![]() It wasn’t too long ago that the list of Mercedes buyers looked a lot like the AARP’s membership list. The following review ran on December 7, 1998. I finally got there by going in reverse at an angle. You can either go to the beach OR put the top down, but you can’t do both unless you can somehow fit all of the necessary accouterments inside the car.Īt the camp grounds, I decided to test out the traction control by trying to climb a wet, muddy hill to get to our parking place. On the flip side, we couldn’t put the top down because of all of the cargo in the trunk, which my biggest problem with hardtop convertibles. I offered to drive one of my classmates, and we were able to store all of our camping gear in the tiny 3.7 cubic-foot trunk, which goes to show you that shape is at least as important as actual volume numbers when it comes to cargo stowage. I was also taking a Kung Fu class in the evenings at the time, and the instructor sponsored a camping trip to a site about half-an-hour outside of D.C. I don’t remember it being particular good or bad, which is probably why I didn’t bother to leave my impressions of it below. A lot of reviews at the time criticized it as being rubbery, especially in comparison to the slick units in the Miata, Boxster and Z3. The main reason this SLK was in the press fleet was because Mercedes was pushing the new 5-speed manual that now came standard. A small light indicates when the system has been successfully defeated.Another in a series of my reviews that appeared in the online version of African Americans On Wheels, a now defunct automotive magazine that was included as an insert in the Sunday newspapers of major cities. One very cool feature is the nifty BabySmart childseat recognition system that automatically deactivates the passenger-side airbags when a special seat is used. We considered the seatbelts hard to reach, as they tuck back by the B-pillar, and owners pined for fully adjustable power seats. Easy to please, 86.2 percent of owners deemed the comfort to be above average. Surprisingly, this seemed to concern relatively few owners who are apparently better-proportioned, genetically perfect specimens. Several staff drivers found that their knees rubbed on an underdash pad and the center console. We judged the seats to be high-school bleacher firm with limited legroom. Unfortunately, our steering gear developed a strange rubbing sound at the loan's end, howling like a mating Walrus, despite properly topped steering fluid. Equally telling, only a mere 2.2 percent found it to be below average.Ĭommunication from the taut chassis is superb, with the telescoping steering wheel giving a good measure of feedback and balanced control. These criticisms didn't seem to affect surveyed acceleration ratings, which 62.7 percent of owners ranked as above average. Logbook entries draw sonic comparisons to Massey-Ferguson tractors and gripe that highway passing maneuvers cause more engine noise than acceleration. Numerous owners suggested a V-6 engine as the best solution, like the silken unit employed in the M-Class, but Mercedes chose to fit the four-cylinder for weight and packaging reasons. Our staffers were disappointed with the engine's rough aural character and limited output. It is in this higher rpm zone that the SLK becomes lively, with the excitement hitting a 5800-rpm redline wall. As the revolutions climb to 4000 rpm, the supercharger whirs and the engine produces a raspy snarl that increases to a whiskey-voiced banshee scream. The Sunburst Yellow two-door zips to 60 mph in a swift 6.9 seconds, despite initial throttle laziness common on current Mercedes products. Although known only by impersonal initials, the SLK's middle-name is certainly "Fun." Under the sloping hood lurks a 2.3-liter DOHC inline four-cylinder engine invigorated by a Roots-type Eaton M62 supercharger and an air-to-air intercooler, producing 185 horsepower.
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