Mercedes-Benz CLC-Class
Encyclopedia
The Mercedes-Benz CLC-Class (internal name CL203) is a luxury compact car
which was produced by the Mercedes Car Group
division of Daimler AG since 2002, as part of the W203 C-Class, and since 2008 as its own lineup, separately from the new W204 C-Class. The CLC was a three-door hatchback
coupe
with a fastback
profile. Production was discontinued after the 2010 model year.
While the C-Class sedan and wagon had the traditional Mercedes horizontal bar grille with the hood ornament, the coupé had a star-grille front end. The coupé also had a swooping fastback
roofline, and a functional rear spoiler at the short rear end that added downforce on the rear tires at high speeds. One exclusive option to the coupé was a panorama sunroof that was intended to make the rear seats feel less cramped. The coupé was seven inches shorter overall compared to the sedan but both share the same wheelbase length.
The 2002 C230 Sportcoupé was powered by a 2.3L supercharged, four cylinder motor, the same that had been available in the SLK-Class until that time. While some C-Class sedans were powered by V6 engines (especially for the Canadian and U.S. markets), the C230 Coupe had a standard 2.3 litre four cylinder engine with an intercooled supercharger (which the Germans call a Kompressor), dual overhead cams, and four valves per cylinder. It offered 192 horsepower at 5500 rpm and 200 lb-ft of torque between 2500 rpm and 4800 rpm, more output than the 168 horsepower 2.6L V6 powering the C240 sedan. However, the supercharged inline-4 engine was considered to be coarse and noisy at the high end. The 6-speed manual gearbox was considered a disappointment compared to BMW and Audi's, so many reviewers recommended the 5-speed automatic Touch Shift transmission.
The following model year (2003), a new family of supercharged four cylinder engines, dubbed M271
, debuted for the entire range C-Class range. All of them used the same 1.8 L engine, with different designations according to horsepower levels, including a version powered by natural gas
. The 193 PS (142 kW/190 hp) engine, generating more than the 168 horsepower 2.6L V6 powering the C240, was initially available only in the C230K Sportcoupé but was later offered in the C230K Sport Sedan.
While BMW
's 3-Series hatchback
was criticized as looking like a full-sized 3-series with the rear chopped off, the Sportcoupé's fastback
profile was considered a more stylist off-shoot of the C-Class sedan. While the C230 base model enabled the automaker to reach a lower price point than existing models sold in North America, some suggested that the hatchback configuration (as "liftback" is almost never used in North America) and the "inexpensive Mercedes" moniker would undermine the marque which was traditionally composed of expensive cars. It also lacked standard leather seats and a CD player, amenities typically expected of German luxury imports (especially a Mercedes). Being the two most inexpensive models in the U.S. and Canadian C-Class lineup, with starting MSRPs lower than the sedans and wagons, the C230 Sport Coupe started at $25,615 USD and the C320 Sport Coupe at $27,300 USD. However, adding leather upholstery ($1,410) and automatic transmission ($1300) placed it close to sportier rivals such as the Audi TT
($31,000) and the BMW 325Ci Coupe
(about $30,000).
Like the BMW 3-Series hatchback, the Sportcoupé proved unpopular with the younger buyers it was targeted towards, due to high prices compared to the lower entry-level models it was competing against, as well as unfavorable exchange rates. Along with the C-Class Estate (wagon), the Sport Coupe was discontinued in Canada and the United States after the 2005 model year.
Although removed from the North America
n lineup in 2005, it continued on sale in other markets. From October 2000 until 2007, a total of 230,000 Sportcoupés were built in the Bremen
factory and in Brazil.
Mercedes found that the Sportcoupé was a popular first Mercedes for new customers, 40 per cent of whom reportedly return to buy more expensive models later on.
The car was presented at the 2008 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin, which took place from the 27th to 31 January 2008. The CLC was produced in Brazil at the company’s plant in Juiz de Fora
, close to the state border with Rio de Janeiro
.
Due to the age of the W203 platform which "exudes a level of float and wallow" not found in the W204 C-Class, the CLC received mixed reviews against sportier rivals such as the BMW 1 Series
coupé (a successful replacement of the 3-Series hatchback
).
