BEAUTIFUL sports coupe styling along with five-door practicality make for the perfect combination but there's a whole lot more to be discovered within the Mercedes CLA 200.

The car looks jaw-droppingly good looking from any approachthanks to its incredibly sleek styling and host of design cues such as the diamond radiator grille, halogen headlamps with integrated LED daytime running lights, 18-inch alloys, chrome belt-line strip, body-coloured bumpers, door handles and mirrors, privacy glass plus twin rectangular tailpipes.

Open the door and your attention is instantly drawn to the stylish illuminated door sills and once you take your seat (heated of course) behind the multi-function steering wheel you soon realise there is a whole host of techno treats to be explored.

These include a seven-inch tablet style touchscreen, a six-speaker sound system with CD player, Bluetooth connectivity, USB port, sat nav, a reversing camera with parking guidance, dual-zone automatic climate control and lots more besides.

The cabin oozes class and premium elegance with simple features such as the circular chrome air vents, stylish instrument cluster and simplistic yet feature-rich layout really standing out.

Comfort levels are very high for the driver and passenger, but it can be a little cramped in the back. The front seats have large integrated head rests and this also contributes to the rather claustrophobic feeling for rear seat passengers on long journeys.

That aside though the car was an absolute delight to drive and after clocking up more than 500 miles during my week-long test drive, I was still being impressed by the vehicle's dynamics and performance.

The 2,143cc diesel powertrain delivers ample oomph with a constant supply of power on tap. And acceleration through the seven-speed automatic transmission is also beautifully slick and smooth. The CLA 200 can sprint from 0-62mph in 9.9 seconds and tops out at 134mph. According to official figures, it can achieve a creditable 68.9mpg on a combined run with carbon emissions of 106g/km.

The road-holding was very sure-footed and the ride nicely composed as the vehicle ironed out any unexpected creases and bumps along the way. And even when pushed quite hard there was minimal engine, road or wind noise to be heard.

The powered boot is huge and can hold 495 litres of luggage. This capacity is increased considerably with the split-folding rear seats dropped flat and elsewhere there are numerous smaller compartments scattered throughout the cabin.

The CLA 200 has a comprehensive range of safety features including attention assist which monitors driver fatigue, collision prevention assist plus, numerous airbags, lamp failure indicator, tyre pressure monitoring, brake pad wear warning indicator, cornering dynamics assist and lots more.

All in all, the CLA 200 Sport is a fabulous piece of kit. If I were being particularly picky, then I was rather disappointed that a car costing £29,225 (£31,210 with options) didn't come fitted with electrically-adjustable seats.