any owner here? i'd be grateful for your driving insights and ownership experience. if possible, how is it compared to the SL500. thanks in advance.
I know it's off topic, but I was waiting for an occasion to post this "special" slk55 http://exoticspotter.com/list.php?page=6&batch=bt00047/bt00047_80330.JPG&model=all&make=all&location=all
My 2 cents , having driven just the SL500 and read a lot about the SLK 55 . Day and night . The SL 500 is a boring boat . The SLK seems to be a nervous little ***** !
Bought one for the wife 5 months ago. I think it is a great car and I love driving it almost as much as my 550. It feels rock solid, the ride is great and not too harsh, handles great and attracts as much attention if not more than the ferrari. The exhaust note sounds amazing, probably the best sounding stock exhaust around. The only real complaint I have and my wife has is with the shift buttons behind the steering wheel. Too often you end up hitting the buttons unintentionally especially when turning. I do not understand why these buttons are not automatically deactivated if the car is not in manual mode. Also the manual mode is not that great. I find the shifts to be slow. I much prefer the sport automatic mode in this car, although my wife prefers the comfort mode as she finds the downshifts to first gear in sport mode to be a little harsh (comfort mode cuts out first gear). That being said, I do not understand why anyone wanting a sporty car would spend 30k extra for an SL 500 which is nothing more than a larger slower luxo cruiser. And spending twice as much for an SL55 is an even bigger joke. I would highly recommend this car and would not have any hesitation using it as my own daily driver.
Agree 100%, i test drove one and i was hitting 110mph before the guy told me to slow down...and when you turn the car on, the exhaust is amazing...and it is a head turner. even though it's an automatic, the car is responsive and does not lag at all, but then again i always say the rpm over the 4000 mark. The ride is very firm and will probably get a few complaints from passengers, but its a sports car...no real luxury...and the handling is awesome too...test drove it on the freeway and on the twisties and it was glued to the road...looking back..i made a mistake of buying the slk350...hope that helps...just go test drive it..you'll love it!
thank you to all who replied. question for ET550, is it worth the additional $15k b/w the AMG vs. the 350? once the hardtop is on, how is the wind noise at high speed?
First off, by the time you are finished with the options on a 350, you can be close to $57k MSRP so the price difference becomes only $7-10k for the 55 depending on options. In any event the price differential even at $15k imho is worth every penny. Its a totally different feel from the 350 and probably the best overall AMG product out there. And with the limited production numbers, you will probably make up a good portion of the price differential on resale. I don't recall any wind noise issues but its been a while since I have had the top up. The car is built so solidly however and with the hard top I would be surprised if there was any. Next chance the wife lets me drive it, I will let you know.
they have a black one sitting in the Orlando Florida Mercedes show room, saw it today, it has a $11,000 MARKET VALUE mark up on it bringing!!!!!!!!!! it to over $70,000.........hell that is E55 territory........
CAR AND DRIVER had a cover story on the Mercedes SLK55AMG in its June, 2005, issue. They loved the car -- 0 to 60 in 4.3 seconds. I was considering it for my everyday driver, but I think I would miss the manual transmission. Still, it's a pretty stunning -- and the price is very reasonable.
