Photos: New Merdeces-Benz CLC is a C-Class Sport Coupe born again

Mercedes-Benz has given its C-Class Sport Coupe a facelift and butt-tuck and the resultant CLC-Class is due in August.

Part old, part new
In turning the Sport Coupe into the CLC, Mercedes claims to have changed or updated 1,100 parts. Most obvious amongst the changes is the new front, styled to look like the current C-Class with its rectangular lights.

Part old, part new, part II
Another prominent change is the deletion of the previous model's split rear screen; in its place is a more conventional hatch.

With the old Sport Coupe, you had a selection of engines to choose from. In Australia, the CLC will only be offered with one engine, a supercharged 1.8-litre four-cylinder, branded as the CLC200 Kompressor. Three levels of trim are offered with prices starting from AU$49,990.

History 101
Once, many moons ago, BMW offered an entry-level, three-door hatch version of its 3-Series range; Mercedes' riposte, as seen above, was the C-Class Sport Coupe. The 3-Series hatch is no more, though, its place in the BMW line-up was largely made redundant when the 1-Series hatch range launched.

Haven't I seen you before?
The interior looks almost to be a straight lift from the old C-Class.