The Mercedes-Benz CLK is beautiful, no arguing that, and its beauty lies in its symmetry and balance. The CLK looks forceful, but also elegant and sophisticated, and it blends form and function nicely. Under the rear half of its sweeping roofline is a back seat with room for two adults, not the parcel shelf that passes for a seat in some high-end coupes.

The CLK is a fairly compact car, based on a lengthened version of the same chassis used for the small Mercedes C-Class sedans. Yet the designers have successfully infused it with the presence and bearing of a much larger coupe like the big Mercedes CL.

The coupe aesthetic starts with the profile. The CLK dispenses with a center roof pillar, so the roof sweeps uninterrupted from the base of the windshield to the trunk lid. The rear windows lower completely below the sill, emphasizing the smooth, open flow, and the effect is enhanced by the absence of any visible antenna for the radio, telephone or navigation system. The CLK replaces a conventional steel trunk lid with a composite panel that allows the antennas to be imbedded the lid's structure.

The second, unmistakable coupe element is the CLK's front end. This Mercedes forgoes the traditional hood ornament in favor of a lower, much larger three-pointed star embedded in the wide, three-slat grille, which greets the world with just a hint of a sneer. On first impression, it seems the CLK has four headlights, but a closer look confirms a single ellipse-shaped cluster on each side. And there's more to the headlights than slick design. The optional bi-xenon lights swivel to point into curves and are equipped with high-pressure washing jets; they also change beam angle as the CLK moves up and down with road imperfections, keeping the high-intensity light below the sight line of the drivers in oncoming cars.

When its fabric top is closed, the CLK Cabriolet is nearly identical in silhouette to the coupe, with only a hint of a break in the roofline where it meets the trunk lid. The fabric top is fully lined and insulated, and opening or closing it is a one-button operation. Roughly 30 seconds after the driver hits the button, the top tucks neatly under a hard cover behind the rear seats. Rollover protection hoops are integrated in the rear-seat headrests, allowing the same clean look when the top is down. In the event of an imminent collision or rollover in the cabriolet, two roll bars deploy and lock in place within 0.3 seconds.

Details distinguish the CLK models. The CLK350 has neutral-tinted glass and gray vanes in its grille, while the CLK550 gets blue-tinted glass, high-gloss black vanes with chrome trim on the grille, and a short rear spoiler. The hotrod CLK63 AMG sports a front valance with three separate sections, mesh grillwork and flared rocker panels between the wheels.

The CLK350 and CLK550 come with 17-inch wheels, slightly wider with fatter tires in back, to create the staggered-wheel look of a race car. The wheels on the CLK350 are a light-alloy five-spoke design. Those on the CLK550 feature an AMG-styled monoblock design. The CLK63 AMG has 18-inch wheels in a highly polished double-spoke pattern with lower profile Z-rated tires.

What's New for 2007: The optional Sport Appearance Package for the CLK350 is easy to spot, thanks to unique 10-spoke aluminum wheels. This option includes a sports suspension that lowers the CLK slightly, and cross-drilled brake rotors that are visible through the wheels. The brake calipers are painted with Mercedes script.