Apart from its stunning styling this latest SLK200 K has a new engine — a 1,8 litre supercharged four-cylinder unit instead of the previous two litre offering. Power remains the same, at 120 kW, while torque has been upped to by about 8% to 240 Nm. The SLK’s performance — particularly in the auto version we had on test — isn’t going to set the world alight like the C55 AMG does, but then again, it’s far from being a dog. Top speed is around 230 km/hr, and the little car will take you to 100km/hr within nine seconds of takeoff.
Convertibles very often lose their allure once the novelty’s worn off — the noise and wind factors soon become tiresome with the roof down, and a soft top is pretty noisy when raised. The Mercedes Vario-roof tin-top however is an absolute pleasure. Moving the knob on the centre console backwards or forwards results in the roof erecting itself or stowing itself away in the boot in well under half a minute. As a bonus, the boot still offers a fair amount of luggage space when the roof is down. A further brilliant touch is the new Airscarf — neck-level streams of warm air ducted via vents in the headrests. With this and electrically heated seats there’s no need to feel the cold at all.
The interior of the SLK is largely black leather, with matte silver panels here and there giving it an air of classical simplicity. The driving position can be tailored to suit every size and shape of driver imaginable, thanks to the electrically adjustable steering column and the abundance of seat adjustment available fore and aft.
The second-generation Mercedes-Benz SLK 200 K is a brilliant little car. I drove the test car up to Johannesburg and back and fell deeply in love with it within the first 50km. It handles very well, stops on a tickey, performs better than you’d expect from a mild-mannered 1,8 litre engine and is supremely comfortable. And it’s superbly built. At R397 000 (R385 000 with manual transmission) it’s worth every penny.