Car Gazing
Great Mercedes coupe even better for 2003
Redesign adds size, style, refinement to top-selling CLK
By Derek Price
The outgoing Mercedes-Benz CLK mid-size coupe had enough performance, style
and luxury to make it the best-selling car in its class.
As if that wasn't good enough for Mercedes, now the CLK is bigger, better
looking and more refined than ever. The 2003 model was completely redesigned
to bring it closer to the super-luxurious, super-expensive CL-class dream
coupe while keeping its price much more attainable – around $44,000
compared with the CL's lofty $100,000-plus price.
Even at half the smackers, the CLK looks and feels surprisingly similar to
the top-of-the-line CL, with Mercedes' oft-noted bank-vault-solid
construction, zippy acceleration and supple highway ride. It's a highly
sophisticated machine with virtually nothing to complain about, unless you
expect something sporty.
The CLK's ride and handling clearly lean toward the soft, luxurious side of
the automotive spectrum. While it's far from the wallowing mushiness of
American luxury barges, it lacks the taut suspension found in sports coupes
of the BMW ilk and feels more like a sedan as it floats down the highway.
Cornering is likewise uninspiring, but it does feel controlled and safe.
What it lacks in sportiness, however, it makes up for in luxury. The CLK
aims to coddle its occupants in serene pleasure, unlike in the slightly
harsher BMWs, as it stresses roadgoing silence and butler-like amenities
that make passengers feel pampered. Consider:
- The seatbelt guides move forward to greet you when you turn the key,
eliminating the need to contort your body backward to reach the shoulder
belt. It's a little bit gadgety, but definitely a nice touch that makes
entry easier.
- Front seating is superb and easy to adjust electronically. Switches on
the door are shaped just like the seats, so adjustment is simple and highly
intuitive.
- Cabin materials are first rate. Leather is soft and inviting, panels have
a high-quality look and feel, and dash bits feel solidly secured and
constructed in that great German tradition.
- Several high-end options are available to relieve driver stress,
including intelligent cruise control, a fully-automated climate control
system, voice-operated controls, and the "Keyless-Go" access and drive
authorization system.
Even more than the luxurious upgrades, though, the most obvious change to
the CLK is its appearance. It's slightly taller, wider and longer than its
predecessor, so it lost a little of its hunkered-down stance in favor of
comfortable sensibility.
That's not to say it looks dull – it doesn't. It still has a sporty
demeanor and classic lines that would look perfect in front of Europe's
greatest palaces, not to mention your driveway. It has no "B" pillar, so it
looks especially nice with the windows rolled down to expose a front-to-rear
pillarless roof that gracefully arches over the cabin.
While Mercedes offers seven engines in the CLK class worldwide, only two
will be available in America – at least for now. You can choose from a
peppy 215-horsepower 3.2-liter V6 or a 302-horsepower, 5.0-liter V8, both of
which are mated to a terrific five-speed automatic transmission that offers
manual selection of gears and automatically adjusts its shifting based on
the driver's habits.
(Derek Price is a newspaper editor and freelance writer living in Texas.
Contact him at dprice@cargazingonline.com)
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