If you want a Mercedes-Benz these days you might find the company catalogue is rather like a phone book.

The once-compact list of models now spans 17 ranges and many hundreds of vehicles. They cost from as little as £13,770 to more than £100,000.

You can choose from compact city cars like the A-Class through to some of the most exotic sports models on the road like the SL.

In between, you'll find a stunning array of sports, 4x4s, saloons coupes and cabriolets, many of which have taken the company into new territory.

Crucially, they've managed to expand the range without really damaging the brand which remains one of the most desirable on the road. Ask any lottery winner and I'll wager a hefty chunk of them will ask for directions to their nearest Merc dealer.

The CLK remains at the heart of the range. With prices starting just under £30,000, it claims to offer a lot of car for a relatively affordable price. You get the prestige of Mercedes-Benz and a car which is both attractive and very, very capable.

And it has the added bonus of being what a Mercedes aficionado might call a proper Merc.

This particular model is a hefty 3.0 litre V6 with plenty of power available incredibly smoothly but CLK customers can choose from an array of petrol and diesel engines from the relatively modest to positively energetic. From this summer Mercedes-Benz launched the CLK 500 cabriolet models with 5.5 litre V8 petrol engines which manage 60mph in 5.2 seconds. The price: £51,090.

Back to the test model, though, which is probably the pick of the range with a neat pitch between sensible running costs, refinement and sportiness.

For style, the curving roof, twin headlights and shapely rear give it the edge over other coupes. The CLK also has side windows which can be lowered to reveal a stylish pillar-less profile. With all four windows down, the CLK is a beautiful car and is surprisingly draft-free. Standard equipment is impressive with all models coming with automatic climate control, four powered windows, four seatbelt pretensioners, rain-sensing windscreen wipers and a cruise-control system.

It's a terrific package. For out and out sportiness, there are one or two models which perhaps have the edge - BMW's 3 Series Coupe, springs to mind - but nothing quite blends luxury, style and sportiness in such an effective way.

  • The CLK-Class models are the latest in a long line of four-seater coupes and cabriolets which stretch back to the Ponton cabriolet of 1956, although the most iconic were probably the 111 and 112 series from the 1960s.
PRICE: £40,525.

ENGINE: A 3.0 litre V6 unit generating 272bhp.

PERFORMANCE: Top speed 155mph and 0 to 60mph in 7.4 seconds.

COSTS: Urban 19.3mpg; extra urban 38.2mpg; combined 28.2mog.

EMISSIONS: 237g/km.

WARRANTY: Three years.

INSURANCE: Group 16.

All T&A road test vehicles are independently selected and assessments are carried out impartially by members of our own staff who base their opinions only on the vehicle supplied for these purposes by the manufacturer.