Next in our new-and-improved Review Roundup segment comes a total of three reviews looking at both the new Mercedes-Benz CLC as well as the CL65 AMG.  You can find the complete set of articles along with excerpts from each immediately below.

Enjoy.


Mercedes-Benz CLC-Class (via Channel 4)
Reviewer's rating: 

"For the enthusiast, the CLC has all the ingredients in place for a drive to savour, especially when fitted with the powerful 268bhp 3.5-litre V6 and a quick shifting six-speed. This arrangement recently left us almost breathless with enthusiasm in the SLK350 but how does it fare with the CLC?

On paper it certainly seems the business sprinting to 62mph in 6.3 seconds and only running out of steam when the limiter halts action at 155mph. It feels a completely different beast to the SLK and it should, because, despite sharing the same capacity as the sporty little roadster, the CLC misses out on the extra 32bhp the SLK's lump boasts.  It's not just the extra power the CLC misses. Gone is the addictive howl, appetite for revs and general enthusiasm the small roadster's SLK V6 dished up.

Handling-wise the CLC 350's steering has been sharpened up by the addition of the variable ratio steering, but rivals have better balance and feel through corners: the CLC may have plenty grip, but it's not very agile, or even engaging, on cornering."

Read Full Review »



Mercedes-Benz CLC350 (via Autocar.co.uk)
Reviewer's rating:  Unspecified

"You’ll recognize the CLC by its edgy styling. The new look attempts to link the new model with the latest C-class, albeit with the retention of its predecessor’s doors and rear fender panels.
It is mildly successful. The CLC’s front end is nicely cohesive and purposeful in appearance, but the rear remains a mess, with unfortunate shut lines where the C-class Sports Coupé’s tail lamps once were.

Dynamically, the CLC has taken a welcome step forward from the car it replaces through the adoption of a new variable-rate steering rack first introduced to the facelifted SLK earlier this year. It provides a more direct feel and sharper responses, with added weighting and greater self-centering.

It’s hard to say how people will react to the new CLC’s links to the old C-class, but if recent history is anything to go by, the CLC should find more than its fair share of admirers in the UK."

Read Full Review »



Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG (via CarsGuide.com.au)
Reviewer's rating:  Unspecified

"Press start and the engine fires up with a subdued burble that you almost have to strain to hear in the cabin. Push the matter a little further and there's a louder and throatier response. But unless you really emboss your shoe tread into the carpet, the noise still seems somehow restrained and rarely likely to annoy the neighbours. But be warned that if you plant it, the engine is powerful enough to get a second or two of tyre wail at launch, even with the traction control on.  And planting your foot reveals why the seats are so deeply padded. It's to cushion your shoulder blades when the beast slingshots off the start.

You can reach ludicrous speeds in a flash but there's a strange sense of detachment from what's happening. Even when the needle is fairly well buried into the right-hand arc of the dial, the cabin is still as serene as another car would be during gentle cruising. You can hear the engine, if you try, but there's little in the way of tyre or wind noise to help communicate the sensation of speed.

The blur of landscape might almost be a movie projected on the windscreen (with the sound muted to a polite murmur).
In keeping with this, the ride quality is brilliant over any surface and the sports suspension coupled with a slew of dynamics systems helps keep the CL65 clawed into the road under most conditions. However, you never lose the sense of how substantial that luxury body is, and there's a touch of roll in some of the corners.  But these are minor niggles in a car that offers every possible creature comfort combined with blistering speed."

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And lest I forget, another thanks to our friend Shiv, the diligent reader gracious enough to each of the above-listed reviews.