Mercedes SLK350 (2008) CAR review

After 185,000 sales of the second-generation SLK (and 310,000 of the first), Mercedes-Benz has given its little sportster a raft of enhancements, improvements and other things ending in ‘ments’ .

It has even fatter styling, even more performance and more gadgets than you can throw a Bluetooth enabled headset at. There are over 650 revised or new components, a new-look front and rear styling treatment, a tweaked interior and telematics, a new direct-steering system and more power for the SLK 350 and 200 models.

The new SLK's front bumper looks a bit odd?

Yes. It would be cruel to suggest that the revised SLK looks like its missing a tooth but…

The front-end treatment is certainly, erm, controversial. The nose positively screams ‘WE HAVE AN F1 TEAM, DONCHA KNOW!’ and for some that’ll be just a little too shouty.

Other more successful styling revisions include the LED ‘tuning fork’ mirrors, the darkened rear lamps and the trapezoidal tailpipe. There’s also a neat piece of surfacing above the front number plate that gives the revised SLK a nice darty profile. So all-in-all a strange juxtaposition of some sweet detailing and some rather clumsy (and impotent – the rear diffuser offers no aerodynamic benefit) styling features.

OK – but looks are subjective. What about the new SLK's mechanicals?

The SLK 350 gains the most revisions so that’s the car we’re driving. Its 3498cc now produces 305bhp – some 33bhp more than its predecessor. In this techno-zeitgeist age it’s nice to see some good ol’ fashioned engine tuning at work here; the compression ratio is up, the valves are lighter, the pistons are new, the valve seats are deeper and the rev limit has been raised to 7200rpm. Torque is also up – by 7lb ft – and Mercedes claims an improvement in fuel consumption and a cut in emissions too.