It might look like the C-class saloon from the front, but the new CLC, in Mercedes-speak, actually “shares its architecture” with the previous generation C-class Sports Coupe.
As a result the CLC 220 CDI, the most appealing model for corporate drivers, falls short of the entertaining sharpness of the BMW 1-series Coupe’s responses, and corners are more endured than enjoyed.
There’s sufficient grip and safe poise, but its steering is a touch too slow to respond and there just isn’t the fun factor of the BMW.
The Sport version does come with Mercedes’ Direct Steer, which varies the amount of power assistance provided to make parking easy yet gives more feel on twisty roads. But the benefits are marginal, and the sports suspension that’s standard with this model hampers ride quality when compared to the regular version found in the SE, which does a decent job of coping with bump-strewn roads.
The Sport model costs…
