2003 Mercedes-Benz CLK 500 Review

BMW's vaunted M3 coupe is an enviable mix of sports and luxury with the needle definitely tilted toward sport—and there really hasn't been a close Mercedes-Benz counterpart.


Secretly, I'm convinced there are a bunch of Mercedes-Benz engineers in Stuttgart who would rather be working for BMW a few hundred miles south in Munich because every so often they surface with a car that could be a Bimmer and probably makes the Bavarians very nervous. This is one of them.
BMW's vaunted M3 coupe is an enviable mix of sports and luxury with the needle definitely tilted toward sport—and there really hasn't been a close Mercedes-Benz counterpart. That is, until now. Order a new CLK 500 with the 306-bhp V-8 with the sports package and 17-inch wheels and head for your favorite twisty road. You'll be delighted with the sleek new CLK's willowy good looks, and positively chuffed by its ability to attack tight corners and emerge with a rush that's reminiscent of a rocket launch. M-B offers the CLK with seven engines worldwide, including diesels.
Loosely based on the C-Class platform, and sized between the C-Class and the mid-range E-Class, the newest CLK (just four years after the previous model) is descended from a series of pleasant Benz 2+2s that have always been capable tourers, but not really sports cars. Even without the requisite AMG upgrades all around, the newest member of the family—some 40 percent stiffer than its predecessor—is a capable handler. (Add the AMG bits and step up next year to the CLK 55, if you must, with 367 bhp, a 5.2 second 0-60 clocking, and a host of go-faster features making it a deadly BMW M3 rival.) You could even argue that the CLK is better looking, and that its lush, tastefully appointed interior one-ups the more Spartan BMW's. If looks could kill, I think this car's a murderer.
Author: Ken Gross
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