All in the line of duty, Ted West plunks himself down in the new Mercedes-Benz CLK320 and cruises the Lado di Garda region of Verona, Italy.
Here now, hasn't this gone about far enough? I mean the Mercedes-Benz TV ads with a latter-day Elvis Costello rock-and-rolling the latest product news ... ersatz black-and-white glimpses of Mercedes-Benz Past, while the baritone Marlene Dietrich's croons she's falling in love again-she "canned help it" ... the forever implausible Cosmo Kramer up to his frazzled topknot in boudoir fantasies about the new E-Class.
As the sainted Ellen would say, so not Mercedes.
Or is it? Not that long ago, the hallowed First Motorcar Company was in a right snit over the indignities being heaped upon it by Lexus and Infiniti ... how could these upstarts master the subtleties of the great luxury car? (Rather effortlessly, replied the American buying public not too much later.)
But that was then, this is now. After a period of corporate teeth-gnashing, said First Motorcar Company pulled up its socks, took stock, and went back to doing what it does best-blazing a trail through the automotive wilderness for the rest to follow. And judging by its aforementioned TV ads, the rejuvenated Mercedes-Benz is having the time of its young life. In the past couple of years, wave after wave of new models has come ashore, each with disturbingly good performance, and just as disturbing, each with ruthlessly sensible real-world pricing.
But this is Sports Car Inter-national, not Pinch-Penny Gazette-what is Stuttgart doing for us?
A lot. First, the new SLK played a major role in fomenting the long-overdue sports car counter-revolution ... huzzah! (Yes, Caterham owners, the Bim Z3 and Porsche Boxster are purer sports cars than the SLK-but Mercedes-Benz has traditionally bypassed the true sportster in favor of a well-coutured tourer.) Now, not content to stir only one enthusiast pot, Mercedes-Benz has lit a fire under the dormant luxury performance coupe class as well with the new CLK320 you see on these pages. And just in case you missed the message of this new performance coupe, Stuttgart debuted a breathtaking full-race CLK-based supercoupe in FIA GT1, going head to head with Porsche, Nissan, Ferrari, McLaren, Lotus and the other big dogs. 2+2 Does Not Equal Four
Time to look at the pictures. At a glance, the CLK320 you see here appears to be a new E-Class coupe, er ... is it some new C-Class coupe?
Nope twice. True, Mercedes has a long tradition of offering limited-production, very pricey two-door variants of its mid- and full-size four-door sedans-the recent E320C coupe, for instance, sold at a breathless $63,000. However, the car in the pictures is not such a two-door sedan variant. It is the very first member of a brand-new class, the Mercedes-Benz CL coupes-and just to get the suspense out of the way, this impressive new Mercedes performance coupe will sell for right around 40 large.
Unlike earlier Mercedes coupes-the old SEC or CE, for example-this one was drawn on a clean, or relatively clean, sheet of paper. From the front, it's similar to the current E-Class, but this is misleading. The CLK320's true progenitor is the striking "Design Studie Coupe" shown by Mercedes at the 1993 Geneva and Detroit auto shows. Not a single CLK320 body or interior panel is shared with any other M-B model. Similarly, its mechanical components have been selected and blended from a variety of sources. The suspension bits come from the C-Class-though their suspension tuning reflects the SLK. Big brakes from the E-Class are used, and the steering was taken from AMG's superb C36. These disparate elements were then shaken, not stirred, to produce the "CL" character, an amalgam, we're told, of Benz-level luxury and commodious four-adult transport-not 2 + 2 bondage-the whole propelled by agile sports car performance.
Sounds good. And Stuttgart's rationale for insisting on an entirely distinct coupe line sounds even better. With the CLK, Mercedes-Benz has drawn a bold separation between the foursquare, ho-hum family-sedan buyer and the performance-coupe enthusiast ... that is, us. To underscore this distinction, when the CLK goes on sale in the fall, its full-size S-Class Coupe siblings will be redesignated the CL500 and CL600, combining four-seat luxury with "CL" performance and handling. This isn't just another fevered ad writer's pipedream, either. The agility and spirit of the CL coupes are rooted in the bedrock of significantly reduced weight. The new CLK, for example, is 310 lbs. lighter than the preceding E320C coupe and a full 365 lbs. lighter than the current E320 sedan.
Not Your Father's Mercedes
But enough corporate blah-dee-blah. How does Mercedes expect to achieve this mildly oxymoronic blend-the true four-seater with "sports car performance?" It's no trick to build a four-seat coupe, of course. Buick's been doing it since the year dot. Yet how does Mercedes-Benz build a big coupe with that other little item, sports car performance?
