Description: Mid-Size Luxury Coupes and Convertibles
Base MSRP Range for 2005: $46,000 - $82,000
Invoice Price Range for 2005: $42,780 - $76,260
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 CLK350 with a new 3.5-liter twin-cam Mercedes V6 for 268 hp or CLK500 with the 5.0-liter V8 zipped to 302 hp. CLK55 AMG goes further with a 469-hp 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.

Mercedes-Benz with headquarters in Germany makes luxury and performance vehicles that span the scale in size and type with multiple options for power and traction. The vast collection includes souped-up performance variations in many categories built by the Mercedes super-tuner AMG. But there are three new Mercedes classes for 2006 -- the elegant CLS Class of four-door coupes, the large-scale R Class sport tourer wagons and a new generation of designs for American-built M Class of sport-utility vehicles.