Mercedes CLK 500 V8 - Almost an AMG 

One of the best looking Mercs. Still fresh and stylish. Pillar less hardtop very classy.

Top middle air vent control is for the outer air vents at the ends of the dash. I never liked mercs much but I was looking for a comfy automatic to do my daily commute in and bought one of these a couple of years ago with the 3 litre diesel engine, kept it a year and it never let me down. What amazed me was at 160k moles everything still worked, even the seatbelt butler as they call it, and the level of spec for a 20 year old car surprised me, multi function centre screen, auto lights auto wipers auto folding mirrors and a lot more. It converted me to mercedes and I now have an E class coupe which I love. Maybe its my age.

I've got 2 of these. A standard 500, and a 2006 5.5. The 5.5 is a dream, really just a baby 63. The 5.0 is a great car, i plan to make it manual. But the 5.5 is another level, in how it handles and feels and how it goes. 7 speed box with paddle shift. I'm besotted its the best thing ever

Lovely car, and super high spec! Never ceases to amaze me what stuff you can get on a CLK - hadn't seen or known about the touch locking or that extra boot security until now. And the rear blind - pure luxury, but no heated seats, madness!

The CLK500 5.5 (mid 2006 onwards) was even better with an extra 80hp - more than a CLK55 + better on fuel, absolute Q car of the 1st order. I had one for 6 years - really should have kept it (sorry Marvin) although its still going strong according to the MOT check with 150k on the clock, Was replaced with another V8 though...

Really like Mercedes's from this era. Stylish coupe with a big engine, what's not to love? Built quality is a bit iffy in this era of Mercedes, but this one helt up pretty well considering the miles it did. Except the loose gearshift selector... Another great review Matt!

5:04 "Course it's sturdy, it's a Mercedes!" - says he, whilst the surround to the transmission lever flops about when he selects drive ;) A friend of mine has a CL500 and I am envious.

I have a 2004 3.2 petrol with 35k on it.Lovely car, so comfortable with orthopaedic seats (a very rare option) and able to do 35mpg on run if you're really careful. Values for the best ones seem to have increased but prices are all over the place, more than with virtually any other car of that era. You can find a tidy 2.4 or 3.0 priced at less than 2k and a tatty V6 priced at 5k. A lot of elegance for the money though.

So much has changed in the last 20 years! This car has loads of buttons on the dashboard and as you said, now all of those functions have been replaced with a screen. Not sure which one is better, but I like the Mercedes of this era with their more understated styling, especially on the sportier models.

Well done Matt a fabulous review and the merc pillarless coupes are one of my favourites especially the w124 they have a classic style and surprisingly lots of room inside That v8 engine is fab I remember an older version of it in the S Class it sounds wonderful Maybe one for the furious fleet!

I've had a 2004 clk 500 for 3 years now and I still love it. Its been cheap to keep too no issues what so ever.

Up until 2 years ago, I had a 2003 CLK 270 TD, what a great car, the pillarless look was so cool. Have a SLK 2 litre comp, now its not so good, the folding hood is snazzy, if it ever stops raining, I maybe get to use it.

Matt, great video as always. However … I must disagree on the ‘almost an AMG’ side. The m113 is a completely different animal from the reworked, rebored, supercharged AMG m113k. The 5.0 as tested was 306 bhp from the factory, vs. 476 for the AMG unit in the E-class. Torque is also very much up by the same 50+ percent. The stock MB engine is a lazy thing paired to a lazy gearbox, but the torque covers most of the slowness. The AMGk engine is also lazy down low, but becomes a snarling monster when above 3k rpm, then builds ever faster to the redline because of the supercharger. Paired to a remapped gearbox with faster(ish) shifts, there is not much comparison. For instance, in the heavier e55, 0-60 is about 4 seconds. Even now, 20 years on. In that sense, it’s almost an AMG in the same way I am almost Daley Thompson. If you want to try one, It could be arranged next time you are in France.

The Elegance version (2005) which I currently have has a keyless entry and the engine start button is in the centre of the shifter.....mine has wood trim and a half wood steering wheel and loads of tech for its age ...lovely car and orsm engine but not cheep to keep/maintain but I knew that when I dived in and bought one ...MPG shouldn't be a concern for anyone who wants one ...lol .... I love it .........and great review, oh and I am older and play golf too haha..tks

Still such a timeless beautiful design.

I have the 550. I really love it, very fast, great handling!

That seat belt handler originally had the wonderful name "gurtbringer". First seen on W124 coupes, I think.

Interestly at 10:10-35 the steering wheel is exactly like mine. I own a first gen 2007 CLS 350 V6. Seems like Mercedes robbed the "spare parts" bin. Who knew?

I've often been tempted by one of these, probably a V6 petrol - the last elegant Mercedes produced. I've always liked the pillarless coupe format to which only Mercedes showed any commitment since the 60s although the signs are that this is ending. I did have a W114 280 CE years ago and wish I'd kept it but it already was embarking on a typical Merc programme of incurring huge servicing and repair bills despite taking it to an independent specialist. I was amused by Matt declaring some part of the car was solid because it was a Mercedes and then almost instantly showing some loose bits of interior trim! That's the problem - this model probably hadn't recovered from Mercedes' cynical decision in the 90s to rest on its laurels and reduce build quality. Many believe it still has not returned to the levels of the legendary 190E and the W124 predecessor of the E-class. I've seen quite a few of these CLKs with rusty wheel arches and wondered what state they would be in underneath. So much rot is hidden by composite sill covers these days. I think what has finally made me decide against one is all that horrendous gadgetry - especially that connected with the seat belts and headrests. If any of that goes wrong I suppose it would be an MOT failure and the prospect of huge bills!

