2005 Mercedes-Benz SLK350 - Engine, Price & Handling - First Drive & Road Test Review

The biggest improvement is its new engine. The supercharged four is gone from the U.S. market, and SLK launches here in September with a 268-horsepower, 258 pound-feet, 3.5-liter V-6 from the new four-valve engine line. Variable valve timing for intake and exhaust and a two-stage intake manifold help produce max torque from 2400 to 5000 rpm, with 87 percent at 1500.

An SLK55 AMG with a seven-speed automatic goes on sale a couple of months after the SLK350, the only sports car in its class (BMW Z4, Porsche Boxster, Honda S2000) with a V-8 engine. Later, a new 3.0-liter four-valve V-6 will become the SLK's base engine in our market. The SLK350 will be priced from the mid-$40,000s, the SLK55 in the low-mid $50,000s.

The car's 3.5 V-6, stout chassis, and well-balanced suspension make the SLK an ideal sports car for mountain road drives. It's crisper and sharper in every input versus the old SLK320. Quick, precise steering with good feedback and light feel is largely due to a switch from recirculating-ball to rack-and-pinion. The short-throw six-speed manual has snicky, quick action, making it one of the best gearboxes in the sports-car biz, replacing what must have been among the worst.

Ride and handling are well-refined, without much compromise to either. You feel bumps and expansion strips on the highways, but there's enough compliance to keep them from being uncomfortable. And in mountain curves, the suspension rolls just enough to lean into a hard bite, giving your backside time to warn your hands to respond to oversteer. With electronic stability control on, oversteer is blunted to point the car in the right direction without braking. Turn the ESP off, and the tail slides out more--you can induce the need for some opposite lock--but the electronic nanny still eases in to keep things safe. It's progressive and predictable, perfect fun on perfect roads.