2004 Mercedes-Benz CLK500 Cabriolet

Mercedes-Benz has just introduced another new car to die for, but don't take that statement literally, or you won't be able to enjoy going topless, Stuttgart style, in what's arguably the nicest all-around four-seat convertible, regardless of price. The CLK cabriolet replaced the aging and now neoclassic E-Class drop-top a few years back. Economies of scale, using an enlarged C-Class platform, permitted a somewhat lower price for the new model. Now, "fifty large" is nothing to sneeze at, but you really do get a lot for your money: style, technology, and performance, not to mention envious neighbors—unless, of course, you live in Beverly Hills.


Every time we test an all-new Mercedes-Benz, there are countless improvements over the previous model. So I imagine the brief for everyone on the styling and engineering teams runs something like, "Klaus, make zis car bigger; Fritz, be sure der engine has more power; Heidi, be zertain zis new model is better-looking," because that's exactly what's happened with the CLK.

The sleek convertible body is custom built for Mercedes-Benz by Karmann, a very experienced coachbuilding firm, in Osnabruck, Germany.

Dimensionally, the new cabrio is 2.9 inches longer, 7.1 inches wider, 1.3 inches taller, and its wheelbase is about an inch longer than the previous model. The latest 5.0-liter V-8 jumps from a very acceptable 275 hp, in the old car, to an even nicer 302 hp; the six-cylinder version's engine remains the same at 215 hp, and the freshly reinstated AMG high-performance model jumps to 5.5-liters. It's supercharged, the motors are hand-assembled, one-by one, and it develops a heady 362 hp. And you'll pay an $18,000 premium for that autobahn stormer.


Even though the CLK55 AMG is the highest-performing convertible Mercedes has ever offered, one might question why you would bother when you can get the new CLK500—with a standard AMG-inspired styling package, including 17-inch alloy AMG design wheels—for substantially less? This car will zip to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds versus the AMG's 5.4-second time, and they're both electronically governed to 155 mph. Seems that's a lot to pay for a half second, or so.


The Benz product planners and engineers have gilded the lily on the CLK cabrio. It has a stronger body structure (they claim some 40 percent of the convertible's body is made from high-strength steel) than the car it replaces. Torsional stiffness is 10-percent greater than the old car's. Both the coupe and convertible CLKs were designed simultaneously, so afterthought-inspired additional stiffening was unnecessary and thus minimal extra weight was added.