2005 Mercedes-Benz SLK Preview

From a visual perspective, M-B has spiced up the car's interior styling with trendy silver switchgear and cabin accents,

M-B has spiced up the car's interior styling with trendy silver switchgear and cabin accents, plus high quality materials. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz Canada)

designed to contrast against the darker-toned dash. Chronometer-style speedometer, fuel gauge, tachometer and clock give the new car an expensive ambiance, while the overall appearance of the interior is a major step ahead.The current SLK has been criticized for less than ideal quality plastics and questionable fit and finish, but no such complaints should be aired with regards to the new car. What's more, buyers can order their SLKs with one of six interior leather colors options, allowing a new level of personal preference.

Driver and passenger will be safer too, with new standard head/thorax side airbags, adaptive front airbags and dual-stage seatbelt force limiters. Less obvious, the SLK's unitized bodyshell uses a higher-strength steel alloy over 42 percent of the structure, resulting in a 46 percent increase in torsional rigidity plus a 19 percent increase in bending strength. In case of rollover, Mercedes has

First developed in the nano-technology industry, the new SLK features a scratch-resistant clearcoat paint finish. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz Canada)

integrated rollover bars behind the seats that combine with the reinforced A-pillars to act as a safety cage.

Another breakthrough technology that isn't noticeable, at least at first, is the SLK's new scratch-resistant clearcoat paint finish. First developed in the nano-technology industry, ceramic particles less than a millionth of a millimeter in size are integrated into the molecular structure of the paint bonding agent. During the drying process, the particles form a unified, dense pattern which increases scratch resistance up to three times over conventional paint coatings. The resale value of pre-owned SLK's will benefit from such attention, plus it will make it possible for buyers to purchase darker colors without the concern of hairline scratches.