2005 Mercedes Benz SL-Class Review

By some estimates, the first U.S. baby boomer turned 50 in February 1996. Coincidentally (or maybe not), a trio of new roadsters was introduced, the BMW Z3, Porsche Boxster, and Mercedes-Benz SLK. The midlife crises of the oldest boomers breathed new life into the roadster, a segment that had long been dead.

The Mercedes SLK, was welcomed to the U.S. with open arms in January 1997 (after being introduced in Europe), and immediately captured awards from the automotive media, including the prestigious 1998 North American Car of the Year, presented by an independent jury of the top 50 automotive journalists in the U.S. and Canada. Sales, which Mercedes hoped would hit 6,000 a year, increased to a peak of nearly 13,000. Mercedes sold more than 66,115 SLK models in its first seven years of production, with more than 300,000 sold around the globe.

Advance the clock eight years, and baby boomers, whose ranks number 78 million, are turning 50 at a rate of one every seven seconds, and they now have a host of sports cars to choose from, including the Nissan 350Z, Audi TT, Honda S2000, and Cadillac XLR to name only a few. And the earliest entries are now appearing in next-generation form.

The Mercedes SLK is among those entering their second generation. With its extreme makeover for the 2005 model year, the SLK seeks more men suffering midlife crises, with its bolder, more macho appearance, added horsepower and technical innovations. The original proved too popular with women making it less desirable for men, Mercedes marketers say.

The redesigned Mercedes SLK is far more macho than the almost cute appearance of the original SLK in an effort to attract more male buyers. The current SLK sells to 52 percent women and 48 percent men and U.S. marketers want to flip the percentage, and appeal to 60 percent men versus 40 percent women. The thinking, shared by other automakers, is that women will buy a car that appeals to a man but men won't buy cars associated with women.

Mercedes designers were inspired by Formula 1 styling themes and the McLaren SLR, an ultra-powerful, ultra-expensive Mercedes sports car. Racing-inspired cues include the arrow-shaped nose, steeply raked windshield and twin tailpipes. The wedge-shaped SLK sports a long, sloping hood and a short rear with wide doors in between. The SLK's design is a tad schizophrenic, as if two different designers did the front and back. Its face is busy, so there's lots to look at, almost too much, while the back end is clean and sleek.

In addition to gaining more machismo, the SLK also has grown in key dimensions. Compared with the current SLK, the new one is: 2.8 inches longer with 1.2 inch more wheelbase; 3 inches wider; and 1.3 inches higher. The added dimensions allowed for a seemingly roomier cabin, albeit still cozy, and a larger, more useful trunk, measuring 6.6 cubic feet, up 1.8 cubic feet.

The SLK did retain its retractable roof that dazzled crowds when it was first shown as a concept in at the 1994 Turin (Italy) and 1995 Paris auto shows. Now, the top folds in 22 seconds, three seconds faster than before. The top borrows from the more expensive SL roadster which turns the rear-window unit with its curved glass so it packages with the metal roof panels, thus creating more trunk space in concert with the more upright back end. (Optional run-flat tires help keep the trunk clear.) As before, the retractable hardtop, when up, makes the SLK feel like a solid coupe whereas softtops often suffer from annoying body shake and wind noise with the top up.

The SLK350 comes in 11 colors, including a new silver and a Caspian blue. Mercedes has exerted another technical innovation on the exterior; the paint used on the SLK, which is being expanded to all Mercedes models, is designed to be far more scratch resistant than other paints.