Not least in order to maintain the model's great appeal to new Mercedes-Benz customers, the Sports Coupés that still belonged to the 203 series benefited from a thorough update in which more than 1100 parts were newly developed or enhanced. Under the new designation CLC, the sporty three-door models celebrated their world premiere at the end of January 2008, during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin.
In terms of external appearance, the fundamentally changed front section and the modified rear design immediately caught the eye. The former in particular was brought closer to the current design idiom of Mercedes-Benz, which the Saloon and Estate models of the 204-series C-Class also featured. Characteristic styling features included the pronounced sweep of the front section with three-louvre radiator grille and the specially developed headlamp units with halogen projection technology. Sporty highlights were also set by the trapezoidal cooling air inlet in the front bumper with simulated side air inlets. There was now more emphasis on the width at the rear end of the Sports Coupé, with enlarged, two-section rear lights in horizontal format and, compared to the predecessor model, a less prominently presented rear spoiler. The refreshed lines were rounded off by a diffuser-look bumper.
As was already the case in the previous model, the interior of the CLC conveyed a particularly sporty impression in numerous details, such as the cockpit and seats. The standard seat upholstery was available in black, alpaca grey and black/red. The leather upholstery available as an option was also available in cognac brown in combination with the Sport package. In this case dark brushed aluminium was used as the trim material, while the standard version featured a light colour.
In addition to the sport seats with further improved lateral support and easy-entry function, the standard equipment included THERMATIC automatic climate control, a three-spoke multifunction steering wheel, six airbags as well as belt tensioners and belt force limiters for all seats. In addition, the optional equipment list contained numerous extras - from a panoramic sliding sunroof, heavily tinted glazing for the rear side windows and the rear window, to variously specified infotainment systems and bi-xenon headlights with additional cornering light function. The optional Sport package made for an even more sporty profile. It included such features as headlamps with dark-coloured surrounds, darkened rear lights, a black interior headliner and 18-inch light-alloy wheels.
One focus of the model update was on the upgrading of the available infotainment systems. Included here was a new generation of devices with technical features that had previously been reserved for luxury class vehicles only. There was a choice of three units, all equipped with colour display, twin tuner for better radio reception, speed-dependent volume control, keypad and Bluetooth interface. The Audio 20 system with CD player was limited to music playback only, while the higher-grade Audio 50 APS system combined car radio, telephone hub and pan-European DVD navigation in one unit, and COMAND APS, as the top version, featured hard-disc navigation and a music register that offered storage for 1000 music tracks in the MP3 format. Audio 50 APS and COMAND APS could also be optionally equipped with the combination of a six-disc DVD changer and LINGUATRONIC voice control, which now worked with whole-word input. Regardless of the output source, the optionally specifiable "Logic7" surround sound system with 450-watt amplifier in the CLC interior provided concert hall-style acoustic enjoyment.
At the market launch of the updated CLC Sports Coupés in June 2008, the turbodiesel-engined CLC 200 CDI and CLC 220 CDI models were available with an output of 90 kW/122 hp and 110 kW/150 hp respectively, along with the petrol-engined CLC 180 KOMPRESSOR, CLC 200 KOMPRESSOR, CLC 230 and CLC 350 models. The first two petrol models were equipped with a mechanically supercharged 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine with 105 kW/143 hp and 135 kW/184 hp respectively, while the latter two were powered by naturally aspirated V6 engines with displacements of 2.5 and 3.5 litres and outputs of 150 kW/204 hp and 200 kW/272 hp respectively. With the help of various efficiency-enhancing measures, all engines were up to 10.8% more fuel-efficient than the previous versions, depending on the engine type and power class. The supercharged four-cylinder engine of the CLC 200 KOMPRESSOR stood out in particular: thanks to a more dynamic supercharger, optimised pistons and a modified engine management system, this now generated 15 kW/20 hp more than before and, with an NEDC consumption of 7.8 to 8.2 litres of premium petrol per 100 kilometres, still required around 8% less fuel than in the previous Sports Coupé.
A mechanical 6-speed manual transmission was standard equipment with all the engines. As an option, Mercedes-Benz offered a five-speed automatic transmission for the four-cylinder models and the 7G-TRONIC transmission with seven gears for the V6 models. In combination with the Sport package, the automatic transmissions could also be shifted manually using gearshift paddles on the steering wheel.
