2001 Mercedes-Benz CLK 320 Avantgarde from UK and Ireland - Comments

This is one of the best cars I have driven for comfort and performance.

I would highly recommend the 320 over the 230 Kompressor.

On paper the power and torque of the CLK 230K is close to the CLK 320. Why do you highly recommend the CLK 320 in comparison?

Because compared to V6's Turbo cars are high maintenance cars.

Sorry, a Kompressor is not a turbo, it is a supercharger. And, the 3.2 Daimler Benz engine is just straight, pure kinetic energy vs. supercharging a 2.3 litre engine which you are actually creating extra potential energy which is converted to kinetic energy - so you feel the stress as you accelerate.

I was on the Neurburgring circuit for an a.m. last week in my 186,000 km 1997 CLK 320. All the way from the Austrian border to past Frankfurt, I averaged 220 km/hr and when I paid and got onto the circuit I was drifting on the hairpins with my 1997 factory shocks and 16 inch rims and snow tires. If I converted to DTM standards, this car will kick the derriere of those M5 taxis any day. Yeah, I love my 320 and sneer at the Kompressor 230.

I converted the body of my 1997 CLK 320 to look like the 2001 AMG CL 55. The body tuning begins with a metal Mercedes logo worked into the front grille (got it off a salvage MB truck), and taking off the hood ornament and putting on a flat logo (got it off my wife's SLK and I got her a new one from the dealer).

Next, I converted the side rear view mirrors by adding signal lights using an after-market kit. I replaced the 16 inch rims with 18 inch AMG rims and low profile tires (this was the most expensive bit, but I got an AMG sticker out of it and legitimately claim at least some AMG aspects).

Next I had my exhaust pipe converted to a Y-joint and got a 2nd chrome cover on the second pipe (had to slice off a concave portion in the rear bumper). This actually messed up my 3.2 litre's performance, but what the heck, it looks like an old AMG CL now!