written by Scott. on 01/08/2002
Good Points
STYLE!!
Light weight / Rigid body,
Fuel Economy,
Passenger and storage space.
Bad Points
No manual transmission,
no rack & pinion steering,
16inch wheels too small and narrow.
General Comments
Of all 2 door 4 seat 6cyl rear wheel drive cars made today, only the Porsche 911, BMW325Ci, and Ford Mustang V6 are lighterthan the Mercedes-Benz CLK 320. The Porsche is much more expensive and cramped inside and the others have less power and cache. The CLK has a very rigid body, good fuel economy and storage space. It is exceedingly well built and solid. But oh, that style: unique, sleek, classic, timeless. That style (and construction) is where it trumps the BMW330Ci. The CLK320 is also lighter than the BMW330Ci and costs more, giving it more exclusivity. The BMW330Ci has more horsepower but the CLK320 has more torque. The 16 inch wheels are too small and narrow. I replaced my original wheels with 18inch AMG monoblocs - much better looking and give better handling