MERCEDES CLK280 (2009) // Budget luxury but is it sporty enough?

Our review of the C209 Mercedes CLK280. Stylish and classy, but Is this C-class Mercedes Benz zippy enough and sporty enough to satisfy Mark? With $15k to spend on a second-hand coupe, is this the car Stu and Mark would consider buying? Let's drive it on some good roads and find out. Proper road test and car review.
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#Mercedes-Benz #CarReview #inCARnationAU #inCARnationAustralia #C-Class #AMG #Merc

[@richardelson3261]

I have the CLK 280 AMG sport cabriolet. Makes for a lovely holiday trip car as well as daily driver. Nice to get 4 in and go for a day out in decent weather. Feels classy as hell I use the paddles on country roads to hold the revs and that v6 is very creamy and likes to be hurt a bit. The cabriolet hood is a work of art. Beautifully insulated too.

[@petrolhead28]

I bought a clk 200k cheap kind of by accident. Saw it and fell in love with its beauty

[@helmulu4016]

I took a car like this from SYD to Perth and back in 2015, all I can say the seats are no problem..... and the car not either. Love your videos!

[@monk3yboy69]

London to Italy… Toured for 14 days. No issues with the seats. 350CLK Sport cabriolet. Great car

[@droge192]

A CLK is not "a C Class". It's a dedicated base, inspired and evolved from both the C and E class platforms, in equal measure. The dimensions of the floor plan are close to the C class, but even then with a wider track.

[@emjay1249]

What does it have from the e class

[@Jules3855]

Exactly!

[@jorgechiubomberos]

From the E class has, engien, steering wheel, dashboard, sound system, looks in the outside, rims, seats, all the cosmetics are from a e class, and prince

[@jorgechiubomberos]

This was the coupe of the E class, was substituted in 2010 for the E class coupe.

[@jorgechiubomberos]

I have a CLK 350 2009, use it as my weekend fun car, and love it, specialy with all the windows down, no B pilar. Love it, and the seats are confy

[@michaelchan1960]

Test drove one (CLK 280 2009 cab) yesterday and ready for the Scottish summer. Being quite torquey I wonder why others prefer the 350?? Great video.

[@emreforum1]

Thé paint work is just AMAZING on this model !!!!

[@NippyMoto]

Cracking video again guys. I have to say while the exterior of these cars is gorgeous the interior has not aged well.

[@revinot]

I even think the dash was ugly/odd when it was current, gorgeous car none the less.

[@jukkis6699]

So interesting because the interior and the whole presentation is such s big reason why this is an interesting car for me. It beats any other basic sedan or even coupe in its price range, cause I hate default looks, and always prefer something unique. But hey hearing it feels good, is practical and sturdy, reliable etc. And the look being the biggest issue, means it's the perfect cat for me hahah Nice vid!

[@inCARnationAustralia]

Thanks for your feedback. We enjoyed it. If you want something with a little more sporty rather than luxury cruiser bent, may I suggest you also drive BMW E90 3-series of the same era. Like a 325i. Or even the F10 5-series BMW if you want something a bit larger and more luxurious, like a 528i. The 3-series is similarly priced but the 5-series would cost more, but I also think they are great value for money now. Just a thought. But I understand it's a personal thing - and you say that particular look is important to you.

[@jukkis6699]

​@@inCARnationAustralia thank you very much for the ideas! I should just go and test drive all of them, would be great to get a feel for the differences. (Obviosuly the CLK looks better inside and out haha)

[@johnadams4571]

I don’t understand some of the comments and comparisons. It’s not a hot hatch or a super fast saloon, although the AMG and 63 versions do exist. For what it is as a refined cruiser it would be very hard to equal let alone beat. One guys ridiculous comment on the seats being uncomfortable, they are infinitely adjustable and extremely comfortable as stated by the other guy at the end.

[@inCARnationAustralia]

'One guy' doesn't always agree with 'the other guy'. That's the beauty of discussion. Not all bums and backs are shaped the same. Yours might be very different (but that's OK - we don't need to know). One guy might appreciate a lot more lateral support than the other guy (me).

[@Roland_Rohrle]

“I thought it was you” 🤣💨

[@droge192]

Prices must be really high in Oz. In the UK, one of these CLK280s in this condition wouldn't be higher than £5k (AUD$8,400)

[@tepidtuna7450]

Having also lived in the UK, one thing that Oz has over the UK when it comes to second hand prices is.... drum roll... no salted roads. Our cars last much longer. I do miss UK driving.

[@revinot]

One thing i do enjoy, is the smell aspect of Mercedes esp. CLK's they do have a disctinct interior smell.

[@inCARnationAustralia]

It's true. That MB-tex is quite distinctive. Close your eyes and still unmistakable. One thing I really noticed at the recent Shannons auction - how so many cars had very distinctive smells. It can transport one back to one's childhood. Cars that all have specific smells - old Mercedes, early Porsches (air-cooled 911s and water-cooled 928s are very different), even 60's vintage Holdens and Fords are distinctively different. But that old Daimler Majestic I recently sat in. Wow - instantly transported back 50 years to primary school.

