The Mercedes CLK has always been a vehicle for trashy poseurs. Flashy and overpriced, it was never anything more than a last generation C-class under its moderately stylish lines. The CLK ranges in price from about $50,000 to over $70,000 for a fully loaded V8 model. Who would pay that much for a last generation C-Class coupe? Especially when you can have the vastly superior current generation C-class sedan for so much less?
Adding to the CLK’s position as the “lame duck” of the Mercedes lineup is the fact that it has always been one of the least reliable vehicles made by the Stuttgart manufacturer. The CLK comes from a dark period in Mercedes history where profitability, not reliability, was of the utmost importance.
Finally — and most importantly — the CLK has never been as good as the vastly superior and less expensive 3-Series coupe. The CLK is just for people who think it looks pretty and want the snob appeal of a Mercedes badge. Why else do you think Britney Spears runs over people with hers? Oops! We didn’t mean that. We meant to say why do you think Britney drives a CLK? Probably because it matches some of her outfits, we suspect.
Well, finally, Mercedes is ready to lower the axe on the CLK. And what is in store for its replacement? The new mid level two-door in the company lineup will be a fashionably angular E-class coupe along the lines of Audi’s A5. The look of the new vehicle was previewed at the Paris Motor Show by the Concept Fascination design study. This was not a surprise as most Mercedes concept vehicles later pop up as production vehicles.
The automaker plans to launch the coupe at the exact same time it launches the E-class sedan in late 2009 as a 2010 model. Prices for the new E-Class two-door will be higher than what they were for the current CLK but customers will be getting more inherent value. This will no doubt be evidenced by the vastly improved driving experience promised by the new E-class platform.
Buyers looking for a less expensive coupe can take heart, though! Mercedes is planning a new C-class based coupe. Thankfully this one will be based on the far more capable and reliable current C-class platform. And it won’t look anything like that old CLS-coupe that appeared to have been rear ended at 70 miles per hour.
Are we being too hard on the CLK? To our eyes, the old CLK is the last bastion of the bad old days at Mercedes Benz. With the introduction of the new E-class coupe, all of the old unreliable models will have been either replaced or totally revamped. So let’s leave the CLK to the poseurs that deserve it—most specifically bottle blonde pop tartlets.
via eGMCarTech
First and formost I don’t think you should knock a car that I can see you nothing about(TheCLK)Because if you did you would have never wrote what you did for it is all not true. I have been a mechanis since 1967 to today I have seen alotin that time. I have a CLK55 AMG and I can tell you it has been one of the best,Fast,strong,no problem cars I have ever had. As far as the E class taking the place of the CLK the E was always their before. You have no grounds to say what you did for I could tell you Mr eGMcarTect about the JUNK GM put out back in the 60s and 70s thats why Japan cars took over and why still today GM almost went bankrup. So mr GMtech take your junk and try to keep up with Ford before you pick on someone else.