Road Test
Follow-Up Test: 2003 Mercedes-Benz CLK320
Being Blue Never Felt So Good
Ever see a station wagon with a Royal Blue leather interior? Probably not, because a cabin swathed in brilliant blue would look awfully silly with Ritz cracker crumbs ground into the seat crevices. And since wagons are typically used for hauling youths and their parental units around town, it seems those crumbly hidden treats are inevitable.
Coupes, on the other hand, are known for transporting more sophisticated passengers — the kind who welcome the advantage of four-person occupancy, but appreciate even more the lack of two rear doors.
Mercedes-Benz knows how important coupes are to their owners. They're designed to make an obvious distinction between the family man and the man about town. Now after just five years in production, Mercedes has revamped its immensely popular CLK-Class coupes, including the CLK320 and, new for 2003, a more powerful CLK500 version. With sales increasing during every year of production, some might argue that the CLK line still has some verve left in its first-generation form but, not wanting to lose any momentum, Mercedes decided to breathe new life into the CLK while sales were still climbing.
Our CLK320 test coupe looked stunning in a dazzling shade of Ice Blue combined with a rich Pacific Blue leather interior — a look that is bound to cause station wagons to go green with envy. The removal of the CLK's B-pillars allows all the windows to fully retract, exuding a clean, airy feel often associated with a convertible. (But alas, the Cabrio version of the CLK remains unchanged until 2004.) The redesigned front grille places the Mercedes-Benz star in its center, just like the CLK's larger CL sibling. United with optional bi-xenon headlamps, there's no mistaking that this car says, "I have arrived."
Powered this year by the same 3.2-liter V6 engine used previously, the new CLK320 makes the most of the 215 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque that the engine delivers. This year's updated CLK is not only larger in every dimension than its predecessor, but it's also over 100 pounds lighter, and has a 40-percent stiffer body structure. While we don't have performance test numbers on this vehicle, our seat-of-the-pants impression is that it feels faster and handles better than the first-generation CLK320.
Improved steering arrives via the replacement of the last generation's recirculating ball system with a new rack and pinion setup, plus new staggered wheels and tires. Wider, lower profile rear tires (225/50HR16) were added, allowing more power to be put down without losing grip or invoking traction control, while the narrower front tires (205/55HR16) allow a compact (35.3-foot) turning radius and agile handling. Included in the CLK320's optional appearance package are 225/45ZR17 front tires and 245/40ZR17 rear tires. The 16-inchers ride on seven-spoke alloy wheels, while the upgraded 17-inch tires receive the same five-spoke alloy design used for the 16-inch SLK320 wheels.
Only one transmission is available on the CLK — a five-speed automatic with Mercedes' Touch Shift, as well as driver-adaptive shift logic. Touch Shift allows the driver to shift through the gears like a manual transmission, and adaptive logic tailors shifting to the driver's technique — holding gears longer with quicker downshifts as necessary to complement more aggressive driving styles. Winter travelers will benefit from the "Winter" mode, which allows the transmission to start in second gear, providing better traction from a complete standstill.
High-tech options include Distronic adaptive cruise control. After the driver sets the desired speed, it monitors the car in front and slows the Benz as necessary to maintain a consistent distance between the two vehicles. The Mercedes-Benz COMAND system combines the GPS satellite navigation system with the Bose stereo and optional cellular phone. One small COMAND screen in the center stack displays all of these features, with all feature controls located on both the center stack and the steering wheel.
While it seems convenient to have every control located in one area, the CLK has numerous complicated feature buttons, often leaving us scratching our heads. During our week-long test drive, we didn't always have enough time to figure out everything we wanted to set or adjust before we headed off down the freeway. Therefore, we often stuck to the necessary basics, like changing sideview mirror positions, and left the more complex settings to quality time spent in the driveway.
Driving time in the CLK320 was comfortable, since interior room has increased along with exterior dimensions. Driver and front-passenger room have remained largely unchanged, but rear-seat passengers will benefit from a substantial increase in legroom — a sizable 5.6 inches' worth. Both front and rear seats are well bolstered and firm, with eight-way power adjustments for driver and front passenger. Finding this car an extremely comfortable ride during a several hundred-mile journey, we were grateful the trunk capacity increased over the 2002 CLK — from 9.4 to 10.4 cubic feet — enabling us to pack enough gear in the trunk to accommodate our weekend vacation.
When it comes to safety, the CLK has more features than you can count on both hands. Standard equipment includes eight airbags — two dual-stage front airbags, four side airbags and two full-length side curtain head protection airbags, all of which are hooked up to the Mercedes-Benz emergency system, TeleAid. If an airbag deploys, TeleAid immediately contacts the company's crisis response center, dispatching emergency vehicles as necessary. We tested the TeleAid system by pushing the red emergency button located on the CLK's ceiling near the rearview mirror, and within seconds we were greeted by a friendly voice from the response center. Our TeleAid responder promptly confirmed our freeway location as we were en route from Los Angeles to San Diego.
Electronic Stability Program (ESP), once offered only on the large S-Class sedans, is now standard equipment on all Mercedes-Benz vehicles. ESP helps the driver maintain control through turns or on straightaways, while accelerating, braking or coasting. We found the system completely unobtrusive and felt it added to our confidence while accelerating or braking through tough corners. And it worked well with the standard antilock brakes during an unexpected stop on a rain-soaked California freeway.
