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First Drive: 2003 Mercedes-Benz CLK
Germany Refines Its Middle Child
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By D. John Booth
Date posted: 05-14-2002
Three hundred and six horsepower, fat, low-profile tires and sheets of driving
rain aren't usually a desirable combination. Downright volatile, even, especially
for a jet-lagged Trans-Atlantic commuter fresh off an Air France flight, a flight
whose interior accommodations were only differentiable from a Bogotá, Colombia, commuter bus by a lack of squawking chickens running amok in the aisles.
But then, not every car is a Mercedes-Benz. Or more specifically, a 2003 Mercedes
CLK500, the freshened top-of-the-line variant that squeezes into the company's
prestigious lineup somewhere between the C- and E-Classes. So despite driving
the latest CLK around Lyons, France, in less-than-ideal conditions, we were impressed
by the car and its latest updates.
Mercedes has been pushing the technology envelope with its new SL500 and soon-to-be-released
E-Class. The CLK doesn't come with all of the latest premium hardware, but it's
still rather well-off. There's a plethora of electronic safety features hidden
beneath the CLK's sleek skin that act as the Mercedes' own Net Nanny, preventing
the otherwise irresponsible from doing themselves, and others, too much harm.
Besides the expected antilock brakes, there's Mercedes' Electronic Stability Program
(ESP), which uses many of the same sensors, to help prevent understeer or oversteer
by applying the brakes to individual wheels and/or reducing the engine's torque
output. This latest version of ESP is the most seamless yet and was greatly appreciated
the few times we aquaplaned the CLK through deeper puddles.
The car also has Acceleration Slip Control that prevents the rear wheels from
breaking loose should the driver get macho with the throttle. And the redesigned
2003 model will offer a new optional Distronic intelligent cruise control system
that uses a radar system to maintain a specified distance between cars without
the driver's input.
Lest that not be enough to thwart your ham-handed driving, the CLK backs up all
those active safety measures with additional passive ones. There are, of course,
side airbags for front seat occupants, and new this year are head-protecting side-curtain
airbags for front and rear occupants. There are also optional side airbags for
rear-seat passengers. In all, the CLK can be had with eight supplemental restraints,
not bad for a car envisioned typically to carry only two passengers.
The CLK is smaller than the CL500 (though Mercedes does point out it's 71 millimeters
longer than its predecessor) resulting in a car that feels much more nimble. And
unlike many of Mercedes' better-handling cars of the past, the CLK500 manages
to combine precise steering without a lumbar-crushing ride.
Mercedes says it's a result of a body that is 40 percent stiffer in torsion and
a new three-link MacPherson strut front suspension. As with other recent model
updates, the company has also replaced the recirculating ball steering with a
more up-to-date rack-and-pinion system. It may lack the active suspension of some
of its more expensive brethren, and it may not steer as quickly as the smaller
SLK, but the CLK500 is likely Mercedes' best overall package.
Mercedes also makes much of the new 5.0-liter V8 that replaces last year's 4.3-liter
V8. But it's been seen before in the current SL500 and it's a familiar theme with
single overhead camshafts actuating three valves (two intakes and one exhaust)
in each cylinder. It's good for 306 horsepower, substantially more than the 215
ponies the base CLK320 boasts. Mercedes says it will accelerate to 100 kilometers
per hour (62 mph) in 6 seconds and we see no reason to doubt the numbers. Go-fast
addicts will be able to opt for the AMG-modified 367-hp CLK55 that is said to
shave another 0.8 seconds off that time.
Though the six-cylinder CLK320 provides more than adequate performance, the 5.0-liter
V8 version seems to provide the best combination of performance and sophistication
for the dollar. Most surprising is that Mercedes has a new four-cylinder engine
that may trump them all. It features a new fuel-injection system that injects
fuel directly into the combustion chamber rather than into the intake manifold.
Combined with the Kompressor supercharger, it allows the diminutive 1.8-liter
four to produce 170 horsepower. And when mated to the six-speed manual transmission,
it actually feels sportier than the 320's V6. Unfortunately, we won't be seeing
the CLK200 CGI this side of the Atlantic, as Mercedes has (quite rightly) determined
that there wouldn't be much of a market for a four-cylinder car that could cost
as much as $38,000.
The CLK500, meanwhile, is likely to cost slightly more than the $50,915 that Mercedes
charges for the 2002 CLK430, while the lesser 320 version should retail for approximately
the same $43,215 as the current CLK320. The major gripe we see coming from owners
shelling out that kind of moolah will likely be about the interior. While the
CLK500's leather is as sumptuous as ever and the wood trim suitably glossy, the
plastic trim doesn't look, or feel, worthy of a premium Mercedes. It's especially
noticeable in the light beige tone we tested and most prevalent above the side
airbags on the doors.
On the other hand, the dash has been improved with this freshening with the gauges
garnering particular kudos. There's also substantially more room for rear-seat
passengers. The switchgear is well placed, though like all such center consoles,
the CLK500's is dominated by the navigational system, in this case, Mercedes'
COMAND system.
One last remaining quirk deals with the CLK's new windshield wipers. Mercedes
makes much of the CLK's new twin-arm wipers, saying they work extraordinarily
well at high speed. Unfortunately, to make it work at high speed, the company
must have put extra tension in its retaining springs, as the wipers are very noisy
at low speeds. Since we tend to spend little time cruising at 100 mph in the rain
in this country, hopefully Mercedes will quiet the wipers' operation before the
CLK begins landing on our shores.
That doesn't change the fact that the new CLK should be a solid hit. If you can
do without the CL's massive presence (and its huge price differential) and want
more room than an SLK provides, then the CLK500 offers an attractive combination
of comfort and performance.
See all the Ratings: 2003 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class CLK500 2dr Coupe (5.0L 8cyl 5A) Road Test Scoreboard
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