New Car Review of the 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK Class Mid-Size Luxury Coupe and Convertible

Description: Mid-Size Luxury Coupe and Convertible
Base MSRP Range: $45,250 - $80,850
Invoice Price Range: $42,083 - $75,191
Where built: Germany

Both hard and soft tops apply to mid-size CLK Class cars. Convertibles, derived from the hardtop coupes, are cut to airy drop-tops by German car crafter Karmann. Three two-door coupes appear this year, as do three convertibles.

Trims for each include the CLK320 with a 3.2-liter Mercedes V6 and CLK500 with the 5.0-liter V8 tied to the seven-speed Mercedes automatic. CLK55 AMG goes further with a 5.5-liter supercharged V8 by AMG, even bigger wheels plus heavy-duty brakes and shifter paddles on the steering wheel for hands-on transmission control. Convertibles seat four in luxury.

A cloth soft top, in multiple layers draped over an aluminum frame, quickly tucks beneath a metal bonnet by motorized means. With the top down, CLK convertibles look slick and aggressive as the bonnet shows nacelle blisters trailing behind rear seatbacks like ones once worn by vintage race cars. Also posed behind rear seatbacks are loop-like roll bars that can pop up instantly if on-board motion sensors detect potential roll-over movement.