Convertible Cars

In this post we are talking about: Mercedes-Benz CLK Cabriolet 2004

Mercedes-Benz CLK Cabriolet 2004

The Mercedes-Benz W209 cars have been produced since 2002. They are sold under the CLK-Class model names. The W209 is based on the W203 C-Class. It replaced the C208 CLK-Class after 2004 which were the first car to carry the CLK moniker. The W209 is available in two body styles, a coupe and a cabriolet, and with three engines available, a V6 (CLK320 in ’04, CLK350 thereafter), V8 (CLK500), and supercharged V8 (CLK55). The cabriolet (Designated with an A, as in CLK500A) features a fully automatic retractable soft top covered by a metal tonneau that can be raised and lowered from outside the vehicle using the key fob. The CLK is designed to fill the mid-luxury market position for coupes and convertibles. It is Mercedes-Benz’s only 4-seat cabriolet. Its direct competitors in the cabriolet market are the Volvo C70 and the Lexus SC430, although it is available with larger engines than any of its direct competitors. The CLK is positioned midway between the BMW 3 series coupe/cabriolet and the 6 series coupe/cabriolet. Read more: Mercedes-Benz CLK Cabriolet 2004The mass-produced V-8 in this year’s CLK is the 302-hp, 5.0-liter that motivates the CLK500 at a pace equal to that of last year’s CLK55 AMG-6.2 seconds to 62 mph on the factory’s clock-while fuel economy (about 20 mpg on the European combined test) inches upward relative to last year’s CLK430 V-8. The mainstream 3.2-liter V-6 is unchanged, although the axle ratio is shortened 12 percent to cope with the 240 pounds the new CLK gained in the process of becoming bigger and better. Regarding the chassis, the seemingly retrograde move away from control arms to struts in front is somewhat compensated for by the savvy switch from recirculating-ball to rack-and-pinion steering, not to mention some crack tuning of the 12-percent-stiffer chassis. We never found a bona fide pothole during our 170-mile drive crisscrossing the sunny Mediterranean isle of Majorca off the Spanish mainland, but the mild wrinkles and ripples we did encounter excited only slightly more shimmying in the CLK’s dash than one finds in the billet-milled SL roadster’s. Read more: Mercedes-Benz CLK Cabriolet 2004