More Is More; Mercedes launches a bigger, more sophisticated CLK, and pretty darned quickly, too.(Product Announcement)

This August the redone, 2003 Mercedes-Benz CLK arrives in U.S. showrooms. Seems kind of quick, no? The current CLK was introduced in Europe in June 1997 and came to our market in 1998. Today it still looks fresh and drives nicely. As seems to be the trend with automakers, at least German ones, the replacement car is bigger, faster and has more electronic driver ``aids.'' Not yet a trend, however, is an all-new car just in four years.

The 2003 CLK was unveiled to the public at the 2002 Geneva Motor Show (AW, March 18), though Mercedes' Maybach luxury behemoth overshadowed the Coupe's debut. Since the outgoing car sold more than 230,000 units (40 percent to new-to-the-marque customers, Mercedes says), the '03 version has plenty to live up to.

Designed and engineered in Sindelfingen, Germany, the '03 doesn't look radically different-the CLK remains instantly recognizable as a Benz. The changes are most noticeable up front, where the three-pointed star has been moved from the hood to the center of the grille (? la CL and SL, cars M-B calls the CLK's ``big brothers''), and the grille is lower and wider. You also might notice the new shape looks taller and a little stubbier, or more upright, than the old. Oh, and the new car's rear end looks almost Volvo-esque.

The next CLK looks a bit bigger because it is, in nearly every dimension. It is 2.7 inches longer overall and has an inch longer wheelbase. The car is three-quarters of an inch wider and 1.5 inches higher. Even with the bigger dimensions, Mercedes claims a 0.28 drag coefficient, which the company says is a record for a sports coupe-the old car had a Cd of 0.31. A bigger car usually means a heavier one, and at 4000-plus pounds for the 320, the CLK has a couple of hundred pounds on its predecessor.

Why bigger? Mercedes customers asked for more space inside. There is about an inch more headroom and kneeroom in the rear (the rear seatbacks split-fold to create a flat floor into the trunk), though six-footers still won't want to spend too much time back there.

Worldwide, seven engines will be available ranging in size from a fuel-sipping 2.0-liter four and a small diesel to the mighty, growling 5.0-liter V8. U.S. customers get a choice of just the 3.2-liter 215-hp V6 and the 302-hp 5.0. The V8 in the CLK55, coming early next year, will pump out 367 hp. The two U.S.-bound engines, both mated to a five-speed automatic transmission, meet ULEV requirements. There is no manual transmission available in the States.

The chassis is based on the current C-Class sedan (the old CLK was based on sort of a shrunken E-Class chassis). The three-link front suspension (with MacPherson struts) replaces the old CLK's double-wishbone arrangement. The multilink rear suspension lowers the back of the car about a half-inch. Stopping power comes from four-wheel discs with standard ABS, of course.