[@revinot]

@@inCARnationAustralia Wonderfull, and its amazing how those smells stay consistant no matter the age of the car, I always thought with time those smells will fade but they dont. I agree older GM cars also has a distinctive smell(for me its a plastic oily vynil smell) in the interior, I need to get out there and smell some classic Porsches 🙂

[@chicash4life]

😎😎😎

[@fwillemsen1]

i also have 280 from 2007 drive beter whit yello koni shocks. and hr springs and 19inch weels

[@julietaylor2685]

You might want to share more detail on reliability woes when testing older cars. These M272/3 motors have very well known issues, some being catastrophic

[@droge192]

That balancer shaft issue on this engine is totally exaggerated. If you get one of these engines with anything more than about 40-50k miles, the shaft will be sorted.

[@revinot]

@@droge192 must admit the balance shaft issue scared me away from a gorgeous CLK 350 once.

[@michaelcarlsen3078]

Hi guys how that car handle ? copered to bmw e90 and alfa 159 unfortunately i dont find moose test of clk w209 and i wanna buy my own but im intrested of that allways better to avoid crash instead of rely on 5 NCAP stars

[@ryan9543]

I have a bmw E92 and a Clk500 and the handling is better in the Bmw. Steering wheel in the Bmw is just perfect, shape , very sensitive and very accurate , Mb steering is a little bit numb

[@siegfri3d176]

CLK POWER!!!! IT IS POWER !!! it is better than all cars u drove !!!

[@coolcat23]

Absolute beauty of a car. None of the alternatives you listed compare to it in the looks department. Your numerical rating at the end is a bit of a joke, to be honest. What other car has such personality due to the coupé form, the lack of a B-pillar, the belt butlers, and the oval-dominated interior? What rating do the VW-parts in an Audi get? Negative score?

[@iainclark4835]

You want the 350 or the 500 different animals to the 280. Also should be in the cabriolet....much classier and MUCH better styling............

[@monk3yboy69]

I have a 350 sport cabriolet. It’s a great car for touring around Europe

[@revinot]

I disagree; I think the coupes are the better looking cars, esp with all the windows down. Each to their own.

[@bonniedrasco8166]

This is just a negative review, you’re looking at all the completely wrong things in this car, sorry not sure what you thought you were going to be driving

[@droge192]

Absolutely - CLKs (a little like SLKs) have never been sports cars. It's a different proposition all together. Sporty looks but the drive is about comfort and refinement.

[@Gavin-oq5tt]

A good car, but maybe not a “drivers” car…

[@inCARnationAustralia]

Agreed.

[@svengali0]

More energy. You and your 'permitting' colleague are age affected. You are a bit older than I, and I too am tired of the boy-racers and various instantiations of that clan. But you are relaxing to the point of induced narcolepsy. I do like the relaxed approach and I actually detest wankers and the like. In order to make a splash, make noise. In order to satisfy a readership or audience, give them what they expect plus some minor unexpected noise. If your market is comfortable old judgy men, then you have hit the target no question. Like old Peugeot owners, this target audience is stodgy and tediously querulous. I'm not suggesting any 'Mr Cadogan', whom revels in his magnificence (but is still barely watchable). Rather, you will need to decisively carve out your presence. Stupid shit like comparing hero GM or Ford products against actual performance and racers. Controversy is your friend, friend...if you wish to make money on YT.. You don't really need a clin psych like me to tell you what to do, but you do need feedback about ineffective strategy. Still, keep up the good work. Personally I can see the value in what you do, no question. Just...less personality, more action/evidence. Apply effort, state controversy. A well built CLK is not a controversial figure unless compared against some sort of counterpart.

[@grumpystu]

A most eloquent rant Mister Brell and on the money I suspect. We've been a bit surprised. We thought our market was stodgy old Peugeot owner (nicely put but ouch) like ourselves (actually I came close but it's the one brand I've not actually ever owned. "Pristine" interstate Pug 505 purchase turned out to be a stat.write-off in my state).. sorry.. I diverge again. KZbin tells me most of our viewers are under 35, which has been quite a shock but not an unpleasant one. Yes, I agree with more energy, controversy, genuine differing viewpoints, comparisons with competitors, particularly with regard to driveability, ride, handling, performance. It has been a surprise finding out what interests our viewers. We thought it would be old classics like the little 1970s Alfa Romeo we're doing shortly, but no - cars like the i20N I'm driving today seem to resonate more with our viewers. Overall we have to make sure we do actually keep playing to our strengths - which I guess is mainly on the twisty stuff - finding a car's weaknesses, compromises, and not just gush about them. And make our videos shorter. Cut cut cut. Thanks for your input. Next time we're having our milk-shakes, I'll change Mark's medications when he's not looking and slip in some Adderall instead of his Temazepan. That should do the trick.