Don’t be deceived, this is not an all-new model. It’s called the CLC, which is new, but this model, in spite of the name, is just a facelift of the seven-year-old SC model.

Mercedes has upped its game and is flying high with its new C-Class saloon. Finally, the brand has what it takes to challenge archrival, the 3-Series. With its style, space and dynamism, BMW has a real fight on its hands.

Expect a similar story when the next-generation CLC coupe arrives and goes head-to-head with the 1-Series Coupe, but until that car arrives, we’ll have to make do with this one - a refreshed SC.

To be fair, as facelifts go the ‘new’ CLC is pretty thorough. There’s plenty of sheet metal changes, but more importantly, there are 1,100 changes under the skin.

The refreshed car now aligns itself, if perhaps only aesthetically, with the all-new C, and even the swish CL-Class. It benefits from an enhanced engine range, each boasting more power, better economy and lower emissions.

The range kicks off with 141bhp supercharged 1.8-litre petrol stretching to the muscular 268bhp 3.5-litre V6. Two diesels are available: a 120bhp and 148bhp version of the 2.1-litre four-cylinder.

Pricing kicks off at £19,920 for the base CLC180 Kompressor SE stretching to £27,240 for the range-topping CLC350 Sport.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 25th, 2008 at 7:42 am and is filed under Auto Show [t], Car Models [t], Car Reviews [t]. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.