Beautiful view with hot Mercedes!

Beautiful view with hot Mercedes!

 The SLK's seven-speed automatic has three shift modes--Eco, Sport and Manual--and paddles as well as manual control via the shift lever. In Eco mode the shifts are long and syrupy; Sport is where you'll want to be most of the time, since it wakes up the tranny with the smoothest blend of fast gear changes. In Manual mode, some lumps surface in downshifts and sometimes even in upshifts, as the automatic gamely tries to swap up and down with the lightning reflexes of a dual-clutch box; the shift shock isn't too abrupt, but it makes ill-timed moves in mid-corner even more obvious. The SLK's shift paddles keep your hands on the wheel for the 180-degree wheel turns, but it's possible to bang off an upshift by backhanding the shift lever to the right, or to trigger a downshift with a pull to the left. One method makes far more sense, doesn't it?

Fuel economy for the SLK350 is an estimated 20/29 mpg, though final EPA ratings aren't yet in. The SLK's gusto mashes up with a multi-link suspension with either conventional steel springs and shocks or with user-selectable shocks, as well as electrohydraulic steering with Direct Steer, which amplifies steering inputs according to the rotation angle of the steering wheel. The hybrid steering system leaves the usual Mercedes play of an inch or so on center for a more relaxed attitude on the highway, and works its way into aggression by the time you're a quarter-past in either direction.

We didn't drive the standard suspension setup, instead opting for the Dynamic Handling package and those continuously adjustable dampers. It lives up to the name, making the SLK almost tossable--it's not as lively as the Boxster, but that's admittedly a lofty target and not exactly a fair comparison, given the Porsche's mid-engine layout. On glassy roads in Tenerife, with the stability control put in its place (off), and the shocks set to Sport, the SLK's tires broke away softly and without much drama, easily corrected. It rounds off the worst peaks and divots to a nub with Sport mode disengaged; with Sport mode activated on a long uphill climb over crumbling asphalt, the SLK 350 only pounded a pothole or two, while it tugged and clawed away at hairpin after hairpin with a little help from deeply talented torque-vectoring brakes, which clamp an inside rotor to tighten cornering lines. The faintly exotic handling setup hits an ideal ballet-to-bully ratio that only gets better as you fling the tach over 3000 rpm up near the redline, and press its 18-inch, 35-series rear tires to put up, but not shut up.

With a wheelbase of 95.7 inches and an overall length of 162.8 inches, the 2012 SLK is nearly identically sized to the outgoing model. At 71.3 inches wide, it's grown a little broader, though the snug cockpit doesn't seem meaningfully smaller or larger. As you can guess, there's not much travel in the seat track, but the sport chairs fit perfectly snugly even for bigger adults.

The convertible roof opens via a pull lever in an egg-shaped enclosure. Pull the tab and the compact hardtop tucks away in 20 seconds. A mesh air blocker does what it can to cut buffeting, but the short-body roadster has a fair amount of turbulence. It also has AIRSCARF, the lovely touch that blows warm air on your neck to steel you for lowering that steel top more often. Think of it like the ancestor of the carefully mapped climate control in the Nissan Leaf--in that it's climate control from a psychological angle.