Given that one of the first Mercedes-Benz coupés, the Mylord, created in 1901, had the driver sitting outside the carriage, one becomes quite thankful for the automotive evolution that made cars accessible to those who didn’t have a host of servants — including chauffeurs — who had not yet formed any unions to protest against their working conditions.
Those first coupés gave the world a recipe for a type of vehicle that didn’t change much in essence in the following century — a sporty two-door car with a somewhat more curvy disposition than other passenger vehicles.
But most importantly coupés were indulgent. They weren’t the sort of cars that everyone could afford and they weren’t practical in terms of passenger-carrying ability, so they were never going to be fantastically popular or common. And that’s what makes them so appealing.
In the current Mercedes-Benz range there are three coupés — the CL-Class, the CLK-Class and the four-door CLS-Class (yes, it’s a coupé and it has four doors — get over it already).
The newly launched CLC-Class is to replace the C230 coupé, but the curious aspect about the new incarnation is that, although it has more than 1 000 new components, it was created on the chassis of the previous generation C-Class (W203) instead of the new C-Class (W204), which was launched last year.
The new CLC doesn’t lack anything and the overall drive, handling and feel is as good as they come, but it didn’t make quite the same impression as the new C-Class when I first drove it.
The new CLC falls somewhere between being a radical facelift — because it has a new suspension and practically everything else is new — and a new model. But when you settle into the car you can’t help but notice that the interior looks and feels much like the previous C-Class, except for the instrument cluster.
The new coupé is now available with two engine options: the CLC200 has a 1,8-litre supercharged engine (developing 135kW and 250Nm) and the naturally aspirated, oh-so-fun, CLC350 has a 3,5-litre V6-engine (developing 200kW and 350Nm).
While it’s great to have the more powerful engine option, I did find it odd that the CLC will not be available in an AMG derivative, whereas the other coupés in the range benefit from the phenomenal V8 and V12 engines AMG develops for Mercedes.
The reason for this decision is that the CLC is not being sold in the biggest AMG market in the world — North America. An AMG engine in this smaller coupé would be an exhilarating option.
The striking exterior design is complemented by the standard features that include six airbags, ABS, EBD, a multifunction steering wheel and climate control. The CLC200 has either a six-speed manual or a five-speed auto gearbox and the CLC350 has the accomplished 7G-Tronic auto box.
Add the sports package to the CLC200 for R18 000 and you will score, among other things, a sharper steering system, fatter takkies and a stainless steel exhaust.
Fuel consumption on a combined cycle for the CLC 200 is about 8,2 litres per 100km while the C350 comes in at just under 10 litres per 100km.
Ranging in price from R335 000 for the CLC200 to R405 000 for the CLC350, the CLC-Class coupé, like its predecessor, has the ability to attract new buyers to the brand.