While it may not be the most sizable Mercedes Review Roundup installment we've ever brought you, today's segment still provides a satisfying look at two of the newest models to make their way out of Stuttgart:  the new-generation SLK350 and the new CLC Sport Coupe.  To see what the reviewers thought of either, you can find excerpts from each review as well as links back to the full articles immediately below.

Enjoy.


Mercedes-Benz SLK350 (via CNET)
Reviewer's rating:  7.8/10

"As we would expect from a plus-50-grand roadster from Mercedes-Benz, the interior of the 2009 SLK350 is designed for luxury. All surfaces except the buttons are soft. And although it's a roadster, you don't have to put the top up to stay warm. Our SLK350 had Mercedes-Benz's Air Scarf feature, which blows warm air on your neck from a vent in the head rest. We took it out on one particularly fog-bound and clammy day, San Francisco in the summer, and drove for hours with the top down, and the heated seats and Air Scarf kept us perfectly comfortable.

Mercedes-Benz's newest navigation system, which we saw in the C300, is hard drive-based, making route calculation and map refreshes quick, but we didn't have the navigation option in our test car. Likewise, the SLK350 can be customized with a Harmon-Kardon Logic7 audio system, which we've been impressed with in other models, but our test car only had the stock audio system.

The audio quality of the stock system, though full, suffered from shrill highs. We played a variety of music through the system and were generally impressed with the frequency range we could hear, and the good separation that made bass, mid, and treble notes distinct. But as we turned the volume up, the highs became unbearable as the speakers turned what should have been a clear high vocal into an eardrum-piercing note. The system handled bass-heavy tracks without rattle, but the Logic7 system seems a necessary upgrade.

The SLK350 also comes with standard Bluetooth hands-free cell phone integration. We were initially frustrated to find we couldn't pair a Samsung phone with the system. Checking the Mercedes-Benz Web site, we found that the car is compatible with most Nokia and Motorola phones, along with various BlackBerry models and the iPhone. We successfully paired it with a BlackBerry and found the call quality to be good. The car let us easily import our phonebook contacts, and kept a record of recent calls. And we finally had a use for the keypad Mercedes-Benz puts on the dashboard of most of its models.

The SLK-class is available in three versions marked by their engines, from the 3-liter V-6 SLK300 to the 5.5-liter V-8 SLK55 AMG. The 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLK350 is powered by a 3.5-liter V-6 that Mercedes-Benz squeezes 300 horsepower at 6,500rpm and 265 foot-pounds of torque at 4,900rpm out of. Although the SLK350 is a small car, the horses don't translate to rocket ship power. It moves fast and smooth, but we didn't get the blast in the back we expected. During one drive on a two-lane highway we started to pass a line of cars, but when oncoming traffic appeared, the SLK350 didn't have the guts to keep us confident in the maneuver. We did make it to the front of the line, but had to consider slotting back into the line before our intended spot.

The engine feeds its power to the wheels through a seven-speed automatic transmission that keeps shifts very smooth. Through a little technical wizardry, the transmission exerts a little throttle when it downshifts to keep the engine speed matched to the gear. Our car had the standard seven-speed transmission--a sport version is available, complete with paddle shifters. The automatic transmission can be put into Sport mode at the push of a button, or you can manually shift by pushing the shifter from side-to-side. The manual shifts were tighter than a normal slushbox, but they didn't feel exceptionally sharp. We concluded that our test car, lacking the Sport package, was tuned more for a fun, luxury ride than hard-core driving."

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Mercedes-Benz CLC Sport Coupe (via Fifth Gear)
Reviewer's rating: 

"Styling - If you look at the front and rear separately, the CLC does look smart. The front shares its looks with the new C-Class Sport - which is no bad thing - whilst the rear gets chunky rear lights and a large central brake light along the boot line. However, it hasn't got the sleekest of profiles, and from some angles it does just look like it's a C-Class saloon with the boot cut off.

Handling - It's not the most exciting of cars to drive unfortunately, which is a shame as it doesn't handle badly. The suspension is quite hard which, although makes it competent around corners, it does cause it to crash over bumps and potholes unsettling the car. The steering is nicely weighted though and it feels more at home cruising on a motorway.

Comfort - It's noticeable how quiet the CLC's cabin is. There's very little road or wind noise and it feels civilised and refined on motorways. It's also got excellent seat adjustment in the front, and the rear seats are comfortable too. However, the hard suspension means the car does tend to crash around on less-than-smooth roads.

Quality + reliability - There's little to fault with Mercedes build quality, but the interior isn't as plush as we feel it should be for a premium brand car. There shouldn't be any reliability issues though.

Performance - We're yet to drive the 230 or 350 versions which, on paper at least, will offer more in the way of performance. For now though, the CLC 220 CDI isn't slow, with a 0-62 time of 9.7 seconds and the CLC 200K has had a power boost of 21bhp bringing its power output to a not-too-shabby 184bhp.

Roominess - Despite its hatchback/coupe shape, the CLC isn't too bad for interior space. The boot offers plenty of room for general day to day use and the rear seats will accommodate two adults for a short time fairly comfortably. Head room isn't bad, although six-footers may suffer slightly in the rear, but leg and elbow room is decent for this type of car.

Running costs - The 200 and 220 diesel variants offer fuel economy of 47.9 and 48.7mpg respectively with the six-speed manual transmission. The CLC 180k will manage around 39.2mpg - which is decent for the entry-level petrol - and the CLC 200k with its boosted power still offers a relatively frugal 38.7mpg. CO2 varies from 152 for the diesel (tax band D) and 239 for the CLC 350 with automatic transmission (tax band G) costing from as little as £145 to a very-pricey £400 per year.

Environment - All the engines have had substantial improvements to CO2 and fuel economy, which is just as well as the outgoing model had a terrible average C02 figure of over 190 g/km. The new diesel offers reasonable CO2 emissions of 152g/km together with fuel economy of 48.7mpg."

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And to our friend Shiv:  as always, thanks for the tip my good sir; we sincerely appreciate it.