With the summer heat finally starting to kick in, I can’t imagine anything better than cruising down Lake Shore Drive in a convertible.
I recently had the chance to take a turn in the 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLK 350, and my jaunts down Lake Shore were both exhilarating and relaxing at the same time. Exhilarating because of the neck-snapping acceleration and invigorating wind rushing through the open cabin. Relaxing because of the smooth ride and the wide-open views of the sailboats on the lake.
2009 Mercedes-Benz SLK
Engine: 3.5-liter V-6
Transmission: 7-speed manual transmission
Horsepower: 300
Torque: 265 lb-ft
Drivetrain: RWD
Wheelbase: 95.7 inches
Height: 51.1 inches
Length: 161.5 inches
Width: 70.4 inches
MPG (city/hwy): 18/26
Base price: $50,825
As tested: $57,245
With rear-wheel drive and minimal cargo room, the swift little two-seater is made for fun summer drives. It also made my daily commute something worth smiling over.
Luckily, we had a mostly dry week during the test period, but the sleek hardtop cover goes up with the touch of a button in 22 seconds. There are no latches or hooks to fasten, and the car does all the work. There’s also a nice little icon that appears when the top is in operation, so you know when the top is finished going up and down.
With the top storing in the trunk, cargo volume is severely limited. With the top up and the cargo cover lifted, there is 9.8 cubic-feet of cargo volume. But with the top down and cargo cover in place, storage space reduces to 6.5 cubic-feet. Soft-sided duffels and backpacks work best below the cargo cover, and though I didn’t test it, I think a couple of smaller roller boards would fit as well.
For 2009, the SLK gets a minor design overhaul with a restyled front grille, front and rear fascias, side mirrors, taillights, exhaust pipes and steering wheel. Palladium Silver and Hampton Sands paint are also new offerings as are the new optional Gullwing Red and Natural Beige leather interiors and Burl Walnut trim.
One of the bigger changes for 2009, however, is power increase for the non-AMG models. The entry model is now the SLK 300, which replaces the SLK 280, and it is powered by a 228-horsepower V-6 engine. The SLK 350, aka the test vehicle, has a 3.5-liter V-6 “sport” engine that delivers 300 horsepower and has a red accent on the engine cover.
The extra horsepower in the SLK 350 does make a difference, and you can definitely feel the power when merging with traffic or passing on the highway. Plus there’s a great sound emitted from the exhaust that flaunts the SLK 350’s sporty status.
As you would expect from an automaker like Mercedes-Benz, ride and handling in the SLK 350 is downright sublime. The 3,318-pound curb weight and short 161.5-inch length really allow you to flight this car around corners and maneuver through traffic. It’s easy to drive and parallel parking has rarely been easier. Especially if you have the top down – you can easily see all corners of the vehicle and know exactly how much space you have between vehicles.
Though I didn’t do too much top-up driving, I didn’t notice any unwieldy blind spots. You do have a small spot over your shoulder that is a bit difficult to see, but that’s what side mirrors are for. Since I live and drive by my side mirrors, I didn’t have any problems with blind spots.
I really like pretty much everything about the SLK, with a couple of exceptions. And by a couple I do mean two. The first issue I have is with the lumbar support – or, should I say, lack of lumbar support. The test vehicle included the optional Premium 1 Package ($2,950), which supposedly included four-way lumbar adjustment. But I’ll be darned if I could get enough support so that I noticed it existed. Every time I got in the test car, I felt like I was slumping because my lower back wasn’t supported. It was fine for short drives, but the longer the drive, the more uncomfortable I became. If I were going to own this car, I would need to buy some kind of pillow or support pad … which I refuse to do with a car that costs $50K.
The other issue I have is with the cup holders. In theory they are well-placed above all the dials on the center stack. They don’t interfere with the armrest or the gearshift. But … they do hinder visibility out the front and to the right, especially if you have something like a tall water bottle in one or both of them. Which I always do during marathon training. My solution was to let the bottle roll on the passenger seat if I didn’t have anyone with me or to put it in the rightmost holder if I did. That way only the area closest to the right A-pillar was affected. I’m not sure what the solution here is. Perhaps individual cup holders for driver and passenger: One to the left of the steering wheel and one to the far right?
The test vehicle didn’t have the optional navigation system, which was fine with me because I’m not a fan of the Mercedes-Benz system. The last time I had an SLK with a navigation, it literally made me take a left turn, right turn, right turn, left turn to put me back on the same street I had been traveling before the first left turn … just a block down.
Without the optional nav system, the standard audio interface was simple and intuitive. I like the small digital screen that mimics an old-fashioned analog dial.
The entire interior is pretty classic. In fact, if you’ve been in one Mercedes model, you won’t see anything radical in the SLK 350. The silver-rimmed gauges behind the wheel are attractive, and the digital info screen between the speedometer and tachometer is easy to read and use.
For such a tiny car, the SLK 350 is packed with standard safety features. You have the usual suspects of front dual-stage airbags, front and rear crumple zones, anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control. The unusual standards include: knee airbags, acceleration slip regulation, dual integrated roll bars, and head thorax airbags that are integrated into the seat backrest.
The SLK 350 is one of those cars that you can easily drive every day during the summer in Chicago. And it’s great for a weekend away. But you might rethink those long road trips if you’re going to cart a lot of luggage. There’s just no where to put it.
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