Car Reviews

Honest John Reviews Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz CLK (2002 – 2009) Review

Mercedes-Benz CLK (2002 – 2009) At A Glance

3/5

+Much better second attempt at CLK. Goes well, handles well and is comfortable. Attractive looks.

-Some wind noise. Electrical problems are not unknown.

On average it achieves 89% of the official MPG figure

Let's say they decide on a fairly basic CLK 240 at £29,190, plus £1,450 for an automatic gearbox, and metallic paint at £600, and leather seats at £1,250, and the mobile phone kit with roof antenna at £690. That little lot comes to £33,180. CO2 emissions are 259g/km, so 34% of £33,180, or £11,226, is the taxable BIK on which tax at 40% works out at £4,490. Now to pay £4,490 in tax at this level you have to earn £7,483, which is well over 10% of a gross annual income of £70,000. So I don't think so. I think any couple choosing a new CLK 240 as their company car will need a combined income of well over £100k a year.

And that's the essence of this car. It cannot by any stretch of the imagination be regarded as a sensible choice. It's a wealth statement, pure and simple. It tells everyone who sees you in it that, between you, you're pulling in a Seymour and more. You're rich enough to afford not to have a saloon. Or, alternatively, you're rich enough to afford several cars: a coupe, a sportscar and a 4x4.

Now there will be couples who opt for other ways of putting across this message without laying out quite so much wonga. They could put their names down for a manual CLK200K which arrives in the autumn, at £27,840 in the obligatory silver. With 206g/km equating to 25% of list, they'd be paying tax on £6,960 which comes down to a more palatable £2,784. They'll enjoy MB's newest, highest-tech supercharged engine which displaces just 1,796cc yet delivers all of 163bhp. Or they could cheat and go for the diesel.

Mercedes Benz CLK Coupe 2002 Road Test

Mercedes Benz CLK Cabrio 2003 Road Test 

Reviews for Mercedes-Benz CLK (2002 – 2009)'s top 3 rivals

BMW 3 Series
4/5
Stylish four-seater coupe. Plenty of room for four and their luggage. Comes with a great choice of engines...
Volvo C70
3/5
Genuine four-seat coupe-convertible. Tidy handling and a comfortable long-distance cruiser. Stylish looks,...
Audi A4
3/5
More emphasis on handling, comfort and refinement than pre-facelift model. Very classy image.

Mercedes-Benz CLK (2002 – 2009) handling and engines

Yes, there will be a 170bhp CLK 270 CDI at £31,375 for the automatic in silver, and, since that only pumps out 178g/km CO2 they'd be up for paying BIK in 22% of list, or £6,903 to you, which translates to a mere £2,761 of the folding. But how will the Cholmodley-Wynchnortons react when you thank them for the lovely dinner, turn your key in your dashboard then waken the dead with the clatter of your tradesman's diesel engine?

Did I like this car? Put it this way: the whole point of a Mercedes coupe is to inform everyone you're definitely not a taxi driver, even if the diesel coupe tells them you'll never buy the first round. It's to give the impression you can afford to drive a coupe, even if you can't.

Now even though I fully accept that this is vitally important to some people, I'm afraid it isn't to me. I'm simply not prepared to sacrifice legroom, doors and dynamics for the sake of my social standing. And this is no offence to Mercedes because its new E Class is simply a far better car. They can give me one of those any day.

That doesn't mean that the new CLK isn't a good car in its own right. With the 500 V8, 320 V6, or even the 270 straight five diesel, it goes well. Based on the W203 C Class, it handles well, too, though not quite as well as the new E Class. It's comfortable. 

The clincher is really something else MB MD told us: They're only going to import the car in strictly limited numbers. And, if you're in the market for a classy £30,000 to £40,000 purpose built coupe, there simply isn't anything else.

Engine MPG 0-62 CO2
CLK200 Kompressor 33–34 mpg 8.8–9.3 s 198–212 g/km
CLK220 CDI 44 mpg 10.2 s 169–172 g/km

Real MPG average for the Mercedes-Benz CLK (2002 – 2009)

RealMPG

Real MPG was created following thousands of readers telling us that their cars could not match the official figures.

Real MPG gives real world data from drivers like you to show how much fuel a vehicle really uses.

