Mercedes-Benz CLK320 Cabriolet - Second Place - Luxury Sport Convertibles Comparison

Second Place
Mercedes-Benz CLK320 Cabriolet

With an as-tested price of $54,910, the CLK320 is by far the costliest player in our trio. It looks expensive: The body combines classic design cues with fine tailoring, and the interior is luxuriously dressed in creamy leather, polished burled walnut, and bright metallic accents. And it feels expensive: The structure is as solid as a bowling ball, road noises are well-isolated, and the engine churns out smooth, tranquil torque.

The CLK topped the voting in ride quality. "Most luxurious ride in the group," noted one logbook entry. "Supple even over most freeway imperfections and barely a quiver from the structure," was another. "This thing exudes richness."

The Benz's bias toward ride plushness exacts a price in responsiveness and handling performance, though. At the test track, the CLK posted the group's poorest numbers in the slalom, on the skidpad, and in our figure-eight lap--not by a large margin, mind you, but enough that we could feel the difference in the mountains. "More body roll than in the others, with slower, less-communicative steering," was one entry. "Definitely feels greasier than the Audi in corners. Makes me feel a bit less confident of where the CLK's limits are," wrote another driver. Said a third driver more candidly: "Steers like a boat compared with the other two."

Despite being the "low-tech" entry in the group, the CLK's SOHC, three-valve-per-cylinder V-6 earned top marks from everyone. "Really stirring snarl when you're winding out this 90-degree six--one of the nicest V-6 engine notes I can recall," wrote one editor. "The engine is so smooth you need to watch the tach when holding a gear with the Touch Shift transmission--the six is eager to spin along right at the redline," offered another. Straight-line performance, as noted previously, was hood-ornament-to-hood-ornament with the Saab and the Audi. "The CLK feels lively enough with the six to make you reconsider the knee-jerk instinct to buy the V-8 CLK500," wrote one tester.

The CLK's cabin is a fine place to spend time. With the top down, we observed little wind or road-noise intrusion, with or without the standard pop-in rear-seat windblocker. The top mechanism did prove obstinate on a few occasions, refusing to drop down until we'd perfectly secured the ski pass-through and cleared away any luggage in the trunk that might get in the way of the folded roof. Otherwise, the Benz was all manners and polish. Excellent seats, lustrous materials, and superb fit and finish all combine to remind you why you spent so much green to sit here--as do the Benz's many standard luxury features, including arms that automatically extend from behind the doors to hand you your seatbelt, a potent eight-speaker Bose audio system (with a stylish subwoofer tucked between the rear seats), a power tilt/telescoping steering column, and even power window switches for rear-seat passengers.

One option that seemed frivolous was the Mercedes Keyless Go system. Do you really need to spend $1040 just so you can start your car by pressing a button with the key still in your pocket?

The CLK320 is big on comfort, big on powertrain refinement, small on rewarding handling, and big on price. Too big on price, we think, in light of its sportier and less costly competition.