2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class Review (continued)
Add your own review or comments

Walkaround

This car has presence, with a design that is graceful and elegant. Never has a square chrome grille looked so sleek, with its windswept rake. The CLK's headlamps build on Mercedes' newer oval design. No gratuitous or untidy strokes break up the monochromatic body, and the sweeping arc of the rear roof pillars sweetens the shape. It is an aerodynamic shape, with a low 0.31 Cd (drag coefficient).

CLK320 models have full body-color bumpers, air dam, and rocker panels. Chrome is limited to the grille and door handle trim. CLK430 models receive AMG-designed Sport aerodynamic enhancements, black window trim, blue-tinted windows, and new five-spoke wheels. CLK320 models are available with a Sport package ($4,600) that incorporates AMG aerodynamic bodywork and 17-inch wheels and tires.

The CLK55's 17-inch AMG alloy Monobloc wheels are aptly named. They're very full, yet remarkably easy to not notice. But because they don't draw attention to the car, they allow a low personal profile. The CLK55 AMG does not shout Look at me!" But when you do, you whistle. The wide-profile Michelin Pilot tires are swallowed by fenders that have virtually no flares, yet the CLK55 AMG doesn't look wide. The stance is understated and belies the power. The two-wide chrome exhaust tips that exit together under the left taillight are the only real hint of the 342 horsepower."

Interior Features

The interior of the CLK-Class is like other Mercedes-Benz automobiles in terms of its firm seats, luxury features and solid instrumentation. The interior of all models is nicely designed and finished using high-quality materials.

The CLK boasts room for four with outstanding seats that are handsomely finished. The front seats are firm and supportive with 10-way power adjustments. Adjustments work fluidly and it's easy to find a comfortable position. Three-position memory buttons on the driver's door includes settings for the seats and outside mirrors. The CLK55 AMG gets special multi-contour heated seats with pneumatic side, lumbar, and thigh supports, but we found there wasn't enough side bolstering for a car that corners with such g-force.

All CLK-Class models come equipped with a full complement of luxury features: leather upholstery with fine wood trim, dual-zone climate control, Bose sound system, dual heated power outside mirrors. The leather-trimmed steering wheel telescopes manually and features nice audio and telephone controls that are soft to the touch.

The interior is not, however, traditional Mercedes in terms of decor: there's warmth in the interior color scheme. Mercedes has emerged from a long tradition of funereal hues and dark wood trim into something more contemporary. The leather upholstery is available in ash, oyster, and charcoal. Wood trim is tastefully used on the doors, dash, front console and shift gate; the strip of wood across the very top of the dash may escape attention at first. The CLK320 uses burl walnut, while the CLK430 and CLK55 come with black Birdseye maple wood trim.

It isn't a perfect interior, however. The glove box is small. Window switches are on the center console instead of on the driver's doors where they would be easier and quicker to find and operate. The stereo is brilliantly designed and the telephone integration makes us want it fully set up for a telephone. However, the trunk-mounted CD changer awkward and less convenient than an in-dash CD changer, and it takes up space in the tiny trunk.

Getting into the rear seat of coupes isn't always easy, but the Easy Entry system automatically moves the front power seats forward, then returns them to their original position. The front seats have enough fore-aft adjustment to move all the way back flush against the rear seats, eliminating rear leg room. A little cooperation from the front passengers, however, makes for a reasonably comfortable rear seat for going to a restaurant. Two adults will find ample leg, knee and shoulder room in the rear seats. The convertible top makes Cabriolets much more cramped in terms of rear-seat legroom, hip room and head room.

Cabriolet models get an excellent soft top that's so quiet when it's up you'd swear you're in a hard top coupe. Look up and the roof liner is so elegantly finished that you'd still swear it's a hardtop. The main giveaway is the release handle. Retailers usually give CLK customers a 90-minute Walkaround on these cars; be sure to take advantage and pay attention to operating this top as it's a fairly complicated process.

Visibility is compromised in Cabriolets by the small rear window. Small outside mirrors don't help as much as they could; bigger mirrors would be better. Power rear headrests are handy, allowing the driver to press a button to raise them for rear passengers or lower them for better visibility.

Passive safety features found in Mercedes-Benz cars are among the best in the world, and include side-impact airbags. Cabriolets are fitted with a roll bar that automatically pops up to protect occupants should you roll the car onto its roof. Be sure to wear seatbelts because they are superbly engineered in the Mercedes with pre-tensioners and force limiters, which help reduce injuries. The Tele Aid system, which comes standard, detects an accident and summons police, fire, and emergency services to the scene whenever an airbag deploys and the driver does not respond.

Trunks are small, just 11 cubic feet in CLK coupes. CLK Cabriolet trunks are hopelessly small, just 9.4 cubic feet, no bigger than the trunk in the tiny SLK roadster. Put the top down and the CLK's trunk shrinks to a tiny 5.7 cubic feet, just slightly larger than a Mazda Miata's trunk.