Mercedes CLK
by Sam Livingstone

The previous generation CLK made a break with Mercedes tradition when it replaced the eighties E-class based large coupe with a more compact design based on the nineties C-class saloon. It also reintroduced the rounded twin headlamp design of Mercedes, which has subsequently permeated through most of the range in one form or other.

The new Mercedes CLK, that shall form the basis of the forthcoming cabrio, treads a more evolutionary path, maintaining much visual similarity with its predecessor. But unlike the outgoing CLK, it shares much of its design identity with the saloon, Sport Coupe (hatch) and estate C-class cars, whose underpinnings it shares. The nose features the same peanut graphic, double oval lamp design, the lower edge of the DLO dives hard down into the front fenders and the surface language has the soft fluidity of all post new generation S-class Mercedes cars. The result is a harmonious, distinctly Mercedes, but rather conservative design that perhaps only the increasingly short product life cycle of Mercedes cars can justify.

The CLK has grown little from its predecessor and this lack of size may stand against it now that it has internal competition in the form of the marginally smaller Sports Coupe that shares the same platform, whilst the next coupe in the range is the much larger CL based on the S-class platform. This shall perhaps be overcome with engine options that go to a 5.5 litre, 367bhp V8 (the sports coupe tops out at 2.3 litre, 197bhp 4 cylinder) and thus spread the range to within grasp of the CL and beyond that of much of its direct competitors.

The car likely to run the Mercedes closest in desirability and sales success shall be BMW’s next generation coupe/cabrio of this size which shall be badged ‘4-series’. This car will have a different design identity to the proliferate 3-series saloon and estate which it will continue to be based on, just as Volvo has a coupe/cabrio that is a stand alone model in its range. Audi’s new cabrio/coupe is not badged A4 and shares few visible parts, despite apparent similarities, and its likely that Saab is working on a coupe/cabrio that differentiates itself more than before from its 9-3 saloon sibling due out later this year.

The management of the design identities of these premium brands’ portfolio of cars from just one platform has become a very finely judged art. Whether Mercedes has missed an opportunity to push forward and innovate a little more with the new CLK shall likely never be known, but for the next few years this new Merc is set to be the benchmark in understated, premium branded coupeness.

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