Add 113 horses to last year’s model.
The current CLK is four years old, so it’s not surprising that the highlight here is the new, AMG-developed 6.2-liter V-8 beast that is spreading throughout Mercedes’ lineup of cranked-up AMG cars. It puts out 475 horsepower in the CLK63, making last year’s 362-hp CLK55 AMG seem somewhat tame. The new engine comes alive right off idle, heaving the tach toward the 7200-rpm redline and singing a refined yet seductive engine snarl that is nothing short of stupendous.
The urge to keep the throttle pinned is almost irresistible but will bring up extra-legal speeds in a hurry: 60 mph arrives in 4.2 seconds, 100 in 9.5, the quarter-mile in 12.5 at 116 mph. That’s 0.6 second quicker through the quarter than the last CLK55 coupe we tested [C/D, May 2004], despite the 4113-pound CLK63 weighing 373 more pounds. Those numbers are also within a sneeze of some intense performers, including the Ferrari F430 and BMW M5, and sufficient to humiliate the 2006 M3.
Inside, the CLK63 is fitted with seriously supportive front buckets, with lumbar, thigh, and bolster adjustments, and one of the sportiest steering wheels we’ve seen in a Benz. Even better, it doesn’t have that weighty feel we’ve become accustomed to in Mercedes products. Still, neither the steering nor the brakes respond quite as sharply as we’d like.
Turn off the stability control and the CLK63 is still as friendly as can be, happily neutral and content to slide around at hero-sized drift angles. Skidpad grip is a decent 0.86 g. But the extra-stiff AMG suspension sends noticeable tremors through the steering wheel and chassis, which makes us yearn for the more solid, sportier coupe that won’t be sold here.
The biggest negative is probably the heart-stopping $92,575 base price, some $45,600 above an entry-level CLK350. That’s also $5100 more than big-brother E63, which seems backward.
At that price, it seems Mercedes’ fabulous new engine is destined to stay rare. That’s a shame.
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door convertible
PRICE AS TESTED: $96,655 (base price: $92,575)
ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 379 cu in, 6208cc
Power (SAE net): 475 bhp @ 6800 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 465 lb-ft @ 5200 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 7-speed automatic with manumatic shifting
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 106.9 in
Length: 183.1 in
Width: 68.5 in
Height: 54.4 in
Curb weight: 4113 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 4.2 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 9.5 sec
Zero to 150 mph: 22.2 sec
Street start, 5–60 mph: 4.4 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 12.5 sec @ 116 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 155 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 155 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.86 g
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