Mercedes-Benz CLC - sports coupé with fun factor
Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a stand-alone model series in the guise of the new CLC. The sports coupé's design, technology and equipment meet the discerning requirements of young drivers looking for an athletic car that offers an involving drive, while...
Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a stand-alone model series in the guise of the new CLC.
The sports coupé's design, technology and equipment meet the discerning requirements of young drivers looking for an athletic car that offers an involving drive, while delivering the hallmark Mercedes quality standards in terms of safety, comfort, environmental compatibility and functionality.
Compared with the previous sports coupé, the Mercedes engineers have newly developed or enhanced over 1,100 components. Engineering highlights of the CLC include a new direct-steer system for even more agile cornering, state-of-the-art infotainment systems featuring a colour display, Europe-wide DVD or hard-disc navigation and media interface, and an uprated four-cylinder engine that now develops 135 kW/184 hp. Fuel consumption has been reduced by up to 10.8 per cent compared with the outgoing model.
The S-Class, the luxury CL-Class Coupé and the C-Class provided the stylistic models. The redesigned large tailgate conceals a variable boot with up to 1,100 litres of luggage capacity. The new tail lights, the long row of LEDs which make up the third brake light unit and the rear bumper subdivide the rear and emphasise its width.
The interior of the new Mercedes-Benz CLC is akin to a contemporary tailor-made suit - custom fit and comfortable. Sports seats with better lateral support than ever; a three-spoke multifunction steering wheel, automatic climate control and brushed aluminium trim elements form part of the standard specification. A choice of seat covers in black, alpaca grey and a particularly stylish combination of black and red are available to give the interior its individual colour scheme.
Mercedes-Benz has put together the sports package for drivers looking for extra sporting flair. It includes exclusive engineering innovations and equipment extras such as 18-inch light-alloy wheels, wide-base tyres, headlamps with black inner surrounds, sports suspension with lowered body, leather sports steering wheel and dark brushed aluminium trim elements. Another special feature which the CLC inherits from its racing car counterparts is the instrument cluster with red needles for the speedometer and rev counter.
The standard specification for the sports package includes a new direct-steer system, based on the speed-sensitive power steering and also offers a variable rack ratio which changes as a function of the steering angle so that the driver only has to turn the wheel slightly when cornering.
Mercedes-Benz offers four four-cylinder and two six-cylinder engines with power outputs ranging from 90 kW/122 hp to 200 kW/272 hp for the new CLC. The 135 kW/184 hp powerplant in the CLC 200 Kompressor now develops an extra 15 kW/20 hp while consuming just 7.8 to 8.2 litres per 100 kilometres in the NEDC cycle - the equivalent of up to 0.7 litres less than before. In consumption terms, with its advanced turbodiesel engines, the CLC falls into the five-litre category: the CLC 200 CDI returns a consumption of 5.8 to 6.1 litres per 100 kilometres in the NEDC cycle, up to 10.8 per cent less than the outgoing model. The CDI models boast operating ranges of over 1,000 kilometres with a full tank (62 litres).
The six-speed manual transmission is standard with all engine variants. Mercedes-Benz can also supply a five-speed automatic transmission for the four-cylinder units, and the 7G-Tronic seven-speed automatic transmission for the V6 models.
In combination with the sports package, the driver can use gearshift paddles on the steering wheel to select the gears of the automatic transmission manually and make optimum use of the engines' high power reserves when the driving situation calls for it.
The new CLC is the successor to a successful Mercedes model that boasts some 320,000 drivers around the world to its name since 2001. The majority of these were new Mercedes customers. Its high conquest rate of some 70 per cent made the sports coupé one of the most successful models in the Mercedes strategic product initiative.
The public will get the chance to take a close look at the sports coupé for the first time at authorised dealerships around Europe, including Malta, in May.
The sports coupé's design, technology and equipment meet the discerning requirements of young drivers looking for an athletic car that offers an involving drive, while delivering the hallmark Mercedes quality standards in terms of safety, comfort, environmental compatibility and functionality.
Compared with the previous sports coupé, the Mercedes engineers have newly developed or enhanced over 1,100 components. Engineering highlights of the CLC include a new direct-steer system for even more agile cornering, state-of-the-art infotainment systems featuring a colour display, Europe-wide DVD or hard-disc navigation and media interface, and an uprated four-cylinder engine that now develops 135 kW/184 hp. Fuel consumption has been reduced by up to 10.8 per cent compared with the outgoing model.
The S-Class, the luxury CL-Class Coupé and the C-Class provided the stylistic models. The redesigned large tailgate conceals a variable boot with up to 1,100 litres of luggage capacity. The new tail lights, the long row of LEDs which make up the third brake light unit and the rear bumper subdivide the rear and emphasise its width.
The interior of the new Mercedes-Benz CLC is akin to a contemporary tailor-made suit - custom fit and comfortable. Sports seats with better lateral support than ever; a three-spoke multifunction steering wheel, automatic climate control and brushed aluminium trim elements form part of the standard specification. A choice of seat covers in black, alpaca grey and a particularly stylish combination of black and red are available to give the interior its individual colour scheme.
Mercedes-Benz has put together the sports package for drivers looking for extra sporting flair. It includes exclusive engineering innovations and equipment extras such as 18-inch light-alloy wheels, wide-base tyres, headlamps with black inner surrounds, sports suspension with lowered body, leather sports steering wheel and dark brushed aluminium trim elements. Another special feature which the CLC inherits from its racing car counterparts is the instrument cluster with red needles for the speedometer and rev counter.
The standard specification for the sports package includes a new direct-steer system, based on the speed-sensitive power steering and also offers a variable rack ratio which changes as a function of the steering angle so that the driver only has to turn the wheel slightly when cornering.
Mercedes-Benz offers four four-cylinder and two six-cylinder engines with power outputs ranging from 90 kW/122 hp to 200 kW/272 hp for the new CLC. The 135 kW/184 hp powerplant in the CLC 200 Kompressor now develops an extra 15 kW/20 hp while consuming just 7.8 to 8.2 litres per 100 kilometres in the NEDC cycle - the equivalent of up to 0.7 litres less than before. In consumption terms, with its advanced turbodiesel engines, the CLC falls into the five-litre category: the CLC 200 CDI returns a consumption of 5.8 to 6.1 litres per 100 kilometres in the NEDC cycle, up to 10.8 per cent less than the outgoing model. The CDI models boast operating ranges of over 1,000 kilometres with a full tank (62 litres).
The six-speed manual transmission is standard with all engine variants. Mercedes-Benz can also supply a five-speed automatic transmission for the four-cylinder units, and the 7G-Tronic seven-speed automatic transmission for the V6 models.
In combination with the sports package, the driver can use gearshift paddles on the steering wheel to select the gears of the automatic transmission manually and make optimum use of the engines' high power reserves when the driving situation calls for it.
The new CLC is the successor to a successful Mercedes model that boasts some 320,000 drivers around the world to its name since 2001. The majority of these were new Mercedes customers. Its high conquest rate of some 70 per cent made the sports coupé one of the most successful models in the Mercedes strategic product initiative.
The public will get the chance to take a close look at the sports coupé for the first time at authorised dealerships around Europe, including Malta, in May.