The suspension design of the revised CLC models was based on proven technology and ensured both exceptional ride comfort and sporty, precise handling. The front suspension remained a multi-link design with aluminium tie rods and McPherson struts; in the likewise already familiar multi-link rear suspension, coil springs and single-tube gas-pressure shock absorbers performed the suspension and damping tasks. Torsion bar stabilisers at the front and rear ensured optimum driving stability. In addition, a new development from Mercedes-Benz contributed to the CLC's lively character: "Direct-Steer", as it was called, was based on the previous steering system with speed-sensitive regulation of the power assistance, but additionally had a variable steering rack ratio dependent on the steering angle. This was balanced in such a way that the steering wheel only had to be turned slightly during sporty, dynamic cornering, and steering impulses led to faster vehicle responses, i.e.to greater agility.
An extensive range of available wheel/tyre combinations not only allowed visual individualisation of the Sports Coupés, but also had a positive effect on their driving dynamics. There was a choice of ten different wheel types with different tyre sizes - from 16-inch light-alloy wheels in a five-spoke design to AMG wheels of 18 inches in size. The top-of-the-range CLC 350 model was already equipped with 17-inch light-alloy wheels as standard. Vehicles specified with the optional Sport package were fitted with 18-inch five-twin-spoke light-alloy wheels with 225/40 (front) and 245/35 (rear) tyres.
At the time of their market launch, three of the new models achieved the goal of offering the CLC as an entry-level model into the world of Mercedes-Benz coupés at a price of less than 30,000 euros. The CLC 180 KOMPRESSOR was available at a list price of 28,113.75 euros incl. VAT, while the petrol-engined CLC 200 KOMPRESSOR and the diesel-engined CLC 200 CDI were each available for 29,601.25 euros. The upper end of the price range was occupied by the CLC 350, which was priced at 36,086.75 euros - still a reasonable figure given its remarkable performance.
Following the successful sales start of the updated Sports Coupés in the summer of 2008, production of a new petrol variant began in March of the following year, complementing the range and positioned as an efficiency-optimised entry-level model, . The CLC 160 BlueEFFICIENCY was equipped with the supercharged four-cylinder engine from the M 271 engine series, which had been reduced to 1.6 litres and was also used in the 204-series C-Class. However, the maximum output of the CLC 160 was only 95 kW/129 hp at 5000 rpm - 20 kW/27 hp less than in the C-Class. Compared to the previous petrol-engined CLC 180 KOMPRESSOR base model, the new variant had an average fuel consumption of 6.9 to 7.5 litres per 100 km according to NEDC, which corresponded to a saving of around 8%. With a list price incl. VAT of 26,745.25 euros, the CLC 160 BlueEFFICIENCY also represented the most affordable way to purchase a Mercedes-Benz Sports Coupé.
Shortly after a similar measure was taken for two C-Class Saloon and Estate models equipped with V6 petrol engines, the model nomenclature of the CLC 230 was also modified from May 2009. In the process, the sales designation was again synchronised with the actual engine capacity. Since the CLC 230 was powered by the 2.5-litre version of the M 272 V6 engine series, the model was consequently renamed the CLC 250. The performance data of the engine remained unaffected by this process.
Unit sales figures for the CLC Sports Coupés in particular having fallen dramatically owing to the global financial crisis that unfolded widely in 2009, and since a traditionally configured C-Class Coupé in the 204 series was in development at Mercedes-Benz, production of the Sports Coupés, which had already been on the market since 2000 and were still based on the previous C-Class generation, was gradually phased out by the end of 2010. The two diesel models CLC 200 CDI and CLC 220 CDI, which were still powered by the four-cylinder engines of the older OM 646 series, made the start. In December, production of the three remaining petrol models, the CLC 160 BlueEFFICIENCY, CLC 180 KOMPRESSOR and CLC 200 KOMPRESSOR, also came to an end.
During a production cycle that lasted just under three years after the 2008 model update, the CLC 180 KOMPRESSOR was the most popular model, with around 18,000 units. Overall, this variant also occupied the top spot in the production statistics from launch, and by a wide margin, with more than 80,000 vehicles built. It was followed by the two diesel models CLC 220 CDI and CLC 200 CDI with around 56,000 and 30,000 units respectively. These were followed by the CLC 200 KOMPRESSOR as the only model to also reach a five-digit total production figure. This petrol-engined model made it to about 11,000 vehicles. In contrast, the CLC 350 with its high engine power and aggressive pricing remained the 'exotic' model in the range, with a maximum of 300 units per year - with only one exception.
