2000 Mercedes-Benz CLK 430 Road Trip
I took a 700 mile road trip in my 2000 Mercedes-Benz CLK and not even 102-degree temperatures and $5 a gallon gas could stop me.
I’ve owned my 2000 Mercedes-Benz CLK convertible for eight months. Until recently the farthest I’ve driven it was across town. But when an opportunity for a road trip to St. Louis presented itself I jumped at the chance.
The original plan was to make a weekend trip to St. Louis for the Train concert and do some sightseeing. That changed quickly when my daughter decided to check out some colleges and the tours were only in the middle of the week. My wife and I decided that she would take our daughter on Thursday for the campus tour and our son and I would drive over on Friday. I had just put new Continental Extremecontact DWS 06 tires on the CLK and figured we were good to go.
The Drive to St. Louis
The drive to St. Louis was uneventful. Running at 75 mph on a hot afternoon the temperature gauge held steady at about 90 degrees Celsius. The 4.3-liter V8 hummed quietly to itself at 2,500 RPM, happily drinking a gallon of premium fuel every 23 miles. By comparison, my previous car, a 2013 Ford Fusion with the 1.6 Ecoboost four-cylinder could break into the low 30s. Given that the CLK weighs about the same as the Fusion and makes twice the horsepower from an engine three times as large, I figured the 7 mpg difference isn’t bad. Other cars I’ve owned from that era have done worse.
The Mercedes-Benz CLK is also much more satisfying to drive. The Fusion’s steering felt light and lifeless like a Logitech racing wheel. The CLK’s steering is slightly heavy and lethargic around town but has a good mix of road feel and isolation. On the highway that lethargy disappears. It feels solid, tracking straight with little to no need for corrections. The car glides without feeling floaty. It loves long, sweeping high-speed curves. There are no vibrations or harsh jolts, just firm reassurance that says, “yeah, I got this.”
The only concern I had was the air conditioning. Maybe it’s too much to expect of a 22-year-old A/C. Maybe it was the black convertible top or the extreme temperatures coupled with the thick humidity. But on a cloudless 102-degree afternoon when the still air felt like hot soup it struggled to keep up. Even on the coldest setting, with the air set to recirculate the car only cooled down to about 80 degrees.
Around Town
St. Louis is about 250 miles from Kansas City and the drive takes about four hours depending on traffic and pitstops. We left just after 2:00 in the afternoon and pulled into Chuck Berry’s Blueberry Hill restaurant for dinner right at 6:00. Located on Delmar in the Loop, the restaurant is a tribute to Chuck Berry, one of the pioneers of Rock ‘n Roll. The legendary guitar player was born in St. Louis and lived in the area most of his life until he died in 2017. Occasionally he’d play concerts in the restaurant’s Duck Room. But today you have to settle for “Maybellene” and “Johnny B. Goode” on the jukebox.
The weekend included a trip to the St. Louis Gateway Arch, the Saturday night Train concert featuring Blues Traveler and Jewel, and a Sunday trip to the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site. St. Louis traffic is like East Cost traffic. Highway speed limits are more of a suggestion and it’s nothing to cut across three lanes of traffic at the last second to make an exit. Fortunately, the CLK has an ace in the form of 275 horsepower and 395 lb. feet of torque. I never get tired of opening up the M113 V8 and feeling the rush of power and had plenty of opportunities when merging or taking an onramp.
The Drive Home
It rained Sunday, cooling temperatures down into the low 80s and helping the A/C immensely. The Continental Extremecontact DWS 06 tires did an excellent job regardless of the pavement’s condition which ranged from damp to covered in water during a sudden deluge. As a car for road trips, the CLK is comfortable for two people but trunk space is limited because of the convertible top. A couple of soft bags and maybe one small suitcase will barely fit in the trunk. Fortunately, the useable back seat opens up a lot of possibilities.
Besides the small trunk and okay gas mileage, the only other drawback to the CLK is the convertible top makes the interior noticeably louder. It’s no worse than flying on a commercial jet. But here’s the thing, I bought a soft top V8 convertible and knew what I was getting myself into. Gas mileage, small trunk, and noise are tradeoffs I’ll gladly make for the joy of driving with the top down and the sound of that wonderful V8.
On our way home, we detoured to Moberly, Missouri to meet some old friends for dinner at a new Mexican restaurant. Reflecting on the trip, I thought about why I bought the CLK in the first place. I wanted a fast convertible grand tourer with a naturally aspirated V8, something to enjoy driving. But most importantly, I bought it for the experience, and to make memories. Few things are more enjoyable or memorable than spending time with friends and family – especially when it provides an opportunity to take a good road trip in a great car.
Photos: Mark Webb
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