Review Roundup: The Mercedes-Benz CLC And C180 Kompressor Estate

"The engine is more than adequate and the sub $50,000 price point [in Australia] adds value for money to the equation. The 1.8 litre is perky rather than a firecracker but the classy coupe more than makes up for it with better than expected road manners, impresive fuel economy, comfy cabin and good boot space. This is one of those cars which you feel very much at home right from the go thanks to its well tailored cabin and comfortable seats. So if first impressions count, then the CLC is, even as a C-Class pretender, a winner, especially for the price.

Okay it doesn't match the C-Class's chassis for crisp handling and precise balance but that's not to belittle the coupe. It has been designed to do a job and it does it well."

"The cabin is attractively laid out and the new optional telematics system is a welcome replacement for the clunking old sat nav, which was about as easy to use as a sextant. There’s lots of room in the front, enough in the rear for the occasional grandchild and an impressively big boot for the his’n’hers golf clubs you always promised yourselves.

The problem is that for every senior citizen who buys a CLC, there will also be a young hotshot weighing up whether to choose one of these or, say, a BMW 120d as a new company car. While the Mercedes has nothing whatever to fear from the BMW in the visuals department, out on the road the 1-series will leave it a long way behind. For if you push the CLC hard, the body exudes a level of float and wallow you’d never find in a new C-class. It becomes ever harder to stick to your chosen line and the engine grows hoarse as it tries to maintain your chosen pace.

Seen another way, the CLC does just about enough to introduce new customers to the world of Mercedes. It’s not a great car but it does have the feel of an authentic Mercedes-Benz, which is more than I’d say about the A-class and B-class front-wheel-drive hatchbacks. For some, that is all the affirmation needed."

Read the full and more reviews at www.eMercedesBenz.com