The 2004 Mercedes-Benz CLK hits the market as the best in its class. It marks a gracious return to style and elegance. It blends two body styles into a common, unified expression of refined, eye- and seat-of-the-pants-pleasure. The CLK is a rolling statement of style and taste, and a design that's likely to age well.The CLK marks a further evolution of the specialty coupe and cabriolet, one that rises above some of the limitations that undid the market for personalized transportation in the past. The CLK may not match a small sports sedan for passenger room, but nor does it have the cramped cockpit and impracticality of older coupes and cabriolets. We liked the CLK500 best. It's an absolutely superb automobile in every respect. The CLK320 is a good car, too, but suffers somewhat by comparison to the CLK500; it just isn't as involving. And the interior doesn't seem quite as nice. If the CLK320 is a car you climb into, the CLK500 is a car you put on. The CLK55 AMG is a car for serious enthusiasts. As driving enthusiasts, we can certainly understand the desire for more performance, but it's hard to imagine really wanting more performance than the CLK500 offers.
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