It has long been Mercedes-Benz tradition to offer ‘poor man’s versions’ of its flagship roadsters. In 1955, for instance, you could buy a 190SL that looked very much like the 300SL we all know today for its famous gullwing doors, for a little more than half the price. At the time, it was a little less than half the car.
The second generation SLK that came out in 2004, in case you didn’t know, was styled on the McLaren SLR supercar of the same year. And even now, with this brand new third-generation SLK, Mercedes has sculpted it to look like a miniature SLS AMG.
I understand that most of us can’t afford R2-million-plus cars such as the SLS and there are enough people out there who feel no shame in owning poor man’s versions for a lot less. But still, this SLK 350 on test here is by no means cheap at R738 000 before options. Would it be too much to ask for an SLK with an identity of its own? Ah well, tradition is good, especially when it’s as old as this.
Underneath the copycat skin, this is the most advanced SLK to date. Mercedes gave it an aluminium bonnet and fenders to keep weight down, there’s an optional glass roof that uses Maybach technology to turn from transparent to opaque at the push of a button, and the stability-control system is linked to torque-vectoring brakes to help it hold a corner better.
The first thing I noticed is how comfortable the ride is, especially compared to rivals such as BMW’s Z4 and the Nissan 370Z. This probably had a lot to do with our test car’s standard 17” rims and standard suspension. For another R4500 you can fit your SLK with cooler looking, and probably a lot less forgiving, 18” alloys or for another R32 000 you can get an AMG Sports Package that includes the bigger rims, stiffer springs and shocks, bigger brakes and a whole lot of AMG accessories in the cabin.
The standard 17 inchers are also staggered with wider and taller tyres at the back than the front, which give the car a rakish look when viewed from the side, but more importantly the high-profile rubber offers good cushioning on bumpy roads.
There’s also a proper spare wheel tucked away in the boot, making this a very Africa-friendly roadster. Other cars in this category come with ultra low-profile tyres as the only option, and only puncture repair kits to deal with emergencies.
In standard trim, the SLK 350 handled our test track pretty well, with good lateral grip when leant on hard from side to side but the car does feel a tad heavy when really pushed to the limit. It eventually washes out with understeer if you try to accelerate through a corner, but again, another R12 500 option might help. Pay that and you get a dynamic handling package that includes speed-sensitive steering, variable-shock settings and the aforementioned torque-vectoring brakes that grab an inside rear wheel to make the car pivot on its axis better in bends.
For an open-top car the chassis is also reassuringly rigid, with very little scuttle shake, but I suspect the 18” option might send more vibration up through the body.
The motorised hard-top roof is very impressive in the way it insulates the interior and, when up, you’d think it’s a full-on coupé (in fact, I’ve heard rumours of road testers at other publications who never knew the top came down at all). It’s also fairly simple mechanically, which means it opens and closes pretty quickly via a hidden switch in the centre console. The ‘Magic Sky Control’ technology I mentioned earlier, that sees it change instantly from clear glass to solid black is - you guessed it - a R16 000 option.
The naturally-aspirated 3.5-litre V6 in the SLK 350 is good for 225kW and 370Nm, and I was impressed with its punchy response.
Actually, throttle inputs are almost too sensitive, and little flicks of the gas pedal sometimes translate into huge bursts of power especially at low speeds.
With our satellite-based test equipment strapped in, the Merc did a best 0-100km/h time of 7.3 seconds which is way off the claimed 5.6 but I think Gauteng altitude and thin air are probably responsible for at least a second. I was also surprised at how vocal the V6 is, especially at high revs.
A couple of quality issues that I’m sure Mercedes would sort out under warranty, included a loose exhaust heat shield that rattled underneath the car when it was started in the morning, and some grease from somewhere inside the passenger door that was continuously wiped up and down the outside of the window, leaving ugly smear marks.
VERDICT
I think I would prefer an SLK with its own roadster identity, rather than a caricature of something much more expensive, but that’s just me. There’s absolutely no compromise on comfort, which is often the case in this category of car, but it is somewhat lacking in ultimate performance. Some optional extras might help a little, but a fully-kitted SLK will cost a very expensive R800 000. Other roadsters available today would offer more enthusiastic drives for less money.