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.
