2000 Mercedes-Benz CLK 230 Kompressor review from UK and Ireland

One of the most reliable cars we've ever owned - up until 2 weeks ago.

On delivery, driver's door very slightly out of alignment.

Also, driver's door window wouldn't automatically reseal itself when you closed the door. A fixed was arranged at 1st inspection.

Engine management warning light came on around 20,000 miles. No fault detected by the dealer. A sensor was replaced under warranty. Same again at 65,000 miles. A sensor was replaced again this time the cost was around £50 including fitting.

Engine management light came on again at 85,000 miles while we were in France. Bring in it when you get back, the dealer advised. Diagnosed as a loose vacuum hose, fault light cleared while I waited. No charge. Following day and every day after ESP warning light illuminated. The fault takes up to 20 minutes to clear and car cannot be driven any distance while fault is showing. Still not corrected after 4 visits to dealer including overnight and 4 day stays. Currently diagnosed as a faulty control unit (£450 plus fitting, etc. quoted). Dealer says they've never seen this before. We await the result.

Excellent car - up until 85,000 miles. My wife's car from new.

The car looks good (better proportioned than the current model) and the design has lasted well and has plenty of presence without shouting at you.

Handling wise, it's no sports car in the Elegance trim, but it's very quick with stacks of torque at low revs to shove you out of bends.

The car is very comfortable both front and back. It's our favourite touring car for long journeys and the children who are just entering their teens never complain about comfort in the back. Tyre noise on certain poor surfaces is our only gripe.

It very economical, for example 4 up with the boot loaded with luggage and wine the car average 35+ mpg on an 800 mile dash across France. The car will routinely return 32 mpg in normal use.

My wife gets around 16,000 miles between services (inspections) and apart from the faults above and tyres we've spent on nothing unexpected apart from routine services. One of the cheapest cars of the 40 we've owned!

Dealer service is a bit indifferent compared to her previous BMW. It got better after we changed dealers, but still not up to standard you would expect.