Description: Compact Near-Luxury Stowable Convertible-Top Roadster
Base MSRP Range: $42,900 - $61,500
Invoice Price Range: $39,897 - $57,195
Where built: Germany
The SLK Class of two-seat roadsters provides a pop-top lid which stows in the trunk and three sophisticated powertrain options.
SLK350 gets a 272 hp 3.5-liter V6 with variable camshaft control and a sporty six-speed manual shifter or seven-speed 7G-tronic Mercedes automatic. SLK 55 AMG is the top performer fitted with a massive AMG 5.5-liter V8 and 7G-tronic automatic plus alloy AMG wheels up to 18 inches in diameter. And new entry-edition SLK280 totes a 3.0-liter dual-cam V6 worth 228 hp.
A substantial list of standard safety equipment includes adaptive frontal air bags and side air bags plus solid steel roll bars tucked behind the seats.
Options extend to a deluxe surround-sound audio system with 380-watt amp and 11 speakers. And SLK puts a nifty feature focused on a rider's neck -- the Airscarf neck-level heat vent concealed in the headrest.
Mercedes-Benz with headquarters in Germany makes luxury and performance vehicles that span the scale in size and type with multiple options for power and traction. The vast collection includes souped-up performance variations in many categories built by the Mercedes super-tuner AMG. But there are three new Mercedes classes for 2006 -- the elegant CLS Class of four-door coupes, the large-scale R Class sport tourer wagons and a new generation of designs for American-built M Class of sport-utility vehicles.