In 2009 the CLC 160 BlueEFFICIENCY was added to the range, and the CLC 230 was rechristened as the CLC 250.
Despite being an interesting option as a first Mercedes, Daimler AG decided that the CLC would not continue production. Instead, the W204 C-Class received a traditionally designed coupé added to the lineup for the 2012 model year, coinciding with the facelifted W204 sedan/saloon in the fourth quarter of 2011. The 2012 C-Class Coupe is positioned directly against the BMW 3 Series
Coupé.
. It will also have a coupé-like style similar to Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
, and have an AMG model that is positioned directly against BMW 1 Series M Coupe and Audi RS3.
The CLC will be equipped with a four-wheel drive system that will be paired up with a 1.6 liter turbocharged petrol engine offered in two versions: one with 121 HP and one with 154 HP. The top version will be powered by a 2.0 liter petrol engine with 207 HP and will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in about 7 seconds, while top speed will be in the 145 mph area. The diesel line-up will include a 1.8 liter engine with 108 HP and 134 HP, plus a 2.1 version offered with 168 HP and 201 HP. Transmission choices include a six-speed manual gearbox as standard and an optional dual-clutch gearbox.
Along with the A-Class, B-Class, GLK and GL, the CLC has no high performance AMG model.
Compact car
A compact car , or small family car , is a classification of cars which are larger than a supermini but smaller than or equal to a mid-size car...
which was produced by the Mercedes Car Group
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
division of Daimler AG since 2002, as part of the W203 C-Class, and since 2008 as its own lineup, separately from the new W204 C-Class. The CLC was a three-door hatchback
Hatchback
A Hatchback is a car body style incorporating a shared passenger and cargo volume, with rearmost accessibility via a rear third or fifth door, typically a top-hinged liftgate—and features such as fold-down rear seats to enable flexibility within the shared passenger/cargo volume. As a two-box...
coupe
Coupé
A coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
with a fastback
Fastback
A fastback is a car body style whose roofline slopes continuously down at the back. The word can also designate the car itself. The style is seen on two-door coupés as well as four-door sedans.-History:...
profile. Production was discontinued after the 2010 model year.
First generation
The first generation was based on the W203 C-Class and sold as the C-Class Sportcoupé or C-Class Sport Coupe. The C230K and C320 Sport Coupés were the least expensive members of the C-Class lineup in the USA.While the C-Class sedan and wagon had the traditional Mercedes horizontal bar grille with the hood ornament, the coupé had a star-grille front end. The coupé also had a swooping fastback
Fastback
A fastback is a car body style whose roofline slopes continuously down at the back. The word can also designate the car itself. The style is seen on two-door coupés as well as four-door sedans.-History:...
roofline, and a functional rear spoiler at the short rear end that added downforce on the rear tires at high speeds. One exclusive option to the coupé was a panorama sunroof that was intended to make the rear seats feel less cramped. The coupé was seven inches shorter overall compared to the sedan but both share the same wheelbase length.
The 2002 C230 Sportcoupé was powered by a 2.3L supercharged, four cylinder motor, the same that had been available in the SLK-Class until that time. While some C-Class sedans were powered by V6 engines (especially for the Canadian and U.S. markets), the C230 Coupe had a standard 2.3 litre four cylinder engine with an intercooled supercharger (which the Germans call a Kompressor), dual overhead cams, and four valves per cylinder. It offered 192 horsepower at 5500 rpm and 200 lb-ft of torque between 2500 rpm and 4800 rpm, more output than the 168 horsepower 2.6L V6 powering the C240 sedan. However, the supercharged inline-4 engine was considered to be coarse and noisy at the high end. The 6-speed manual gearbox was considered a disappointment compared to BMW and Audi's, so many reviewers recommended the 5-speed automatic Touch Shift transmission.
The following model year (2003), a new family of supercharged four cylinder engines, dubbed M271
Mercedes-Benz M271 engine
The Mercedes-Benz M271 engine is a straight-4 automobile piston engine family used in the 2000s.All M271 engines are built in Untertürkheim, Germany. The family has a cast aluminum engine block and aluminum DOHC cylinder heads with 4 valves per cylinder and variable valve timing-E18ML:The E18ML is...
