Category: Small Family 
Price Range: No data available
Smart looks, rear-wheel drive handling.
Pricey, patchy quality, poor ride, not sporting, limited rear visibility.
CLC benefits from style overhaul, but ultimately lags behind its rivals in drive, performance and quality.
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.
The revised CLC is pitched against all new rivals like the Volvo C30, BMW 1-Series and even the forthcoming Volkswagen Sirocco, which poses the question; how will a facelift of an old car compete against its newer talented opposition?
