Mercedes-Benz CLK320 Vs. Honda Accord V-6

Sport coupes compose the most mercurial segment in the automotive market. Usually, the latest model is fashionable for a year or two, then sales fall off faster than the recent NASDAQ prices.

Two rare exceptions to this rule have been the Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class and the Honda Accord coupe, cars from manufacturers known for engineering and marketing savvy and for their ability to build reliable, long-lasting products.

For '03, the CLK and Accord have undergone major remodels, so the style clock is ticking away fashionable minutes anew. Both cars have all-new sheetmetal and interiors on revised versions of their previous models' platforms.

Of course, you can buy two loaded Honda Accord EX V-6 coupes for about $3000 more than a comparably equipped Mercedes CLK320. A fair comparison? Or not?

The first-generation CLK was part of Mercedes' march toward a fashionable, sporty attitude. Now, the company is subtly polishing this newfound sweet spot in the automotive landscape. The '03 CLK feels more mature and better finished than its forebear, although it's still built to a price point lower than most Mercedes models.

Honda introduced its first Accord coupe in 1987, and that car eventually replaced the Accord hatchback. For '03, Honda has injected a healthy dose of elegance into the Accord, with plusher materials and more features in high-trim models. The Accord coupe is a reasonable compromise; it's a sporty replacement for both the last-generation Accord coupe and the very last Prelude. It has an excellent driver's seat, with high-g bolsters, but the back seat is an afterthought, roomy for a coupe, but with hard plastic armrests and few amenities.

Mercedes says its CLK is sportier than the car it replaces, but, like the Accord, it's based on the company's smallest three-box sedan, the C-Class. While the lines below the greenhouse are sleeker than the outgoing CLK's, the coupe's tallish, upright greenhouse detracts from that sporting attitude. Still, it's way pretty. The CLK is to the German coupe paradigm--BMW's 3 Series--what the Accord coupe is to the expired Prelude.