, debuted for the entire range C-Class range. All of them used the same 1.8 L engine, with different designations according to horsepower levels, including a version powered by natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
. The 193 PS (142 kW/190 hp) engine, generating more than the 168 horsepower 2.6L V6 powering the C240, was initially available only in the C230K Sportcoupé but was later offered in the C230K Sport Sedan.
While BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
's 3-Series hatchback
BMW Compact
The BMW Compact is a compact car / small family car, basically a truncated liftback version of the BMW 3 Series, produced by the German automaker BMW between 1993 and 2004. From 1994, it was based on the BMW E36 platform, switching to the BMW E46 platform in 2001...
was criticized as looking like a full-sized 3-series with the rear chopped off, the Sportcoupé's fastback
Fastback
A fastback is a car body style whose roofline slopes continuously down at the back. The word can also designate the car itself. The style is seen on two-door coupés as well as four-door sedans.-History:...
profile was considered a more stylist off-shoot of the C-Class sedan. While the C230 base model enabled the automaker to reach a lower price point than existing models sold in North America, some suggested that the hatchback configuration (as "liftback" is almost never used in North America) and the "inexpensive Mercedes" moniker would undermine the marque which was traditionally composed of expensive cars. It also lacked standard leather seats and a CD player, amenities typically expected of German luxury imports (especially a Mercedes). Being the two most inexpensive models in the U.S. and Canadian C-Class lineup, with starting MSRPs lower than the sedans and wagons, the C230 Sport Coupe started at $25,615 USD and the C320 Sport Coupe at $27,300 USD. However, adding leather upholstery ($1,410) and automatic transmission ($1300) placed it close to sportier rivals such as the Audi TT
Audi TT
The Audi TT is a two-door sports car manufactured by the German automaker and Volkswagen Group subsidiary Audi since 1998.The Audi TT has been produced in two generations. Both generations have been available in two car body styles; as a 2+2 Coupé, or two-seater Roadster...
($31,000) and the BMW 325Ci Coupe
BMW E46
The BMW E46 is the fourth generation of the 3 Series compact executive cars produced by BMW, produced from 1998 when it succeeded the BMW E36 until it was replaced by the BMW E90 in 2005....
(about $30,000).
Like the BMW 3-Series hatchback, the Sportcoupé proved unpopular with the younger buyers it was targeted towards, due to high prices compared to the lower entry-level models it was competing against, as well as unfavorable exchange rates. Along with the C-Class Estate (wagon), the Sport Coupe was discontinued in Canada and the United States after the 2005 model year.
Although removed from the North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n lineup in 2005, it continued on sale in other markets. From October 2000 until 2007, a total of 230,000 Sportcoupés were built in the Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
factory and in Brazil.
Mercedes found that the Sportcoupé was a popular first Mercedes for new customers, 40 per cent of whom reportedly return to buy more expensive models later on.
Second generation
The Sportcoupé was eventually spun off into its own separate line called the CLC-Class, but still based on the W203 platform, with an updated front and tail inspired by the W204 C-Class. The refresh reworked the rear and front along with some other refinements and new details (Mercedes claimed around 1100 components), including a steering system borrowed from the SLK-Class and a revised suspension. Out of the sheetmetal of the CLC-Class, only the doors and roof were carried over from the Sportcoupé. The interior is still largely similar to the first-generation Sportcoupé, although it did receive the W204 steering wheel and an updated optional navigation system. Some auto journalists noted that the improvements were limited in order to differentiate the CLC-Class and protect the status of the more lucrative marques in the lineup; one reviewer stated the "CLC does just about enough to introduce new customers to the world of Mercedes" and that it had the "feel of an authentic Mercedes-Benz, which is more than I’d say about the A-Class and B-Class front-wheel-drive hatchbacks".The car was presented at the 2008 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin, which took place from the 27th to 31 January 2008. The CLC was produced in Brazil at the company’s plant in Juiz de Fora
Juiz de Fora
-Industry, Trade, and Culture:Juiz de Fora is the second most important industrial center in the state of Minas Gerais, despite being the fourth largest in terms of population. It was once the state's largest city, position which was held up until the beginning of the 20th century...
