve yet to mention; trade down from M Sport to SE and the CLC’s price is just £1535 shy of the brilliant 123d coupé.
The Sports Coupé’s chassis has always been favourably received, and it remains a decent, if somewhat uninspiring, drive. What it lacks is the element of finesse and fluidity present in the new C-class or 1-series, the level of feedback through the seat and wheel and the sense that the car is pivoting around its driver.
Similarly, over broken roads the CLC rides reasonably well, but intrusions are occasionally transmitted to the cabin, often more audibly than physically.
The technical advancement for the CLC is in the fitment of Direct Steer, first seen on the revised SLK and then the SL. The variable-ratio system reduces the steering lock to just 2.25 turns by decreasing the steering ratio the greater the lock applied.
By reducing the steering input required for sharper turns, the system makes the CLC feel more agile, but perhaps only because steering angle can be added/removed more quickly.