The Mercedes-Benz W209 cars have been produced since 2002. They are sold under the CLK-Class model names. The W209 is based on the W203 C-Class. It replaced the C208 CLK-Class after 2004 which were the first car to carry the CLK moniker.
The W209 is available in two body styles, a coupe and a cabriolet, and is manufactured with diesel and petrol engines ranging from four cylinder (CLK200) to eight cylinder (CLK500 and CLK63AMG). The cabriolet (Designated with an A, as in CLK500A) features a fully automatic retractable soft top covered by a metal tonneau that can be raised and lowered from outside the vehicle using the key fob.
A W209 CLK 63 AMG DTM "Black Series" was produced as a MY2006 in both a coupe and later cabriolet model. Styling cues were taken from the full race car version for the German Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters racing series. The car includes a wider body, carbon fiber accents, and upgraded suspension.
The CLK is designed to fill the mid-luxury market position for coupes and convertibles. It is Mercedes-Benz's only 4-seat cabriolet. Its direct competitors in the cabriolet market are the Volvo C70 and the Lexus SC430, although it is available with larger engines than any of its direct competitors. The CLK is positioned midway between the BMW 3 series coupe/cabriolet and the 6 series coupe/cabriolet.
The CLK is a superlative vehicle whose handling is exceptionally precise even under extreme cornering, road, and weather conditions, and whose performance is equal to the fastest readily available sports cars on the market. Performance is electronically limited to 135mph in the CLK350 and CLK500 models, and to 155mph in the CLK55 model. An AMG factory option is available for an unrestricted top speed.
The Electronic Stability Control (ESP) and Anti-lock braking system (ABS) are both excellent aids to handling, making such feats as a 90' degree turn on a typical two lane intersection from 50mph possible using simple hard braking and turning with no significant fishtailing. Although the ESP system can be manually turned off, it never actually allows the wheels to spin completely freely. For example, the ESP system makes drifting (intentional high-power fishtailing) impossible without shutting the ESP system off using a factory test protocol that end-users cannot enable.
Each model seats four and in the US this includes an all-leather interior with burl walnut trim. For Europe the models are available as "Elegance" or "Avantgarde" versions, basically Luxury or Sport specification where the Elegance uses Burr Walnut trim and polished alloy wheels the Avantgarde uses alloy trim and chunky wheels. The price and specification for European models is otherwise the same. The 4 cyl. cars wear 16" wheels While the CLK320, CLK350 and CLK500 come with 17 inch (432 mm) alloy wheels, the CLK55 AMG sports 18 inch (457 mm) wheels. The cabriolets have a remote-operated automatic soft-top and sensor-controlled roll bars. Since 2000, all US cars come standard with a Tele Aid emergency assistance system, automatic dual-zone air conditioning, 10-way power front seats and rain-sensing windshield wipers. Seven-channel digital surround sound comes standard. A Keyless Go system, navigation system, Parktronic system, and bi-xenon HID headlamps are all available as options. All models come with four side airbags.European cars differ considerably and are usually specced depending on the buyer's needs.
The cars have a manual sport/comfort mode switch that sets the transmission to start in 2nd gear and shift earlier in comfort mode. The new 7-speed transmission ads about 20% better fuel mileage in real driving conditions over the 5-speed with no loss in performance, although the additional shifting can be noticeable. In the CLK500, at 80mph, the 5-speed transmission runs at about 3000rpm, while the 7-speed runs at about 2200rpm. Both transmissions include automatic best gear finding so that the driver need not keep track of which gear the car is in during performance driving, and in the AMG model, the transmission can be set to stay in the highest possible gear for the best possible performance.
The 5-speed CLK500 gets an average of 15mpg in real city driving conditions, whereas the 7-speed CLK500 get an average of about 18mpg under the same conditions. Both add about 3mpg for highway driving.
The W209 CLK-Class is 2.4 inches (61 mm) longer, 0.7 inches (18 mm) wider and 1.1 inch (28 mm) higher than its predecessor.
In Europe there was also the CLK 200 K (1.8 R4), CLK 220 CDI (2.1 R4 diesel), CLK 240 (2.6 V6), CLK 270 CDI (2.7 R5 diesel), CLK 280 (3.0 V6), CLK 320 CDI (3.0 V6 diesel); (all standard with 6-speed manual transmission, automatic transmission is optional) 2004 Mercedes-Benz CLK55 AMG cabriolet 2004 Mercedes-Benz CLK55 AMG cabriolet.
2014 Mercedes S-Class - assistance systems animation
Mercedes has officially unveiled the 2014 S-Class at the Airbus A380 delivery center in Hamburg, Germany.
Designed to become one of the most luxurious and advanced vehicles ever constructed, the 2014 S-Class has an evolutionary design that incorporates a sportier front fascia, a larger grille and a gentle slanting rear end. The sleek styling enables the model to have drag coefficient of 0.24 which is pretty impressive considering the pint-sized CLA has a drag coefficient of 0.23.
Mercedes Benz CLK 200K
Ein Blick auf den CLK. Im Film sieht man das Fahrzeug innen und aussen.
A look inside and outside of a Mercedes Benz CLK 200 Kompressor.
Winners Cannes Lions 2009: Mercedes Benz "Dreams" Commercial - Silver Lion
This Mercedes Benz "Dream" commercial has won a Silver Lion in the yearly Cannes Lions Competition.
Agency: Jung von Matt, Alster Hamburg
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