Mercedes SLK 320 Auto

The Mercedes SLK, with its folding metal roof, is one of those awesome motors that is guaranteed its own slice of motoring history.  Copied by Lexus and Peugeot, and then repeated by Mercedes on the new SL, this roof sets the SLK apart from other roadsters that can only manage fabric tops.


Black Mercedes SLK 320 Auto with AMG Alloys

We tested the 2 year old SLK in the above picture and were not surprised to find that it looked as good as new, and drove like new - there was nothing to suggest the car's age or mileage - not something you can say about all two year old cars.  Not only that, but it gave the impression that it would be exactly the same at 10 years old, or with over 100,000 miles on the clock.

Residual values for SLKs are superb. Just try to find a car that depreciates less.  In this respect the 220s are the best of the bunch, but every car in the range does well.  And residuals matter - buy a £15,000 car that looses 60% over 3 years, or a top of the range SLK at £30,000 with a 30% depreciation, and when you return to the dealers three years later you'll have lost exactly the same amount during your ownership.  Except that you'll have been driving a much better car for those three years.

Servicing costs aren't cheap, but our SLK did come with 3 years warranty and a lifetime roadside recovery package included in the price; not that we've needed to resort to either yet.  However, as you'd expect, the warranty doesn't cover those big tyres which are very expensive to replace - don't expect much change out of £200 if you've opted for the AMG wheels with ultra low profiles.  Fortunately even the 320 doesn't wear them out too quickly, managing to get considerably more life out of them than a front wheel drive would.  We suspect the brilliant auto box helps in this respect, preventing massive wheel spin at launch.

Fuel costs are reasonable, though not great the Auto 320 returning under 30mpg in normal use.  Top up, motorway journeys give better figures if you set the cruise control to 70mph and take it easy, but that's not really what you buy a car like this for.  It might not be as frugal as a small hatch, but compared to its rivals it isn't bad.

Driving the SLK is a blast.  You don't feel like you need to push it hard - just have fun cruising around, taking bends with ease and feeling that power push through the rear wheels.  When pushed hard, it may not have the ultimate cornering power of rivals like the Toyota MR2 or Porsche Boxster, but it does feel good through any type of corner, and you can tell when its reaching its limit.

With the top down, wind noise is, as you'd expect, noticeable.  Up to about 60mph it's not a problem, but you have to be keen to push it much faster than that for any length of time.  Fortunately the hood goes up in seconds so it's easy to put the hood up for motorway stretches, then pull over to quickly drop the hood when you get onto a nice A or B road.