Average performance

89%

Real MPG

19–45 mpg

MPGs submitted

209

Mercedes-Benz CLK (2002 – 2009) interior

Dimensions
Length 4652 mm
Width 1740 mm
Height 1413 mm
Wheelbase 2715 mm

Full specifications

The ambience is fine. The aircon works perfectly. It has nice little surprises like the piece of dashboard padding that, when you touch it, turns into a cup-holder. And its pillarless look is certainly very attractive, though one of the test cars had a bit of wind noise from the complex self-sealing side glass. There will even be a convertible version arriving just in time for next summer's all too brief attempts to enjoy some top-down motoring. And there is some lip service to practicality. The back seats fold down so you can transport things like skis, boogie boards, bicycles and lawnmowers.

Mercedes-Benz CLK (2002 – 2009) models and specs

Dimensions
Length 4652 mm
Width 1740 mm
Height 1413 mm
Wheelbase 2715 mm
Miscellaneous
Kerb Weight 1550–1875 kg
Boot Space 276–381 L
Warranty 3 years / Unlimited miles
Servicing -
Costs
List Price £29,887–£68,923
Insurance Groups -
Road Tax Bands H–K
Official MPG 19.3–44.1 mpg
Euro NCAP Safety Ratings
Adult -
Child -
Pedestrian -
Overall -
Coupe
Version List Price MPG 0-62
200 Kompressor Avantgarde £29,887 34.0 mpg 8.8 s
200 Kompressor Avantgarde Auto £29,887 - -
200 Kompressor Elegance £29,887 34.0 mpg 8.8 s
200 Kompressor Elegance Auto £29,887 - -
200 Kompressor Sport £29,887 34.0 mpg 8.8 s
200 Kompressor Sport Auto £29,887 - -
220 CDI Avantgarde £30,508 44.1 mpg 10.2 s
220 CDI Avantgarde Auto £30,508 - -
220 CDI Elegance £30,508 44.1 mpg 10.2 s
220 CDI Elegance Auto £30,508 - -
220 CDI Sport £30,508 44.1 mpg 10.2 s
220 CDI Sport Auto £30,508 - -
280 Avantgarde Auto £33,611 - -
280 Elegance Auto £33,611 - -
280 Sport Auto £33,801 - -
320 CDI Avantgarde Auto £34,428 - -
320 CDI Elegance Auto £34,428 - -
320 CDI Sport Auto £34,428 - -
350 Avantgarde Auto £37,980 - -
350 Elegance Auto £37,980 - -
350 Sport Auto £37,980 - -
500 Avantgarde Auto £47,254 - -
500 Elegance Auto £47,254 - -
500 Sport Auto £47,254 - -
63 AMG Auto £65,399 - -
Open Car
Version List Price MPG 0-62
200 Kompressor Avantgarde £33,411 32.8 mpg 9.3 s
200 Kompressor Avantgarde Auto £33,411 - -
200 Kompressor Elegance £33,411 32.8 mpg 9.3 s
200 Kompressor Elegance Auto £33,411 - -
200 Kompressor Sport £33,411 32.8 mpg 9.3 s
200 Kompressor Sport Auto £33,411 - -
280 Avantgarde Auto £37,325 - -
280 Elegance Auto £37,135 - -
280 Sport Auto £37,325 - -
350 Avantgarde Auto £41,504 - -
350 Elegance Auto £41,504 - -
350 Sport Auto £41,504 - -
500 Avantgarde Auto £50,777 - -
500 Elegance Auto £50,777 - -
500 Sport Auto £50,777 - -
63 AMG Auto £68,923 - -

Model History

June 2002

Pillarless CLK coupe on sale in UK from June 2002 and based concurrent much better handling W203 C Class. Strong range of engines with outputs from 163 hp to 367 hp.

Base engine is four cylinder supercharged 200K with 163 hp. Next up is 240 V6 (actually now 2.6 litres) with 170bhp. Next after that, the 320 V6 with a slight power reduction to 218 hp. And, for the first time in a CLK, the 170 hp 270CDI diesel will also be available, offering a combined economy figure of 42.2 mpg.

Top engines are 500 V8 with 306 hp and 500 AMG with 367 hp. The 500 gets to 60mph in under 6 seconds and the AMG in under 5 with a top speed of around 175mph probably limited to 155. All come in either Elegance or Avantgarde trim at the same price.