The best place to start is at the gas pedal. Thanks to a brand-new, powerful and torquey 90-degree, 18-valve two-cam V6, the CLK320 has vigorous straight-line performance. Mercedes-Benz claims an impressive zero-to-60 time of 6.9 seconds-and we bet we could beat that time. This 215 hp V6, furthermore, is very light and compact. Shorter than M-B's current four-cylinder, it has aluminum heads, an aluminum block of only 57 lb. and a magnesium intake manifold and valve covers. Total weight, just 330 lb.!
Yes, but ... 18 valves? Last time you checked, four times six was 24. Why not a four-valver?
Depend on Mercedes-Benz for creative engineering. The new V6 has dual intake valves and a single exhaust valve, because with one exhaust valve per cylinder, exhaust port surface area is reduced by 30 percent. That's right, they've purposely increased exhaust-valve seat heat, and then further intensified it with a double-wall exhaust manifold, transferring all possible heat directly to the catalytic convertor. This means that at start-up, the catalytic convertor "lights-off" in only about one minute. That is approximately twice as fast as would occur with double exhaust valves, a clever way of satisfying ever-tighter start-up emissions regulations.
Of course, intensified exhaust-port heat means the valve head must be protected against burning. Accordingly, this V6 employs racing-style sodium-filled exhaust valves, which efficiently draw heat up the valve stem without harming the valve. Who says racing doesn't improve the breed?
But using one exhaust valve has another surprising advantage-room in the combustion chamber roof for two spark plugs per cylinder. And in this V6, the twin plugs are not fired simultaneously, as in many racing engines, but one after the other. Whyzzat? Thanks to the extreme accuracy of the Motronic electronic engine-management system, which controls ignition in each cylinder separately, the sequential firing of the plugs is adjusted from firing cycle to firing cycle for optimum burn. Not only is catalyst light-off speeded up, but a nigh-wondrous list of other benefits follows: The engine can run a very lean mixture for better fuel mileage, a more complete burn delivers both cleaner emissions and reduced combustion noise-and get this, three valves and two plugs make about 20 additional horsepower!
Ducky. But every engine geek knows a 90-degree V6 is inherently imbalanced-60 degrees is the ideal V6 format. For decades, Mercedes and BMW have cleaved faithfully to the inline-six for this very reason. What has changed?
Answer-the marketplace. Major manufacturers are finding modular engine design an essential element of profitability, and this new 90-degree V6 has common bore centers with Mercedes-Benz's 90-degree V8. The Mercedes V6s and V8s share numerous parts, a significant cost savings, and they can be assembled simultaneously on the same line.
But the 90-degree V6's inherent dynamic imbalance remains-has Mercedes-Benz chosen to accept the proverbial rough cob? Hardly. Like all good inline-fours of the past two decades, this V6 uses a balance shaft that counter-rotates at crankshaft speed, canceling inherent vibration. The result is singular-a smooth-running 90-degree V6 that simply adores spinning right up to its 6000 rpm redline with a full-voiced, authoritative growl. And lower-end torque, peaking with 229 lb/ft at 3000 rpm, is plentiful and readily available, thanks to the engine's extra-long dual-stage intake runners. All in all, a light, clean, thoroughly brilliant 3.2 liters' worth of right-now power.
Getting The Power Down
The CLK320's transmission is nearly as newsworthy as its engine. For years, Mercedes-Benz has declined to offer the American market manual transmissions, and the CLK is no exception, sports car performance or no. However, its transmission, a crisp, very automatic five-speed auto, is probably the next best thing to stick. (And if you have a nasty stop-and-go daily commute, it's probably a whole lot better.) This transmission is fully driver-adaptive, constantly reading driving style, acceleration rates and such parameters as vehicle speeds dictated by local driving conditions. It then patterns its shift schedule to reflect your typical habits and needs.
But this brainy transmission goes further. By comparing road speed with throttle position or "load," it can detect uphill and downhill grades. When you're climbing, it will downshift without hunting gears, and while descending, it will suppress unwanted upshifts to provide engine-braking. In level flight, furthermore, when the throttle is tromped on, this transmission kicks down quickly and aggressively, doing its damnedest to mimic a well-driven manual. A selectable "winter" mode is standard, delivering second-gear starts, and a taller reverse gear is employed to curtail wheelspin at start-up on slick surfaces.The CLK coupe drivetrain is complemented by standard ASR traction control
The Heart Of The Matter
To achieve its goals as a high-performance GT coupe-despite the considerable girth of four full seats-the CLK needs all the best gubbins beneath the body. To that end, its front suspension forgoes Mr. MacPherson's ubiquitous struts in favor of double wishbones, delivering precise wheel location and linear steering response throughout vertical travel. Linear-rate coil springs are used in conjunction with indefatigable gas-pressurized shocks. As on the E-Class, the CLK shocks have two-part pistons and tension springs, and a front stabilizer bar delivers good roll limiting. Anti-dive is built in.
