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Mercedes-Benz CLK320 lands in handsome new design of a coupe
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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VERONA, Italy -- In the Italian city of love, where Romeo and Juliet once cavorted, the fleet of sleek new coupes spread around a cobblestone piazza in the shadow of an adjacent coliseum built by Romans in the First Century. Due to the proximity of the coliseum and those parked cars, reflections of Romanesque arches draped across so many canted windshields and shiny sheetmetal surfaces to create an artful montage of slinky shadows and streaked highlights.
It was a scene of conflicting images, with contrasts forged from ancient brickwork of Rome juxtaposed against ultimate avant-garde automotive forms coming from designers of the fabled German automaker, Mercedes-Benz.
One American visitor, fresh off a tour bus disgorging passengers into Verona's sunlit Piazza Bra, eyed the stunning array of Mercedes coupes posed against the backdrop of an ancient coliseum, then quickly formed an opinion.
"That has to be the most beautiful car in the world," she proclaimed.
And so it is.
Dubbed the CLK320, this 2-door coupe with bold prow and gracefully windswept contours seats four in comfortable luxury and carries the first production V6 engine by Mercedes, plus an array of sophisticated mechanical systems which enliven the package and kindle a sporty personality.
The CLK debuted last May for automotive media on the streets of Verona, where beauty rules in Italian design and architecture as well as for some stunning landscapes from nearby hills and lakes of the Valpolicella wine region.
It reaches the United States this fall as a new 1998 model priced from $39,850.
Designs for coupes trace through lore of Dailmer and Benz back to the Thirties with the 540K, capable of speeds in excess of 100 mph. The most recent mid-size Mercedes 2+2 coupe, E320, was available through 1995 -- for $63,000.
Typically with coupe designs, less becomes more, particularly in price, as less passenger doors and less seating capacity add up to far more expensive window stickers due to the premium placed on daring styling and that exclusive cachet of a coupe concept.
Yet Mercedes takes a far different approach with this new coupe, harbinger of new CL Class names for 2-door coupe designs in a line capped by elite S Class V8 and V12 models, which henceforth will be badged as CL 500 and CL 600.
Foundation of CLK spins off a platform developed for the new SLK hardtop/convertible roadster.
The CLK was created as a sporty coupe designed to appeal in style, content and price to a buyer younger than the traditional driver of a Mercedes-Benz luxury car. Like the C Class compact sedans already available in the line, the new coupe comes with more affordable price tags to lure the new caliber of customer.
Despite its pared entry price, CLK does not skimp on either the trappings of on-board luxury refinements or its stock of superlative automotive hardware.
Fact is, CLK feels rock-solid to drive -- like any other Mercedes.
It rips to racy action with the tap of toe to throttle, and can wrap around a set of tight-twined curves like a serpent slithering through wet sand.
Time in the driver's seat of CLK prototypes included tricky traffic jams in the narrow streets of Verona and lickety-split zips on a multi-lane freeway that links Venice and Milan through Verona, plus a pleasurable morning steering around villas and villages perched in Valpolicellan hills high above Lago di Garda, Italy's largest lake.
And everywhere we drove, my CLK shagged eyes and turned heads in a beautiful statement of slick metal in motion.
Its gorgeous good looks begin with a bold front treatment borrowed from the E Class sedan with four articulated oval headlamps separating a bright chrome grille capped by the Mercedes tri-star emblem.
Every angle exaggerates the aerodynamic fluidity of motion: Grille tilts back further than on the E sedan, headlamps skew more vertically to narrow the shape, the hood slopes more seriously and windshield cants to the extreme to achieve a low line on the arching roof.
Designers, enamored by hatchback forms, allowed the roof's trailing edge to gently descend into the trunk deck before crimping it at the tail, while on each flank darkened window glass covers B pillar to emphasize the coupe's graceful form and focus on curt angles of C pillar curves.
Open the door and a luxurious interior treatment expands across leather-clad front bucket seats and two etched rear spaces, with seats separated by console and touches of walnut wood splashed around as decoration.
The cockpit will look and feel familiar to anyone acquainted with the ergonomic nuances of a Mercedes-Benz sedan, with power toggle controls in standard positions. An instrument cluster, tucked beneath an arched brow, positions the large tachometer front and center, with all instruments cast in easy-read black-on-white graphics.
Rear seatbacks fold individually to access the spacious trunk and may be used in hatchback format with larger loads.
In terms of safety and mechanical features, CLK peaks.
For safety, the car gets a rigid safety-cage framework with front and rear crunch zones and reinforced side bracing. Dual frontal airbags plus door-mounted side airbags are in place, as is a front passenger seat with the Mercedes BabySmart system which disables the passenger's-side airbag when a child's seat is installed.
In addition, power-assisted disc brakes link to anti-lock system and traction control, and the innovation of Brake Assist is also aboard -- automatically applying full brake force during panic stops to shorten stopping distances by as much as 45 percent. Sensors aboard adapt and adjust the new device to particular driving styles.
A rigid chassis and independent suspension elements set up agile road manners, and steering feels crisp and quick.
Then in a dazzling power display, the new light-weight Mercedes V6 adds 215 horsepower in concert with a 5-speed electronic automatic transmission -- floor it and fly.
Standard CLK assets include power controls and Bose 8-speaker auto system, with options limited to a sunroof, electronic stability system, headlamp washers, heated front seats, 6-disc CD changer and a ski rack.
Beauty, comfort and performance come together in CLK.
1998 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK320 COUPE
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 1998 MERCEDES BENZ CLK 320 COUPE Specs |
| Description: |
Compact luxury sports coupe |
| Model Options: |
Compact luxury sports coupe |
| Wheelbase: |
105.9 inches |
| Overall Length: |
180.2 inches
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| Engine Size: |
SOHC 3.2-L V6
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| Transmission: |
Auto/5 |
| Drive: |
Rear |
| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/ABS/TCS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
20/27 mpg |
| Price: |
$ 39,850 to $ 46,000 |
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