March 2005

Presented at March 2005 Geneva Motor Show with more powerful V6 engines, a more sporty design and further enhanced equipment. Newly added are CLK 280 (231 hp) and CLK 350 (272 hp), which offer up to 36% more output than the previous six-cylinder models. New 224bhp CLK 320 CDI V6 direct-injection diesel engine available in both Coupé and Cabriolet from Spring 2005. Also a 150bhp in the CLK 220CDI Coupé.

June 2005

Production of 2,597cc CLK 240 ceased and replaced by 2,996cc CLK 280 shown at Geneva Motor Show. Production of 5-cylinder CLK 270 CDI discontinued.

August 2006

August 2006 CLK 63 AMG Coupe and Cabriolet. AMG 6,208cc V8 naturally aspirated engine replaces CLK 55 AMG and offers an output of 481 hp and 630 Nm, 500 Nm as low down as 2,000 rpm, while the maximum of 630 Nm is on tap at 5000 rpm. The new AMG SPEEDSHIFT 7G-TRONIC.

  • CLK 63 AMG Coupe £65,215
  • CLK 63 AMG Cabriolet £68,815

Also from August 2006 CLK 500 Coupe and Cabriolet get new 5.5-litre V8 petrol engine, offering 388 hp 530 Nm giving 0-60 in 5.0 seconds, combined fuel consumption for coupe 24.8 and for cabriolet 24.4 mpg.

  • CLK 500 Coupe £47,490
  • CLK 500 Cabriolet £51,090

November 2006

Power output of CLK 200 Kompressor increased from 163 hp to 184 hp and CO2 emissions reduced from 214g/km (auto) to 207g/km (auto).

April 2008

CO2 emissions of CLK 500 reduced slightly from 275g/km to 270g/km.

October 2009

CLK production ceased.

What to watch out for

01-01-0001:

Make sure everything works, especially the hood of the convertible and the side glass of the coupe.

The transmission oil cooler of automatics is sited in the radiator matrix, so failure can lead to coolant entering the transmission and destroying it, leaving the owner with a bill of £4k +. Officially the VIN numbers are Model 209.365/375/376/465/475. Apparently this fault occurred in cars manufactured between 2000 - 2003 and only when a Valeo radiator is fitted. Two other well known faults which might cause expensive damage are failure of the oil seals to the wiring looms from the top of the cam cover and to the autobox which is electrically operated.

02-05-2011:

Badly frayed front sealbelts reported on a 5 year old CLK, sufficient to fail the MoT. Could be wear from the arms the 'hand' the belts to driver and front passenger.

01-07-2011:

Apparently on 2005 - 2007 CLS models the centre brake light eventually breaks off and falls out of the trunk lid.

27-08-2011:

Problem of premature wear of timing chain sprocket for balancer shaft of M272 and M273 V6 petrol engines. Mercedes Star bulletin about this. Big job. Can cost £4,000.

01-02-2012:

On 200K valves may not seat properly and require modified valve springs, a job costing £1,900 at an MB dealer.

20-04-2014:

All wheelarches rusted on 2003 Mercedes CLK. Quoted £1,250 to repair and told not covered by 30 year warranty.

03-11-2014:

Automatic transmission sump pan of 2008 Mercedes CLK 280 bought in Scotland failed due to corrosion.

08-08-2015:

Diagnosis of 2007 Merceded Benz CLK 280 comes up with exhaust cam fault. Car always serviced by Mercedes. Possibly premature wear of timing chain sprocket for balancer shaft of M272 and M273 V6 petrol engines. Mercedes Star bulletin about this.

08-01-2016:

Numerous problems with 57k mile 2007 Mercedes CLK 320CDI bought used in 2015. These included faulty power steering, a broken rear suspension spring, a single odd winter tyre on the rear, an oil leak and a promised pre-sale service not having been carried out.

30-08-2017:

Report of failure of balancer shaft of engine of 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK350 purchased via a trader. Replacement cost £2,000.

08-02-2018:

Oil leak reported from engine of 2005 Mercedes Benz CLK 320CDI.

13-01-2019:

Report of severe corrosion under 2003 Mercedes CLK. Thought to be enugh to fail MoT and not be worth attempting to repair.