And Canadians fear not; you can enjoy your SLK 350 for a few extra weeks on either end of the summer season thanks to an optional retractable plexiglass system between the roll bars (to reduce the wind) and integrated neck-warmer vents (AIRSCARF system) in the seats. Bliss.
And those aren't the only cool interior features. Outfitted in slick red leather, my SLK 350 was truly dressed to the nines. Some two-seaters can feel quite cramped (go figure), but such was not the case in the SLK 350. The seats are comfortable for both long and short journeys and there's enough interior storage space to get by (with small pouches behind the seats, a middle stack storage bin and a large glovebox).
The trunk, of course, is a bit useless with the top down (as that's where it's stored) with only 225L of space available. With the top up, however, I can attest to the fact that a small 1 cu.-ft fridge fits quite nicely along with a few other bags of goodies (who says a convertible can't be a delivery car?).
Design-wise, the interior of the SLK 350 is spot-on. From the flat-bottom steering wheel to the red ambient lighting, there's something both race-inspired and sophisticated about this Merc's getup. And even though the onboard entertainment system is limited in its features (holy boring colours and screen Batman), it is easy to navigate thanks to the simplicity.
Let's step back for a moment and look at the Merc SLK 350 as a whole. For starters, it's a beefier looking two-seater. After hopping behind the wheel of the miniscule Mazda MX-5 GT just a few weeks before, the SLK 350 felt like a beached whale – at first. Then I threw it round a few corners.
This is not the most powerful Merc in the stables, far from it. But it definitely does the job at making any jaunt behind the wheel enjoyable. Tucked beneath that menacing front hood is a brand new, direct-injection 3.5L V6 that'll push you around with 302 hp and 273 lb.-ft of torque. Coupled with Mercedes-Benz's 7G-TRONIC PLUS 7-speed (are all the capital letters really necessary Mercedes? Just sayin'...), the ride is quite smooth and responsive.
As seems to be the trend across all cars nowadays, the rear-wheel drive SLK 350 offers a few different driving modes: E (economy), S (sport) and M (manual). There are also steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters for your own gear selections. In manual mode, the shifts are fairly fast, but in every other setting they're a bit sluggish and not as crisp as I would have hoped in this car.
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| The seats are comfortable for both long and short journeys. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com) |
And those aren't the only cool interior features. Outfitted in slick red leather, my SLK 350 was truly dressed to the nines. Some two-seaters can feel quite cramped (go figure), but such was not the case in the SLK 350. The seats are comfortable for both long and short journeys and there's enough interior storage space to get by (with small pouches behind the seats, a middle stack storage bin and a large glovebox).
The trunk, of course, is a bit useless with the top down (as that's where it's stored) with only 225L of space available. With the top up, however, I can attest to the fact that a small 1 cu.-ft fridge fits quite nicely along with a few other bags of goodies (who says a convertible can't be a delivery car?).
Design-wise, the interior of the SLK 350 is spot-on. From the flat-bottom steering wheel to the red ambient lighting, there's something both race-inspired and sophisticated about this Merc's getup. And even though the onboard entertainment system is limited in its features (holy boring colours and screen Batman), it is easy to navigate thanks to the simplicity.
Let's step back for a moment and look at the Merc SLK 350 as a whole. For starters, it's a beefier looking two-seater. After hopping behind the wheel of the miniscule Mazda MX-5 GT just a few weeks before, the SLK 350 felt like a beached whale – at first. Then I threw it round a few corners.
This is not the most powerful Merc in the stables, far from it. But it definitely does the job at making any jaunt behind the wheel enjoyable. Tucked beneath that menacing front hood is a brand new, direct-injection 3.5L V6 that'll push you around with 302 hp and 273 lb.-ft of torque. Coupled with Mercedes-Benz's 7G-TRONIC PLUS 7-speed (are all the capital letters really necessary Mercedes? Just sayin'...), the ride is quite smooth and responsive.
As seems to be the trend across all cars nowadays, the rear-wheel drive SLK 350 offers a few different driving modes: E (economy), S (sport) and M (manual). There are also steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters for your own gear selections. In manual mode, the shifts are fairly fast, but in every other setting they're a bit sluggish and not as crisp as I would have hoped in this car.
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| Tucked beneath that menacing front hood is a brand new, direct-injection 3.5L V6 that'll push you around with 302 hp and 273 lb.-ft of torque. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz) |