Mercedes Benz CLK 200 Avantgarde Coupe Review

Overall Rating

Classical good looks combined with top notch dynamics and world class build quality, but it doesn't cost the earth to run once you own it!

Initial purchase price reflects the above, and while comprehensively kitted out, lacks a few goodies that one would expect.

The latest generation of CLK (W209 series) is as sleek and beautiful as any mid range Coupe could ever hope to be, lacking the controversial Flame-edged styling of BMW's latest offerings or the aggressive haunches of the Audi A5, but offering a soft elegance that no other German marque can match.

The build quality on this model is exceptional, a far cry from the mid-to-late '90's offerings which once darkened Mercedes showrooms, and externally, all the shut-lines and paintwork is as impressive as you would expect of a car costing twice as much.

Inside, the Avantgarde model offers a modern interior, devoid of that dark sullen Wood trim, instead boasting a more clinical embossed Aluminium, with seats trimmed in a mixture of a heavily textured cloth and a very good impersonation of Leather (Which, historically will look great after ten years, while the real stuff cracks and wears)
The front seat occupants are cocooned in the simple and restrained cockpit, with a good old fashioned dashboard mercifully missing the 'One-knob does all' philosophy which blights other Uberwagens, and offers a good view of the outdoors without making you feel you're in a mobile greenhouse either. Passengers are still well looked after though, with individual seats, a generous armrest and seperate air conditioning face vents, but there is space for just two people in the rear, which might not suit three-children families.

I did mention a slight lack of equipment as standard which I will talk about more in a minute, but on the bright side, you get the usual electric windows (Which you can auto-close via the remote keyfob whilst locking the CLK) plip locking, heated/folding mirrors, Aircon of the dial-a-climate variety, Big alloys which won't need upgrading, and an integrated Stereo which also works from the steering wheel.

Now the not-so-hot...

No Bluetooth of any kind. You can have it fitted, but you won't like the price. Nor will you like the iPod kit price, or HID headlamps or in fact any of the options prices, and while we all know Ebay has cheap workarounds to most of these things, it would be nice to actually use the defunct buttons temptingly scattered between the Head unit and steering wheel wouldn't it?

And on the subject of that Head unit, i don't know whether it's that or the speakers (Of which there are plenty!) but it rarely sounds 'Great' unless it's up loud. It's not bad though, just not as good as the rest of the car.

Thats the Exterior and Interior covered, now on to using the beast....

First thing you'll notice after starting the 220 is that is sounds very much like a Diesel, and while never the sweetest sounding lump, it does quieten down once warmed up, and is wholly unobtrusive when on the move. The five speed tiptronic auto gearbox is fine, offering the usual choice of full or partial automatic operation, and also a Sport mode, which doesn't seem to make any difference other than making you feel mildly naughty.
Standard performance is good, if underwhelming, with a quoted 10 second dash to 60, and on to a reasonably impressive 138mph maximum, which tranlsates in real life to truly excellent 100mph cruising, and enough grunt for overtaking. I chipped mine for £100, and it now goes much better in every way, and as an added bonus uses less fuel (40mpg is now easy enough to achieve, and 50mpg if driven gently)

Ignoring the bare figures, and bearing in mind this is the smallest humblest Diesel version of the CLK, I would say the performance is pretty good, and well matched to the Merc's chassis in day to day conditions!

The steering is a tad on the heavy side, but offers good feel, and affirms the mildly sporting status of the CLK. It handles with great style too, responding to harsh steering with mild understeer, and agressive throttle causing abrupt oversteer, fortunately tempered by the superb ESP (Electronic Stability Control) system, but if driven correctly, offering great agility, grip and poise over all road surfaces and weather conditions (Not snow...if it's snowing, leave your CLK in the garage)
While not quite in the same class as the superb BMW 3 series in this respect, it rides a bit better, and offers a far nicer cabin.

Additionally, the usual ABS brakes have another feature called Emergency Brake Assist fitted, which senses those cases you should be braking harder, and does it for you. This is based on the speed at which you depress the pedal, and apparently 'knows' how scared you are...

Technology eh? ABS, EBA, ESP, you name it, the CLK has it as standard. All you need to do is drive, and the car seamlessly helps you out of sticky situations. Sure, you can still crash, but it's harder to do. If you don't believe me, find a large wet empty carpark, turn the ESP off and floor the throttle on lock. When the car, and your stomach have settled down, turn ESP back on and see if you can upset the car! Good stuff this...

The boot is good too. Long, Wide and pretty deep for such a svelte car, with split folding rear seats for long loads. It's trimmed like the cabin too, with wall to wall carpet, a first aid kit of epic proportions, warning triangle and spare wheel. You get the feeling no expense has been spared in the design or manufacture of the whole vehicle, such is the attention to detail, and that is something that I respect a lot.

To sum up, the CLK wins on Quality, Looks and Practicality, holds it's own in terms of Performance and Handling, and only falls a little short on those few items of standard equipment I mentioned earlier, unless you hurl a fair chunk of cash at your Mercedes dealer.

It's vastly improved with a tuning chip (Not always the case, some tweaked TDi's smoke, and hunt on idle, mine doesn't!) and will bowl along the (Ahem!) Autobahn at 100mph+ all day, and with great economy too, while the 30 year anti-corrosion warranty promises a longer life than any other marque, and unrivalled resale value too.

There's something comforting about owning such a car, a car which will still turn heads when ten years old, still drive just as well at 150,000 miles as it did when new, and backed by a worldwide network of well equipped (Albeit not exactly cheap) dealers and fantastic parts availability.

In some ways the CLK is underwhelming, but there is nothing quite like it in the world today! An Audi coupe, nice as it is, lacks the feelgood factor, will look dated in a few years, won't keep it's residual value as well, the brilliant BMW 3 series is, as advertised, the ultimate driving machine, but looks low rent by comparison, and perhaps this explains why the Mercedes coupe sells so well despite it's hefty pricetag.

Thanks for reading my review.