The result is a neat and appealing design that is unmistakably a Mercedes Benz, but which also projects a youthful, sporting coupé style. ... It's as if some key men from BMW had escaped in the dead of night and gone down the road to the Mercedes-Benz HQ in Stuttgart. ...But after that initial surprise, you find that weight varies according to the conditions and I felt it struck just the right balance. ...With its 150 bhp 2.1-litre diesel engine mated to the optional five-speed automatic this was never going to be the high performance option in the range. ...Unusually the automatic version is credited as being two-tenths of a second quicker on this dash, but it doesn't produce as good a fuel consumption as the manual. However, having tried to juggle hill starts in the past on a manual car with a foot-operated parking brake, I would say the auto box is one option you really should tick straight away....Whereas many Mercedes-Benz cars that I have driven in the past have excelled on motorways, but felt not so much at ease on twisty by-ways, the CLC absolutely loves B roads. A large part of this is down to that nicely weighted steering that offers precise positioning on the road, feels good and complements the inherent rear-wheel-drive balance. ...Space for passengers is good in the front and, thanks to a double folding seat base, access to the rear seats is easier than on many other coupés. ...I have already stated my lack of love for the foot-operated parking brakes so beloved on the other side of the Atlantic and in the product design corridors of Stuttgart. ... The final quibble is that I would rather have the more conventional back and forward manual shift movement on the gear selector – or, better still – racing-style paddles behind the steering wheel. ...At £22,260 (or £23,310 with the automatic gearbox) it is also quite competitively priced at just £400 more than one of its most obvious competitors – the BMW 120d Coupe.
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Mercedes CLC targets a younger, sportier market 
