The tally of components changed may be impressive, but the fact that the update to the exterior design is the single biggest change is evidence that the move from Sports Coupé to CLC has been more evolution than revolution.
As with the recent facelift of the SL, the thrust of the visual tweaks are directed at bringing the CLC into line with Mercedes’ current angular design language. It’s most successful at the front, where the CLC adopts the grille, headlamp and bonnet arrangement from the C-class Sport saloon.
Not only does this freshen the design and add more than a touch of assertiveness, but the new nose also fits well with the existing shape. However, the further back you travel, the less well the integration works. The old car’s split rear window has been replaced by a conventional window arrangement and lower lights. The effect may be more in keeping with current Mercedes models, but where the original was intricate and elegant, the redesign is bland at best.
Other than the improvements to the engines, both in efficiency and output, and the addition of Mercedes’ variable-ratio Direct Steer system, the CLC is technically identical to the Sports Coupé.
Suspension consists of MacPherson struts at the front and multi-link at the rear, with anti-roll bars at both ends, coil springs and passive dampers. Engine choice is between two four-cylinder petrols (the 180 and 200, both Kompressors), two six-cylinder petrols (the 230 and 350, the latter producing 268bhp and not the 300bhp it does in the new SLK) and two four-cylinder turbodiesels (200 CDI and the 220 CDI tested here).
A six-speed manual gearbox is standard, with the option of a five-speed auto for the four-cylinder engines (as fitted here), and a seven-speed auto for the V6s.
Sport models, like our test car, feature dark-tinted light units, chrome highlights, 18-inch alloy wheels, sports suspension and Direct Steer as standard, for a premium of £1125.