Mercedes-Benz CLC Sports coupe road tests and consumer car reviews

Mercedes-Benz CLC Sports coupe 2010

I purchased my first CLC Coupe (one year old) in Feburary 2010, when I part exchanged my VW Polo. Only yesterday I part exchanged my existing car with a brand new CLC Coupe as I have fallen in love with this model. I promised the sales manager that I will be back when the new model is out in 18 months time, so you can see I am besotted by my CLC coupe, it is an excellent and a feel good car when you are in it.:))

Mercedes-Benz CLC Sports coupe Clc 220 Cdi 2008

Very disappointed with this car, it’s very uncomfortable on long journeys and whilst the gadgets are okay if you choose to pay for them, this car really lacks the class and refinements that by previous mercs have had! I think this car is a bad example of a sports coupe and should not be considered. If you are looking to spend circa £30k, you should go with a 325 m sport coupe instead. I wish I had.

Mercedes-Benz CLC Sports coupe CLC200 Sport 2009

I am 74 years old and downsizing from a high powered jeep. I have owned some twenty nine cars since my early teens and my CLC reminds me of my early days motoring in Mini coopers and other similar vehicles. It has the image, the sportiness, the fuel consumption and handling capabilities that allow reasonably priced motoring to be enjoyed in these financially testing times. The suspension is a little on the hard side but I am loathe to criticize this vehicle to any extent when I consider some of the other manufacturers vehicles I have owned.

Mercedes-Benz CLC Sports coupe 2008

I’ve had mine since September; every time I walk towards it it puts a great smile on my face. I know there has been a lot of bad reviews of this car, which did put me off at first, but as soon as you step inside it the first time, all the negative thinking about this car has completely gone. I found the car very comfortable, reliable, and has great image. I must say I am very happy with my purchase, and I will be looking forward to the new clk release in three years time.

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.

Responses to this review

I agree with all you’ve said. I have only one concern when driving in sport mode on hills, I have found that when I stop, my car is running backswards and when the car is pointing down hill and I put the car in reverse it starts to run downwards. The Mercedes garage said this is normal for this car. I cannot accept this excuse as my car does not do this in comfort mode or manual mode. Could I have your observation on this? - Margaret Williams from Hampshire

I have read your report, and I must say I agree with some of your comments, however I purchased a clckompressor sport 180 back in 2009 and we are experiencing problems when opening the boot after it has been raining, we have found that the water runs down the back seats onto the leather, can I ask if you have found this? - Anita Miller from Durham

Mercedes-Benz CLC Sports coupe 1800k 2008

I took car down to London over the Christmas period, a 1000 mile round trip. The journey was about 6 hours each way and we only stopped for fuel. I found the car very comfortable, reliable, and good on fuel . The car is well suited to our motorway network and will cruise at below 3000rpm, very little road noise was heard. All in all I would forget about a lot of the criticism aimed at this coupe saying it is a poor man’s Mercedes, we found it a great little car on this journey and look forward to many more in the future.

Responses to this review

Ian, now that you’ve been in the car for a year how would you rate it now. I’ve been seriously considering one but there are widely varying reviews of this car - Neil Young from Angus (Forfarshire)