Mercedes-Benz A208 CLK-Class v. 2011 E-Class

• 2011 Mercedes E-Class Cabriolet seems terribly complicated
• Remembering the original CLK-Class by Bruno Sacco
• Simpler times meant prettier cars

By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG Daimler, AG

LOOKING over the latest 2011 E-Class cabriolet photos,  I’m struck by the sheer complexity that the designers have imbued in a car that should really just project straight-forward fun-in-the-sun.

There are so many conflicting themes at work – it’s like the designers thought: alright we’ll start with a little 80s, then borrow from Bangle by torching it all with flame, add on every current design cliche that we can think of, and then throw on some phat rims!

To be sure, the new droptop’s got more presence than its softish A209 CLK predecessor, but Mercedes is still off its A-game.

Consider, if you will, the original, A208 CLK cabriolet, as a fine case in point. One of Bruno Sacco’s last hoorrahs, the CLK-Class was a buttoned down German following an hour in Margaritaville.

Those happy oval headlamps coupled with a front air dam that wrapped the front fascia with a smile, shook the starch out of the stodgy, but widely admired W124 E320 cabriolet.

For their part, the driving dynamics were strides ahead of its wooden predecessor – cowl shake, for instance, was drastically reduced thanks to increased torsional stiffness – plus Mercedes gave us an array of new engine options that extended to an AMG V8.

The CLK carried on tradition, however, in that Mercedes 2+2 drop tops previously featured the upright chrome  grille with tri star embem mounted on top. Would it have hurt Mercedes design to have offered this feature on the latest E-Class?

The CLK was a radical departure in its time, but now those soft corners, clean, purposeful lines and tight proportions seem just right.