The Mercedes-Benz CLK320 provides a fun driving experience in a good-looking, feature-loaded package. For couples who don't have to access the rear seat on a daily basis, and can instead just enjoy the excitement of owning a sport coupe, the CLK320 is all they would need. As expected, the Mercedes name doesn't come cheap. This ride comes with a base price of $43,900. For some, that's a lot of bucks to spend on just a personal driving experience.
Coupes, on the other hand, are known for transporting more sophisticated passengers — the kind who welcome the advantage of four-person occupancy, but appreciate even more the lack of two rear doors.
Mercedes-Benz knows how important coupes are to their owners. They're designed to make an obvious distinction between the family man and the man about town. Now after just five years in production, Mercedes has revamped its immensely popular CLK-Class coupes, including the CLK320 and, new for 2003, a more powerful CLK500 version. With sales increasing during every year of production, some might argue that the CLK line still has some verve left in its first-generation form but, not wanting to lose any momentum, Mercedes decided to breathe new life into the CLK while sales were still climbing.
Our CLK320 test coupe looked stunning in a dazzling shade of Ice Blue combined with a rich Pacific Blue leather interior — a look that is bound to cause station wagons to go green with envy. The removal of the CLK's B-pillars allows all the windows to fully retract, exuding a clean, airy feel often associated with a convertible. (But alas, the Cabrio version of the CLK remains unchanged until 2004.) The redesigned front grille places the Mercedes-Benz star in its center, just like the CLK's larger CL sibling. United with optional bi-xenon headlamps, there's no mistaking that this car says, "I have arrived."
Powered this year by the same 3.2-liter V6 engine used previously, the new CLK320 makes the most of the 215 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque that the engine delivers. This year's updated CLK is not only larger in every dimension than its predecessor, but it's also over 100 pounds lighter, and has a 40-percent stiffer body structure. While we don't have performance test numbers on this vehicle, our seat-of-the-pants impression is that it feels faster and handles better than the first-generation CLK320.
Improved steering arrives via the replacement of the last generation's recirculating ball system with a new rack and pinion setup, plus new staggered wheels and tires. Wider, lower profile rear tires (225/50HR16) were added, allowing more power to be put down without losing grip or invoking traction control, while the narrower front tires (205/55HR16) allow a compact (35.3-foot) turning radius and agile handling. Included in the CLK320's optional appearance package are 225/45ZR17 front tires and 245/40ZR17 rear tires. The 16-inchers ride on seven-spoke alloy wheels, while the upgraded 17-inch tires receive the same five-spoke alloy design used for the 16-inch SLK320 wheels.
Only one transmission is available on the CLK — a five-speed automatic with Mercedes' Touch Shift, as well as driver-adaptive shift logic. Touch Shift allows the driver to shift through the gears like a manual transmission, and adaptive logic tailors shifting to the driver's technique — holding gears longer with quicker downshifts as necessary to complement more aggressive driving styles. Winter travelers will benefit from the "Winter" mode, which allows the transmission to start in second gear, providing better traction from a complete standstill.
High-tech options include Distronic adaptive cruise control. After the driver sets the desired speed, it monitors the car in front and slows the Benz as necessary to maintain a consistent distance between the two vehicles. The Mercedes-Benz COMAND system combines the GPS satellite navigation system with the Bose stereo and optional cellular phone. One small COMAND screen in the center stack displays all of these features, with all feature controls located on both the center stack and the steering wheel.
While it seems convenient to have every control located in one area, the CLK has numerous complicated feature buttons, often leaving us scratching our heads. During our week-long test drive, we didn't always have enough time to figure out everything we wanted to set or adjust before we headed off down the freeway. Therefore, we often stuck to the necessary basics, like changing sideview mirror positions, and left the more complex settings to quality time spent in the driveway.
Driving time in the CLK320 was comfortable, since interior room has increased along with exterior dimensions. Driver and front-passenger room have remained largely unchanged, but rear-seat passengers will benefit from a substantial increase in legroom — a sizable 5.6 inches' worth. Both front and rear seats are well bolstered and firm, with eight-way power adjustments for driver and front passenger. Finding this car an extremely comfortable ride during a several hundred-mile journey, we were grateful the trunk capacity increased over the 2002 CLK — from 9.4 to 10.4 cubic feet — enabling us to pack enough gear in the trunk to accommodate our weekend vacation.
When it comes to safety, the CLK has more features than you can count on both hands. Standard equipment includes eight airbags — two dual-stage front airbags, four side airbags and two full-length side curtain head protection airbags, all of which are hooked up to the Mercedes-Benz emergency system, TeleAid. If an airbag deploys, TeleAid immediately contacts the company's crisis response center, dispatching emergency vehicles as necessary. We tested the TeleAid system by pushing the red emergency button located on the CLK's ceiling near the rearview mirror, and within seconds we were greeted by a friendly voice from the response center. Our TeleAid responder promptly confirmed our freeway location as we were en route from Los Angeles to San Diego.
Electronic Stability Program (ESP), once offered only on the large S-Class sedans, is now standard equipment on all Mercedes-Benz vehicles. ESP helps the driver maintain control through turns or on straightaways, while accelerating, braking or coasting. We found the system completely unobtrusive and felt it added to our confidence while accelerating or braking through tough corners. And it worked well with the standard antilock brakes during an unexpected stop on a rain-soaked California freeway.
The Mercedes-Benz CLK320 provides a fun driving experience in a good-looking, feature-loaded package. For couples who don't have to access the rear seat on a daily basis, and can instead just enjoy the excitement of owning a sport coupe, the CLK320 is all they would need. As expected, the Mercedes name doesn't come cheap. This ride comes with a base price of $43,900. For some, that's a lot of bucks to spend on just a personal driving experience.
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