RE: Driven: Mercedes SLK

[Daniel1]

I'll wait for to see the car in the flesh, but it looks all out of proportion.

[Ceylon]

I must say that looks fantastic. Much less feminine than its' predecessors. Cannot see the proportion issues that others say they see. But then I think the boxster s a great looking car too, and many also hate that. Takes all sorts!

[Mug]

That looks bloomin' fantastic, especially in red.

Now, does anyone know where I can sell a kidney to be able to afford one!!

[soad]

I like it too. looks fairly decent, thumbs up

[leowatson]

Ceylon said:

I must say that looks fantastic. Much less feminine than its' predecessors. Cannot see the proportion issues that others say they see. But then I think the boxster s a great looking car too, and many also hate that. Takes all sorts!

I agree, looks more updated less a "girlie car" now.

[geoffracing]

Harry Monk said:

geoffracing said:

rottie102 said:

Brink said:

No.

/quote]

What's so different about the window and bonnet line when compared to the original?

Heavens! You're right. Somehow it didn't shock my eyes on the old one.
Perhaps it is unconsciously for that reason I didn't buy one.
I have a new Z4 (although not at all perfect in design) and won't regret having not waited for this "optically-badly-assembled" new SLK!

[nickfrog]

geoffracing said:

I don't usually like the looks of Porsches, sorry; but sure they must be fantastic to drive, although I've been told so often that they are not all that easy; you have to be a pilot!

The 911 requires a bit of basic knowledge of car dynamics and super smooth inputs but the Boxster is really easy to safely drive at a good pace and is very tractable, not to mention its huge lateral grip. It's essentially designed for hairdresser, remember, LOL.

[Riff Raff]

geoffracing said:

ManOpener said:

The generic Merc front-end isn't doing it any favours. The lights/grille combo just looks so wrong.

Yes, I agree.
The first SLK was a lovely neat car (that did look better closed!), but this one is ugly and badly proportionned. Vulgar in fact.

article said:

It's a deliberate move away from a slightly effete look, says Mercedes designer Michael Plessing. "We wanted to attract more male customers" he says, "so we held customer clinics with that in mind and this is the design that came out best. We just hope that it won't put off our female customers".


He also feels the new car is much more in keeping with the Mercedes design language: "The old car, it wasn't really a classic Mercedes - to be honest I don't think it will age that well."

Well, as an owner of an original R170, I agree with the designer and geoffracing. I think the original one just looks like a proper Mercedes Benz. Has to be said that the handling is pretty iffy though.....................

[Oddball RS]

How to turn what was a pretty car into a munter, who was it that said this fits the Merc style better and the previous car was not a classic design - wrong! Time will show that no problem.

Only improvement is the dash, the exterior is ruined.

[nickwilcock]

Ugly, fussy and overstyled. The square-styled front half looks as though it was designed by a different team to the frumpy rear half. The only good point is the panoramic roof, although the clear section is actually rather small.

And as for those hideously oversized door mirrors!

Look like I'll be keeping my SLK32 AMG for a few more years yet.....

[Raitzi]

I wonder is ESP still permanently on with SLK?

[fwaggie]

Front is hyper ugly. Damn "pedestrian friendly" moosplat, forcing them to build crumple zones *above* the engine, springy things to fire the peds back off the bonnet (that option has some merit if they uprated the springs 1000x).

I was half and half between last gen SLK AMG and the 987 Boxster S, got the Boxster.

Wouldn't give this one any consideration now.

Z4's are OK but I just can't fit in them, the door handle tries to break my right arm when I close the door.

[CatfishCKY]

I'm not keen on the front end either, looks out of proportion.
I prefer the first SLKs, but I am female dont know whether that makes a difference?!

[pSyCoSiS]

I like the look of this.

Still has the same outline like the original.

Can't help but think that the quality of interior will not be on par with the original one!

[jshell]

Raitzi said:

I wonder is ESP still permanently on with SLK?

I could turn the ESP off on a 2008 SLK...

[Riff Raff]

pSyCoSiS said:

I like the look of this.

Still has the same outline like the original.

Can't help but think that the quality of interior will not be on par with the original one!

So you're a big fan of peeling plastic trim then? I'm going to have to have chunks of mine re-painted when the weather warms up a bit.

[Dagnut]

jshell said:

I could turn the ESP off on a 2008 SLK...

It's not completely off but is it?

[jshell]

Dagnut said:

jshell said:

I could turn the ESP off on a 2008 SLK...

It's not completely off but is it?

Not sure, thought it was!!!

[ZesPak]

Riff Raff said:

So you're a big fan of peeling plastic trim then? I'm going to have to have chunks of mine re-painted when the weather warms up a bit.

Just went through the second-hand purchase of one, half of the ones we got to see (esp the ones with beige interior) had some terrible interior peeling, a lot worse than contemporary E-classes.

That said, I love the look of all the SLK's, but I think this one is a bit overstyled from the sides, too much creases & things going on imho.
Will need to see one in the flesh.

I hope they moved the game on a bit too, as with the first model they had little competition in the CC department, but now everybody is building one. The Z4 being it's biggest competitor imho.

[Dagnut]

jshell said:

Not sure, thought it was!!!

You'd be hard pressed to notice on the road...but I was spinning out of a gravel drive way(as you do in a rental) and I'm sure I felt it applying brakes