MERCEDES-BENZ wants more of the luxury soft-top action, despite leading the segment for the first time last year. So, with second-placed Saab’s 9-3 Convertible chasing upper-spec premium folding tin-tops like the Peugeot 307 CC, Mercedes is putting pressure on the upper-end Swede with its first sub-$100,000 CLK cabriolet, fitted with the new 120kW supercharged 1.8-litre four-cylinder unit found in other C-Class-based Benzes.

Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
Released: October 1997
Ended: June 2002
Family Tree: CLK-classMercedes-Benz introduced its new CLK coupe in Australia in October 1997, opening with the CLK320 V6, CLK200 four-cylinder and CLK230K supercharged variants and then adding the V8-powered CLK430 in November 1999. Twelve months later in October 1998 the new CLK cabriolet arrived. While the all-new C209 CLK coupe went on sale here in June 2002, the A209 CLK cabriolet arrived a year later in June 2003. The expanded range comprises everything from the 270kW CLK55 AMG (for the first time), to the CLK500 (replacing the 430), CLK320, CLK240 (replacing the 230K) and CLK200 - now available in cabriolet guise (tested here).
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