, close to the state border with Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
.
Due to the age of the W203 platform which "exudes a level of float and wallow" not found in the W204 C-Class, the CLC received mixed reviews against sportier rivals such as the BMW 1 Series
BMW 1 Series
The BMW 1 Series is an entry level sports car produced by the German automaker BMW since 2004. The 1 Series is unusual in its class as it features rear-wheel drive, 50:50 weight balance, a longitudinally-mounted engine and an advanced aluminum multilink suspension...
coupé (a successful replacement of the 3-Series hatchback
BMW Compact
The BMW Compact is a compact car / small family car, basically a truncated liftback version of the BMW 3 Series, produced by the German automaker BMW between 1993 and 2004. From 1994, it was based on the BMW E36 platform, switching to the BMW E46 platform in 2001...
).
In 2009 the CLC 160 BlueEFFICIENCY was added to the range, and the CLC 230 was rechristened as the CLC 250.
Despite being an interesting option as a first Mercedes, Daimler AG decided that the CLC would not continue production. Instead, the W204 C-Class received a traditionally designed coupé added to the lineup for the 2012 model year, coinciding with the facelifted W204 sedan/saloon in the fourth quarter of 2011. The 2012 C-Class Coupe is positioned directly against the BMW 3 Series
BMW 3 Series
The BMW 3 Series is a compact executive car manufactured by the German automaker BMW since May 1975. Successor to the BMW New Class, it has been produced in five different generations and in no less than five different body styles. It is BMW's best-selling model, accounting for around 30% of the...
Coupé.
Third generation
The next generation of the CLC-Class, codenamed C117, is planned as a long wheelbase version of the front-wheel drive platform of the Mercedes-Benz B-ClassMercedes-Benz B-Class
The Mercedes-Benz B-Class is a small family car introduced by German automaker Mercedes-Benz in March 2005. It is essentially an enlarged A-Class keeping the same engine and suspension system...
. It will also have a coupé-like style similar to Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
The Mercedes-Benz CLS is an executive-size sedan originally launched in 2004 and based on the W211 E-Class platform and was internally designated as the C219...
, and have an AMG model that is positioned directly against BMW 1 Series M Coupe and Audi RS3.
The CLC will be equipped with a four-wheel drive system that will be paired up with a 1.6 liter turbocharged petrol engine offered in two versions: one with 121 HP and one with 154 HP. The top version will be powered by a 2.0 liter petrol engine with 207 HP and will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in about 7 seconds, while top speed will be in the 145 mph area. The diesel line-up will include a 1.8 liter engine with 108 HP and 134 HP, plus a 2.1 version offered with 168 HP and 201 HP. Transmission choices include a six-speed manual gearbox as standard and an optional dual-clutch gearbox.
Lineup
Over the model's life, the C Sport Coupe/C Sportcoupé/CLC consisted of different model designations and engines by market. It launched as single model CLC 200 KOMPRESSOR (C230 KOMPRESSOR in the US), with its engine coming from the W204 C-class.Along with the A-Class, B-Class, GLK and GL, the CLC has no high performance AMG model.
| Version | Engine | Cyl. | Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLC 160 BlueEFFICIENCY | 1.6 16V | I4 | 129 PS |
| CLC 180 KOMPRESSOR | 1.8 16V K | I4 | 143 PS |
| CLC 200 (C230 US) KOMPRESSOR | 1.8 16V K | I4 | 184 PS |
| CLC 230 (C230 US) KOMPRESSOR | 2.3 16V K | I4 | 194 PS |
| CLC 230 / CLC 250 | 2.5 24V | V6 | 204 PS |
| CLC 320 (C320 US) | 3.2 18V | V6 | 218 PS |
| CLC 350 | 3.5 24V | V6 | 272 PS |
| Version | Engine | Cyl. | Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLC 200 CDI | 2.2 16V CDI | S4 | 122 PS |
| CLC 220 CDI | 2.2 16V CDI | S4 | 150 PS |