MERCEDES SLK Review

The SLK is a very enjoyable car, bringing you all kind of positive feelings and emotions, but we wouldn’t recommend it for long trips, at least not in the configuration we tested.

The premium level of the interior’s fit and finish makes you feel good from the first moment you enter the car. The beefy V6 engine reinforces that once you set off and the sky above has the same effect.

However, the soundproofing is below what we were expecting, neither with the roof down nor in coupe configuration. Mercedes has hidden two visors behind the seats, claiming that these should stop air from going berserk inside the cabin.

Well, they don’t. Once the roof is up, you have to remember the relationship between distance, speed and time (the first equals the second, multiple by the last one), replacing the first with your peace of mind.

We’ve reached the point where we have to expose a true comfort murder: the optional adaptive suspension. You can feel the difference between the “comfort” and the “sport” setups, but both seem to be huge Busta Rhymes (read: “Break Ya Neck”) fans.

Very rare do you get to experience a car with a suspension as stiff as this one. Unless you live on certain racetracks (no, not the ‘Ring, the suspension would be to hard for it), don’t tick this option box. The 18-inch rims didn’t do much to help, but they’re certainly not the issue here.

The vehicle tries to save the day by offering a set of decently comfortable seats, the optional Airscarf system and an automatic gearbox.

Early next year, the streets will meet the SLK55 AMG, a beast that promises to rip the tarmac apart and also put half of its V8’s cylinders to sleep when they’re not needed. Until then, the hottest way (the only way, if you live in the US) to say SLK, is “350”.

The SLK 350 we tested is powered by a fresh 3,498cc V6 unit. We are talking about naturally-aspirated powerplant that uses direct injection and allows the driver to play with 306 hp, which arrive at 6.500 rpm and 273 lb-ft (370 Nm) of torque, which say “hello” at 3,500 rpm.

The unit vows to increase efficiency by around 20 percent and it relies on solutions like direct injection, a 60 degree angle between the banks of cylinders (this allows the primary balance shaft to be eliminated), low-consumption auxiliary units, multi-spark ignition, as well as aluminum pistons, cylinder heads and crankcase.

In addition to that, there’s also a start-stop system, which you can disengage using a button on the center console. Given the sporty nature of the car, you can imagine what our choice was.

Unfortunately, our test car had “Vegas Marriage” written all over it, as the aforementioned engine, which is a lovely piece of engineering, had been wedded to the optional 7G-Tronic automatic transmission, which is a definition of lazy bones gears.

The car we played with had also been fitted with the optional dynamic driving package, which included active dampers, an electronic “torque vectoring” system that relies on individual braking to keep the car on track, as well as a more direct steering.

We have to tell you that the adaptive suspension, is nothing short of an executioner. However, before we start explaining ,we have to mention that the AMG package our test car was fitted with also brought it 10mm closer to the road.

A little button on the dashboard allowed you to choose between dislocation and fracture modes. The suspension was a huge fan of hip-hop, with its favourites being Busta Rhymes (Break Ya Neck), and, when it hit irregularities in the road, House of Pain (Jump Around), with the latter even making the car feel unsafe for a few moments.

Ever wondered how it feels to wish for a mechanical toy for Christmas, receive it and only open the package to find out that it doesn’t work? Well, this situation perfecty describes the SLK 350’s brakes, both in terms of stopping power and fading resistance.

As for the goodies the car offered, we’ll mention stuff like the adaptive Bi-Xenon headlights, the rain sensor and the Airscarf system.

Before a car exits the factory, it is allowed to spend some time alone in the carmaker’s kitchen. Well, the SLK we tested was incredibly greedy. Joy, oh, joy. This means that, once you enter the car, you have quite some toys to play with.

As we are obsessed with the tech side of the automotive deal, we'll start with the goodies that are dedicated to it. You can play with the gearshift paddles hidden behind the wheel, as well as with the button that controls the adaptive suspension.

However, the main toy is the APS Multimedia system, which doesn’t offer a touch screen, but can be used for multiple purposes, such as the navigation, which is pretty good, as well as the entertainment part.

Scarfs have become a must-have, so the fashionable SLK had to have one – introduced on the second generation of the car, the Airscarf system was also present here.

The two seats are a set of toys themselves, as they were covered in two-tone Designo leather, electric-powered and heated (unfortunately, not ventilated).

The list of optional features also includes items like a tire pressure monitoring system, a dual zone climate control system, auto-dimming rearview mirrors, a system that automatically recognizes a child seat and others.

Of course, the list of standard features for the SLK 350 also helps, brining things like an auxiliary “entrance” for the audio system and multifunctional Nappa leather finished steering wheel.

However, the most important toy is hidden underneath a leather-finish cover, just in front on the center armrest: the button that operates the roof.

The SLK is a student that hasn’t taken his exams yet. Neither the Euro NCAP, nor the IIHS or the NHTSA bothered to see how this car responds to an official obstacle impact so far. This leaves us with the job of telling you just how safe this car feels. Each time when we set off to test a car, we vow to give you al the possible details, but this time we have to make an exception, as we chose not the test the passive safety.

So, as far as the active safety part goes, things should be fine. Even though we tested the SLK 350, which allowed us to hit the road with over 300 hp, the vehicle’s optional adaptive suspension teamed-up up with the ESP and, together, they managed to keep things together. We’re talking about a vehicle that wears the three-pointed star on its bonnet, so even when you try to put the ESP to sleep, it won’t go away completely.

However, the brakes, even though they rely on beefier components than those used on versions fitted with smaller engines, did bring a few red lines on this chapter’s homework, as they offered less than we expected from a car like this.

Moving on to the list of safety features, we’ll tell you that the car offers acceleration Skid Control (ASR), Adaptive Brake that includes a hold function, braking assistance, four airbags, as well as other “on the house” systems, such as ABS.

In addition to that, a dive in the list of optional extras brought our test car safety features such as LED daytime running lights, a tire pressure warning system, a cornering light, intelligent Bi-Xenon headlights, a standard spare wheel (instead of the Tirefit kit), LED rear taillights, as well as auto-dimming rear mirrors.

The SLK has the kind of personality for which 1+2 equals exactly three. In other words, SLK The Third is an evolution of the previous generations, focusing on the same assets and upping the ante on these fronts.

So, what does this mean? You get smart looks – the SLK now tries to impersonate a robot and the AMG package makes it an impressive looking piece of machinery. You receive an efficient engine that lets you cruise without feeling guilty.  You get an interior that makes you write “premium” in the bubble speech that rises through the open top once you get in and fold the roof. In the 350 version, you get enough muscle to please the bad boy inside of you and the efficiency is pretty good too.

But the weather in the SLK isn’t always sunny. First of all, the brakes let you down, whether you want to freeze things or just try to lose some speed multiple times in a row. The handling is satysfying, but you’ll never be able to become a link in the chain. However, this lack of a “driver’s car” aura hasn’t been a problem for the SLK’s target audience so far.

The SLK is a good car. What it needs to become an excellent one is a bit of soul. Something to make you feel special. Yes, special, not premium, not fast, not the center of attention, but special.

If you want to play this instrument the way it’s meant to be played, it’s best to perform in the city. Here’s where the toy-like nature of this car can really be exploited. You see, the SLK makes the most sense when you use it like an instrument of play.

However, the thing that really scares you is the price. Actually, the price’s structure. The vehicle we tested, which was a heavily-loaded 350 version (the beefiest non-AMG engine) had a sticker price of almost EUR 80,000. But this is the part that you could’ve expected. What wasn’t so predictable, is the fact that we were driving EUR44,000 of car and over EUR35,000 of optional extras.