Car Gazing
CLK convertible is quiet, stylish, luxurious
By Derek Price
A couple of weeks ago I tested the Mercedes-Benz CLK 500, a fantastic-looking coupe with enough technology and refinement to impress a movie star. It was a fabulous ride, indeed.
So when Mercedes offered me the keys to a convertible version of the same car for a week, I couldn't refuse.
To be blunt, I didn't have lofty expectations of the drop-top variation – after all, the rock-solid feeling of a coupe is often compromised when you chop the roof off, not to mention the increase in road and wind noise from a thin, soft top – but it seems the Mercedes engineers found a way to eliminate any hint of shudders or rickety feelings when you drive over bumps, something all too common in ragtops. They also managed to make it mystifyingly quiet when the top is up.
That eerie silence is especially notable, since part of the joy of driving a Mercedes is how hushed it is at highway speed. By creating a power-folding, three-layer top that fits tighter than O.J.'s black glove, Mercedes nearly matches the wonderful silence of the hardtop coupe. It's easily the quietest soft-top convertible I've driven.
The top is also pleasantly easy to use, as a simple press of a button by the gear shifter makes it effortlessly fold away behind the back seat to give it a suave style that would look right at home on Rodeo Drive. Of course, you don't get as much trunk space in the convertible – which Mercedes prefers to snobbishly call the "cabriolet" – as you do in the more practical and less expensive coupe version.
The convertible is definitely pricey, starting at $52,500 for the six-cylinder CLK 320 and $61,500 for the eight-cylinder CLK 500. High-end options can quickly push it past the $70,000 mark.
Some of those options are awfully impressive. "Distronic" cruise control, which adjusts automatically based on the speed of cars in front of you, is remarkably handy, and the "Keyless Go" system is so advanced that you can start the car without a key. It senses the key fob in your pocket, letting you just press a button on the gear shifter to fire up its mighty engine.
On a side note, buyers should beware that Mercedes' reputation for quality has suffered recently, perhaps as a result of its parent company pouring buckets of money into the unprofitable Chrysler division. One annoying problem surfaced during my test drive as I sped around a tight turn, hit a tiny pothole, and sent the Mercedes into a tizzy.
No, I didn't wreck it – not even close – but that little bump made the car's computer think it was about to roll over. I heard a terrifying "kuh-THUNK" from the back seat, then looked back to see the roll bars had instantly extended and my hazard lights were flashing.
A friendly voice came over the stereo speakers asking if I was hurt because their computer showed that the car's airbags had been deployed.
"Nope, I'm fine," I said. "And the airbags didn't go off."
After spending a half hour figuring out how to get the roll bars back down, I was off for a week of trouble-free driving. Still, it shouldn't have happened in a brand-new $66,000 luxury car.
That said, the CLK has a lot going for it besides the prestige of Mercedes' three-pointed star. Its cabin is packed with high-tech luxury and lavish materials, like a computerized climate control system and gorgeous wood trim.
It also has impressive driving dynamics with exceptional handling, smooth acceleration, and unflappable brakes.
Despite the minor adventure with rollbars, I couldn't help feeling disappointed when Mercedes finally pried the convertible from my cold, wind-blown hands. The CLK 500 was stylish, fast, fun and luxurious, and it made me feel like a modern-day Carey Grant – if only for a week.
And that, even if expensive, is a miracle.
(Derek Price is a newspaper editor and freelance writer living in Texas.
Contact him at dprice@cargazingonline.com)
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