Review
With its combination of elegant styling and a ultra-smooth driving experience, the CLK is one of the most desirable coupés on the market - although it comes with pricetags to match.
It certainly looks the part - sleek, elegant and sporty. Inside the well-finished cabin draws on a combination of design themes and components from the C Class and E Class. It's reasonably spacious and comfortable for occupants in the front, although the standard seats are a little lacking in support. There's not much room in the back and access requires an awkward scramble. On the plus side, the boot is a decent size by coupe standards.
On the road the CLK drives very well. It's smooth, comfortable and very refined at cruising speeds, yet it's also capable of putting in a very credible performance over a twisty road thanks to an agile, responsive chassis. The fine-looking cabriolet is also impressively quiet and well insulated with the roof up. The sometimes clunky manual gearbox is worth avoiding, though.
Buyers have a comprehensive range of engines to choose between. The entry level supercharged 200 "Kompressor" motor gives decent performance, but it's a bit coarse-sounding when worked hard. The V6 petrols give creamy smooth performance, while the range-topping 500 V8 and AMG versions are very rapid if you can afford the fuel and insurance bills.
Two excellent diesel powerplants are also available for the coupe, with the entry-level 220 CDI delivering an impressive combination of performance and economy while the brawnier 320 CDI V6 is seriously rapid.