clk 200 manual or auto ?

[shaungriff]

hi, thinking of buying a clk 200 (non kompressor) around 1998/1999 year. which is best.. manual or auto in terms of nicest to drive, economy, reliability etc ? thanks shaun

 

[BlackC55]

Auto all the way.

Please don't buy a non Kompressor CLK. They are gutless.

 

[television]

As Black C55 above, he knows the cars so well

 

[shaungriff]

thanks for replies.... so are the clk 320 much heavier on fuel ? shaun

 

[drivinggod09]

the 320 and 230 are much the same on fuel and theres not much in them performance difference about a second 0-60 i think but always buy the auto

 

[shaungriff]

ok thanks, just been on parkers guide... says the clk200 non komp does 129 mph & 0-60 in bout 10.6 seconds.. roughly same as my last car.. a c250td estate & i wouldn't have called that gutless... well it was til the turbo kicked in ! shaun

 

[PaulMdx]

I would say go for the auto. Firstly they are easier to get hold of, and secondly owning a Merc is all about a comfortable relaxed drive (IMHO).

In relation to engine size.. I have a 230K SLK, and I would recommend a larger engine in that, let alone a (I assume heavier) CLK. I've read on this forum that larger engine Mercs can actually be MORE efficient than smaller due to the stress on the engine relative to the weight of the car. I would seriously recommend researching engine size, mpg and insurance cost. Personally I wish I'd have gone for a SLK 320 non-K.

 

[jberks]

it will feel gutless in comparison. The 10 secs your 250 takes is 3 seconds of nothing followed by 7 seconds of all hell breaking loose. That's the thing about turbo diesels. Whilst they're not that quick overall, that's due to the lag, when they are on power, there isn't much that will stay with them. A petrol doesn't have the lag so can afford to be a lot less powerful overall.
Oddly, to me the latest 320cdi doesn't feel as quick as the old one, despite being a lot faster overall. The power delivery is more linear like a petrol, so there's no slap in the back like the old il6 had. I drove a new 250 C class diesel a few years ago and that had a similar all or nothing character. Great fun.

Oh - and auto - always.

 

[shaungriff]

thanks for replies.... yes i'm used to turbo diesels so maybe i should stay away from petrols. i know what you mean about the latest diesels havin power like a petrol... i recently drove a cls 320cdi on a 07 plate... it was nice but didn't have that thump in the back i'm used to from the older turbo diesels. shaun

 

[GMK]

Would recommend auto every time. Even with the Komp, the 200 is underpowered due to the weight of the car. Fuel consumption on my SL320 is within 3 mpg of my CLK200K (similar weights) when doing motorway commuting, so I would certainly recommend the 320 petrol in the CLK

 

[David Nock]

Don't forget you need to be Fred Astaire to work the 4 pedals of a Merc manual on a hill start. (been there, done that, not nice).

 

[st4]

Auto gets my vote. Mercedes Benz makes the best automatic transmissions in the world, but certainly not the best manuals. It would be a shame to miss out on that.