An accomplished coupe-convertible
Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France - Introduced in 1996, the SLK roadster allowed German luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz to expand its presence in a market segment it went away from in the mid-sixties. The ancestor of the SLK, called the 190 SL, was produced from 1955 to 1963.
The success of this low-scale model is undeniable. Since coming to market, over half a million SLKs have been sold. Right now, annual sales volumes in Canada reach almost 1,000 units. That's pretty significant considering how much of a "niche" vehicle the SLK is: a two-seat roadster ranging from 225 to 350 horsepower and retailing for more than $60,000. Competition is limited to the Audi TT Roadster, BMW Z4, Porsche Boxster, Nissan 350Z Roadster, Honda S2000 and, to some extent, the Pontiac Solstice GXP and Saturn Sky Red Line. This segment accounts for about 5,000 units a year in the country.
The SLK is somewhat different than the others : it's the only true coupe-convertible of the bunch. Its retractable hardtop turns this wind-in-the-hair sports convertible into a perfectly sealed and secure two-door coupe during the cold season... if you dare to drive your SLK in the slush, of course.
Mercedes is not the inventor of coupes-convertibles. Peugeot is, having launched the 401 Éclipse in 1934. Ford later borrowed the recipe with the Fairlane 500 Skyliner (1957-59), selling over 50,000 units.
A modern coupe-convertible
The SLK, however, is responsible for pioneering the modern era of coupes-convertibles thanks to innovative, reliable and effective technology. The early systems developed by Peugeot and Ford were complex and prone to frequent failures. Furthermore, in both cases, once the top was folded, trunk space had all but disappeared. Ford's was extremely slow, taking nearly a full minute to completely retract.
Today, only 22 seconds (10 more than the Mazda MX-5 PRHT) are necessary to set the ingenious Vario-Roof folding metal hardtop in motion and hide it away in the trunk, where it occupies 92 of the 300 liters of available space. That means 208 liters left for loading your luggage. The MX-5 PRHT might be less powerful (166 hp) and less refined, but at least the folded hardtop has no impact whatsoever on trunk space.
Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France - Introduced in 1996, the SLK roadster allowed German luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz to expand its presence in a market segment it went away from in the mid-sixties. The ancestor of the SLK, called the 190 SL, was produced from 1955 to 1963.
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| The SLK benefited from a complete overhaul for 2005. |
The success of this low-scale model is undeniable. Since coming to market, over half a million SLKs have been sold. Right now, annual sales volumes in Canada reach almost 1,000 units. That's pretty significant considering how much of a "niche" vehicle the SLK is: a two-seat roadster ranging from 225 to 350 horsepower and retailing for more than $60,000. Competition is limited to the Audi TT Roadster, BMW Z4, Porsche Boxster, Nissan 350Z Roadster, Honda S2000 and, to some extent, the Pontiac Solstice GXP and Saturn Sky Red Line. This segment accounts for about 5,000 units a year in the country.
The SLK is somewhat different than the others : it's the only true coupe-convertible of the bunch. Its retractable hardtop turns this wind-in-the-hair sports convertible into a perfectly sealed and secure two-door coupe during the cold season... if you dare to drive your SLK in the slush, of course.
Mercedes is not the inventor of coupes-convertibles. Peugeot is, having launched the 401 Éclipse in 1934. Ford later borrowed the recipe with the Fairlane 500 Skyliner (1957-59), selling over 50,000 units.
A modern coupe-convertible
The SLK, however, is responsible for pioneering the modern era of coupes-convertibles thanks to innovative, reliable and effective technology. The early systems developed by Peugeot and Ford were complex and prone to frequent failures. Furthermore, in both cases, once the top was folded, trunk space had all but disappeared. Ford's was extremely slow, taking nearly a full minute to completely retract.
Today, only 22 seconds (10 more than the Mazda MX-5 PRHT) are necessary to set the ingenious Vario-Roof folding metal hardtop in motion and hide it away in the trunk, where it occupies 92 of the 300 liters of available space. That means 208 liters left for loading your luggage. The MX-5 PRHT might be less powerful (166 hp) and less refined, but at least the folded hardtop has no impact whatsoever on trunk space.
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| Retractable hardtop convertibles are usually a good compromise. |