40 - Friday, April 16. 1999 ~ North Shore News

NEW for the 1999 model year, the Mercedes-Benz CLK430 has a 275 horsepower 4.3-litre V8 engine, five-speed automatic transmission, leather upholstery, and stan-
dard anti-skid system. The CLK430 goes for $68,750.

TRADITIONALLY,
two-door luxury coupes
haven’t enjoyed the
same level of ponularity
as four-door sedans,

- but in the last few
years, there has been a
surprising surge in the
nuinber of new coupes
on the market, mostly
import models.

The popular BMW 3-
Series coupe had the market
much to itself since 1984, but
in 1996 it was joined by the
Acura 2.2CL/3.0 CL, in
1997 by the Volvo C70,
Mercedes-Benz CLK 320 and
the nomarket Jaguar XK8
coupe. And in 1998 by the
revised Saab 9-3 turbo.

This Spring, Audi will
introduce the new TT Coupe.

At the moment, Lexus and
Infiniti don’t have coupes

ered coupe fc

drive

(the SC400 was discontinued
a couple of years ago), but
I'm betting they'll get back
on the bandwagon.

Most of the above cars
have four-, five-, or six-cylin-
der engines, but only the
Jaguar XK8 and Mercedes-
Benz CLK430 have V8
engines. Since the XK8 costs
about $29,000 more than a
CLK450, it can’t really be
considered a competitor,

The CLK430 is based on
the CLK320, but has a 4.3-
litre V8 engine, the same one
used in the E430 sedan,

ML430 sport utility vehicle,
and $430 sedan. The new
engine offers a level of perfor-
mance — 0 ta 100 km/h in
6.3 seconds — that elevates
the CLK from comfortable
luxury coupe to German hot
rod.

Other differences between
the CLK320 and the
CLK430 are a sportier sus-
pension, larger-diameter
brake discs, low-profile 17-

Base price: $68,750

Type: two-door, four-passenger luxury coupe
Layout: longitudinal front engine/rear-

wheel-drive

Engine: 4.3-litre V8, SOHC X 2, 24 valves
Horsepower: 275 @ 5,750 r.p.m.

Torque: 295 @ 3,000 r.p.m.

Transmission: five-speed automatic
Curb weight: 1,525 kg (3,362 Ibs.)

inch tires and “monoblock”
5-spoke alloy wheels, and
standard ESP anti-skid sys-
tem.

Its more aggressive
appearance is accented by
additional lower bodyside
cladding designed by AMG (a
German performance tuner
now owned by Mercedes-
Benz).

With an MSRP of
$68,750, the CLK430 is

Technical Data
Length

about $10,000 more than the
six-cylinder CLK 320. For
that kind of money, you
should expect a superior level
of performance and luxury,
and the CLK430 delivers in
most areas — with some
exceptions.

The new V8 engine,
which has 275 horsepower,
provides a smooth, torquey
power progression that will
launch you back into your

: 4,577 mm (180.2 in.)
Width: 1,722 mm (67.8 in.)
Height: 1,371 mm (54.0 in.)

Trunk space: 318 litres

m.p.g.)

Wheelbase: 2,690 mm (105.9 in.)

Fuel consumption: City
(22 m.p.g.); Hwy — 8.8 1/100 km (32

— 12.8 1/100 km

Warranty: Basic ~~ four years/80,000 km;
Powertrain — five year/120,000 km warran-

§

FROM

The Saab 9-3 offers you performance in the broadest sense of the term.
For us at Saab, performance is more than simply having a powerful, free-
revving engine up front. Every detail which can sharpen your control
behind the wheel is related to perforinance. We've designed the Saab 9-3
to provide a close, intuitive link between driver, car and road — to
enhance your perception of all that is happening. You can drive more by
instinct, leaving you free to concentrate even more on the traffic.

r the wealthy

seat if you floor the electronic
throttle. There’s an abun-
dance of low-end torque, and
combined with ine standard
five-speed automatic transmis-
sion which adjusts shift points
according to your driving
style, the CLK430) has power
on demand for every type of
driving situation.

At speed, the engine is
very quiet, and the automatic
transmission shifts smoothly,
however I did experience
some “shift thunk” at low
speeds. Unlike its German
rival from Bavaria, the
CLK430 does not offer a
manual transmission.

Fuel consumption is rea-
sonable for a powerful V8
engine — 12.8 litres per 100
kilometres (22 m.p.g.) in the

. city and 8.8 litres per 100

kilometres (32 m.p.g.) on the
highway.

See Mercedes page 41

36 mas with
$6,116 Dn + taxes;
total paid $20,474

MORREY SATURN SAAB ISUZU 294-1831

4451 Lougheed Hwy at Willingdon, Burnaby

www. morreyautogroup.com