At the rear, the CLK uses Mercedes-Benz's five-link rear suspension. The chief strength of this system is its minimal bump-steer when cornering hard on rough surfaces. Anti-squat and anti-lift are built in, and as at the front, coil springs and gas-pressurized shocks are used. Mercedes claims that, besides being very compact, for minimum intrusion upon trunk volume, the five-link is also extremely light, reducing unsprung weight to allow finer wheel-travel control.
The CLK's recirculating-ball steering is taken directly from the wonderful AMG C36, and the steering wheel itself comes from the SLK. An integral steering damper minimizes road shocks on the CLK320's medium-taut suspension during cornering. And while we're on the subject of suspension tuning, in Europe two CLK models are available, the Sport and the Elegance, the former being considerably more taut, and the latter's suspension tuned more for touring. Do I need to tell you which one is coming to America? Of course not.
Yet taking into consideration the typical American Mercedes buyer, there was little choice but to import the softer "Elegance" variant-while dropping that wussie title from its badging. Stop cursing, though. If you absolutely must have a stiffer CLK320 (the Elegance-tuned chassis is really quite good), there were corporate mutterings that a suspension package resembling the European Sport version might become available. We've driven both versions, and regrettably, living in the pockmarked and bomb-cratered Northeast, the choice of the Sport suspension would not be as automatic as we might wish...or are we just getting old? But if your driving is done in more billiard table-smooth regions of the Union and you like the sound of squealing tires and the bouquet of smoking brakes, the Sport's underpinnings might be just the ticket.
Just A Little Bit Softer Now
All the same, the "normal" American version is an excellent high-speed autostrada cruiser. And on our drives over twisty Italian two-lanes in the region around Lago di Garda north of Verona, the CLK Elegance's steering was lively and extremely accurate. Given the CLK320's bulk, we would not quite characterize its personality as "sports car handling," however. Crisp and enthusiastic, yes, encouraging you to press on at good speed. But rat-racing on Italian secondary roads, this big car feels like it fills the road. On wider two-lanes in the States, it won't seem quite as bulky-but that's what you get for bringing along two backseat friends.
We mentioned smoking brakes? Well, you have to work hard to make these mothers smoke. On the other hand, it can be done, oh yes. The front anchors are big 11.7 x 1.1 in. internally vented rotors, running in full-floating calipers. The rears are solid rotors but still big-11.3 x .39 in.-running in fixed calipers. Four-channel ABS is standard, along with Mercedes-Benz's Brake Assist system.
Okay, Caterhammers, this is no "sports car." Rather, it is a full-boat performance GT with a bit of luxury pony car mixed in. If your idea of heaven is a Porsche Speedster with no side curtains and no radio, a fully-finished coupe like the CLK320 with all its electro-think and automatic driving, may earn nothing more than your best sneer. Understood.
On the other hand, at the upper end of the market-and remember, at $40,000 this is a gently-priced luxury automobile-a large market exists for people who want a crisp, fast multi-purpose tourer that'll take them to work in comfort ... and take them and three others skiing on the weekend. In the past, Mercedes-Benz has sometimes been accused of over-engineering, and if you're in a particularly sour mood, you could find the CLK guilty.
But automotive evolution continues, whether you decide you need its fruits or not. Clearly, there are elements of the CLK that will only get in the way of some drivers. But for good or ill, this car is right on the cutting edge of evolution. Different automakers have different target buyers, and except for a badly confused period in the early '90s, Mercedes-Benz has generally had a very clear picture of who they're trying to attract. Their buyer, furthermore, has never been the most elemental of drivers. Even the legendary 300SL, at the postwar apex of Mercedes enthusiast design, was a very civilized Grand Tourer.
With that market position, the CLK has luxury, quality, performance and something distinctly new for Mercedes-Benz-genuine dollar value. After all, its sticker is almost identical to the well-priced Boxster, yet it delivers a bonus in roominess and multi-purpose flexibility. Those attributes will never sway a real Boxster buyer, but on the other extreme, they're enough to seriously disturb the stomach linings of the pricier Detroit "personal coupe" builders.
Mercedes-Benz expects to sell 23,000 CLKs worldwide in 1997, and in 1998, the sales goal is 43,000. For those of us who crave genuinely competent performance cars-and who are sick to death of that glorified automotive church pew, the sport utility-this CLK infusion of new blood into the performance coupe segment is nothing but great news.
2+2 Does Not Equal Four 
But enough corporate blah-dee-blah. How does Mercedes expect to achieve this mildly oxymoronic blend-the true four-seater with "sports car performance?" It's no trick to build a four-seat coupe, of course. Buick's been doing it since the year dot. Yet how does Mercedes-Benz build a big coupe with that other little item, sports car performance? 