Coupe shows the new face of Mercedes this summer; FIRST DRIVE Mercedes CLC.

Byline: By Robin Roberts

MERCEDES-BENZ is raising its game with the new CLC coupe entering showrooms this summer.

A natural evolution of the former C-Class Sports Coupe with which it shares some underpinnings, it is clothed in elements from the latest C-Class saloons to give a family face and tail.

Mercedes has also taken the opportunity to realign its trim levels, there's now just better equipped SE and Sport, and these are packages which it believes will have particular appeal to certain buyers.

Younger buyers are likely to go for the Sport and the SE will find garage space with older users.

Automatic climate control, 16-inch alloys and child-seat fixtures are standard across the new range but the luxury pack of the SE includes Parktronic assistance, fabric/leather-look seat covers and chrome detailing.

It contrasts with the more dynamic features of the Sport which costs pounds 1,100 more and includes 18-inch alloys, metallic paint, sports suspension, direct steering, stainless steel exhaust and different instruments and trim changes. Specify the automatic box and Sport models come with wheel mounted paddle shift levers.

Taking the previous generation as a guide, the new model will mostly be sold with the latter level which will enhance residual values.

The Mercedes 220 CDI is a stalwart of the stable and in Sport trim it has strong appeal to the buyer who wants good mid-range pulling power, long legged economy and a sharper chassis response. It indicated around 43mpg on test.

The 200K SE however is a smoother ride, sounds less noisy even under hard acceleration and does not appear to lack anything in on-road performance. That shows a fuel consumption of approximately 36mpg.

At the top of the range is the 350 Sport and this is a very smooth, quiet, responsive, eager performer and on some twisting Austrian roads it dismissed gradients with contempt and covered motorway miles with utter composure. It returns about 30mpg.

The hatchback covers a boot space which can rise from a nominal 310 litres to 1,100 litres. Access to the back is not very easy and once inside the legroom is tight for an adult or teenager.

Those in the front have good leg and headroom with a wide adjustment range to the seats whether manual or electrically operated.

Oddments space is reasonable but in the back there is virtually nowhere for a child to put on-journey oddments.

I prefer the smoother riding SE derivatives with automatic transmission.

The Sport versions seem to detract from the CLC's refinements with very little gain in day to day driving. Instead of a Sport model, the money could go towards one or more of the option packs, which would lift the residual value in the same way the Sport trim level does.