2009 Mercedes-Benz CLC Sports coupe reviews

Mercedes-Benz CLC Sports coupe Sport Panarama. 2009

I’ve just ordered one. I looked at an Audi A3 and found it visually uninspiring inside and out - it looked well made but boring. The BMW 1 series coupe looked dreadful to me. The Mazda RX8 had been ruined by the new R3 interior. I liked the Hyundai TSR coupe, but it lacked the necessary headroom for my six feet. I only went into the Merc. dealer by accident (I thought it was closed and wanted to use its car-park whilst walking to the nearby VW dealer which doesn’t provide parking on Sundays). The moment I saw the CLC I was struck by its beauty, and sitting in it I knew instantly this was going to be a worthy replacement for my five and a half year old Honda Civic 1.6 Executive. I had looked at the new Civic 1.8, but although sporty looking, comfortable, and having very clever rear seats, it lacked a sunroof, the dashboard in front of the passenger looked awful, and I hated the large clear plastic grill/front lights. Complaints about rear visibility were unfounded though as there was much better rear vision than in my older version due to the restyling of the headrests. Interestingly, I was the second person that week to trade in a civic for a CLC. I think many of the published reviews of the CLC criticise it too harshly as they tend to compare it with dearer competing models and/or other more expensive Mercs (I think this is particularly relevant in respect of the 180 and 200 versions). Most of these professional reviewers drive some very exotic cars, and I suspect that colours their evaluations. Personally, I regard this purchase as a step up in quality from my previous cars (Second Hand- Toyota Corolla, Toyota Celica, Peugoet 505 STI, Ford Granada Hatch; Brand New- Lada Samara, Proton Compact, Honda Civic) and I therefore found the interior be comfortable, exciting, prestigious, and roomy. The current recession meant there were good deals to be had on models currently in the UK, and some of the extras came within the standard price after haggling a bit. Plus, a shortage of medium priced well looked after secondhand small family size cars meant my Honda attracted a very good trade-in price that was in excess of that quoted in the Parker’s guide. The dealer’s HP interest rate was cheaper than my High Street bank’s. I have read good reviews from current owners, and I note that a high proportion of C-Class coupe owners have gone on to purchase more expensive Mercedes models in the future. I suspect it’s a car that appeals to those ’moving up’ rather than those already ’there’. Interestingly, my girlfriend, who is younger than me, thinks it’s a grown-ups’ car, yet my mother thinks it’s a young persons’ car. I guess at 51 I’m in the middle somewhere, and that’s probably what this car represents. Perhaps that’s why I felt so at home and calm as soon as I got inside it. If anyone’s still reading this, and is still interested, the model I’ve ordered is a CLC180 Kompressor Sport Panorama with a full leather interior, automatic gear box with paddle shifts, black privacy glass, and a few other minor options. The insurance wasn’t anywhere near as expensive as I’d feared (maybe due to my age!), and I hope it will be here before the Easter break! I’m very excited.