Lexus SC430 vs. Mercedes-Benz CLK430 - Comparison Tests - Car and Driver (blog)
We've been meaning to get these two squared off since the Lexus SC430 made its debut just over a year ago, and a quick scan of the stats will tell you why: Rarely do we encounter two combatants that seem so equally matched. Pricing for the fresh-air versions of the Jag and Porsche starts well north of our two testers—$76,024 for the former, $79,516 for the latter. The as-tested price for the SC430 was $61,661. the CLK430 cost $61,398. So the XK8 and the 911 sat on the sideline. Although Mercedes was finally able to produce a proper test car—it turned out to be the only CLK430 cabrio in its U. S. fleet—the car was parked in Atlanta, rather than in California, where we'd hoped to have a livelier selection of roads. And as we were making our plans, including scheduling a suitable test track, Atlanta was being pelted with sleet, snow, and other wintry stuff—not the right sort of meteorology for testing or wind-in-the-hair motoring. Everyone knows Florida provides winter temperatures conducive to top-down cruising, but assessed as a place to drive, the roads are about as interesting as a first-hour introduction-to-statistics lecture class. Sort of like driving across Kansas, but without the elevation changes. As our man Bedard observes, "It's an excellent place to check out on-center steering feel. " (To be fair, you also get to check steering feel just off-center, during lane changes and passing. Source: www.caranddriver.com