A excellent review as always Matt, what a beautiful noise it makes.

sort your cameras out mate - all the close ups are blurred AF

You forgot the rain sensor wipers, auto dimming driver's door mirror and interior mirror and the summer opening and closing of windows and sunroof from the remote fob. My clk 320 petrol has all of these.

11:02 "Betcha the kid's got an automatic." Movie quiz for you, Matt! 😁👍

I've a 2003 E Class with the same M113 5.0. Great cars and the drivetrain is pretty bullet proof, my best cruising mpg is around 24mpg. Worthless and I'll likely never sell it!

These were great cars with cracking styling and performance for the gentleman... who possibly liked to play golf on occasion. A car that oozed upper class and status but at the time was on occasion driven with a light right foot. I loved these cars. Quality was arguably not the highest priority for Mercedes around that time though which was a shame. BMW and later Audi took over for a while but thankfully it looks like Mercedes are well and truly back. How tomes change.

For anyone thinking of buying a CLK 500 add worried about repair cost what's Parts aren't really expensive but a Mercedes specialty shop for dealership is going to eat you alive on labor cost. So if you do it yourself it's not going to be expensive. Do you think about Mercedes and BMW actually is they take a lot of specialized knowledge which you can learn from RU-vid etcetera. My theory on why they resell so cheap is the new Mercedes buyers are generally well off and would never consider working on their own vehicle but the maintenance costs from a dealership just make it worth it to get a new vehicle instead

8 blank switches is unforgettable on a high-end V8 coupe

I have W215 CL500 with the same m113 engine and I would say that this CLK 500 is clever man's CL500. I do love my CL but it is far to big and pointless, no real room to carry items and only 4 seater. This CLK smaller CL with still same room for people and luggage, real practical version from CL500.

My 2010 E Class had that type of automatic box. I believe they called it Tiptronic with left and right nudges on the shifter. I never used it, didn't see the point really.

I always liked this CLK. The thing that bums me out of these generation's interiors is that even the well equipped models seem to have a number of blank switches, which always makes you feel you should've worked a bit harder. In older Benzes, if there was no need for a switch, you got just wood instead. Not a placeholder.

I've found info about vmax after speed limit removal - 277kmh on German mercedes forum and autobahn naturally.❤️‍🔥

Oh no! Last time I watched you review a Mercedes I went out and bought one… I’ve not got another … but this could be the start of another one! 😫

Seat goes up and down btw.

Get that Diamond Brite on the camera lens. Strangley the area around the dash speedo area is all blurry....😎😎

Surely the expansion tanks on these are plentiful and cheap enough to not need that bodge looking patch.

I have the2004 clk270cdi the 5 cylinder one used as my daily for the last 2 and a half years it's a perfect motorway muncher

You forgot to mention the DMT version

Forgot to check 4 door box on autotrader. Ended up with a clk200 love it

Miss our CLK ❤ Brilliant cars! Can you please make a video of a first generation SMART Forfour Brabus ?

I have the 220d avantgarde clk funny how times change I think the maple wood trim of elegance model looks nicer now.

Key less Go enables keyless entry start stop and locking. The button on the door handle is to lock the car, not to unlock.

Have two of these, a clk270 in the same colour and spec as this and a clk55 which is quite a bit more rapid and drinks quite a bit more fuel. Have owned for years, great cars.

thats when dashboards were sensable easy to read at a glance and not over compilcated

Should have opened it up down the Snodland bypass!

Thanks

Love it. Great review.

Nice review- and a beautiful car

While watching this I was reminded of when I first started driving and my firat car a 1.1 Ford Fiesta

did they make an AMG clk500 in 2005?

These were fairly popular plenty for sale although the 500 are rarer

I had the 320cdi which was my favourite car plenty quick enough yet amazingly world still better 40mpg on a run.

Stunning Car.

What year??

460 nweton metres of torque not 350

£3250 for that car seems a good deal given all the work done and condition.

Love my Mercedes

Was someone speeding, was the dash clocks blurred out 😂

350 lb-ft. Not Nm. 470Nm.

These lost money so quickly that I remember them being £5k by about 8 years old. I was mighty tempted at the time, but decided against buying one due to the automatic gearbox. Lovely cars if you like an auto, though.

10:27 HONK!

Why are the dials blurred? 🧐😂

Wyman Square

I thought my glasses had stopped working,...Then I realised you were recording out of focus

0 to 60 was more 5.3 and 5.5 with the 06 models being quicker.

Very nice but…….that interior is so Germanic and plain. I would argue the Rover 75 has a much more classy interior. Votes taken below. Thanks for voting. A resounding win to the Rover 75. 🤣 Thought so…..

Has aged so well

Hey man, please.. lock the focus when you are showing us the interior

Still had mercedes rust issues, such a shame.

Close-up not in focus, terrible...

Poor auto focus can’t see internal details, need an iPhone 11 pro.

Lovely sleeper, much better than ganster AMG 😂

I was loving the car until you mentioned golf... very off-putting

Absolutely not "Almost an AMG"!

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee i've never been this early in watching one of your videos!!!

Jesus Christ for such an expensive car of its time, no heated seats?

If you're gonna have one, might as well have the biggest one you can get. This is where MB lost me. The start of the bland, built to a price era. Shame.

Yipee I'm 2nd

Of course it has a totally useless slush box.