Post Tagged with: "SL"

Review: 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLK350

Two-seat sports cars are the sort of indulgent fun that will most likely be ignored for the next few years. Which is horrible timing for Mercedes-Benz since it tweaked its small roadster line to make it more attractive for buyers, and to try and keep it current compared to other new introductions.

So what we have here is a facelift and mild tweaking of the second-generation SLK that originally debuted in 2004, which was in itself a huge step forward compared to the original. Already a reasonably accomplished athlete, the latest SLK shows that it’s one of the more attractive entries in the class.

Designers spent some time cleaning up the front bumper and air dam, mimicking even more the company’s Formula 1 racers, and the three-point Mercedes-Benz star is even more obvious now. In the back, the SLK now sports a rear diffuser, trapezoidal exhaust pipes and darker taillights. The side-mirrors are also new, incorporating the LED turn signals as on most other products in the range.

Review: 2009 Mercedes-Benz CL 550 4MATIC

Conspicuous consumption is something of a Mercedes-Benz specialty, what with the reams and reams of V8 and V12-powered luxury cars it offers. Two doors, four doors, hard top or convertible, they all can be optioned with tens of thousands of dollars worth of options and extras.

But the Benz at the very top of the pile is the CL. Sure you might argue it would be the SL or SLR. But no, the CL is it for sure, simply because it doesn’t offer anything you can’t get on the mechanically identical S-Class but with two fewer doors. You’re willingly reducing its effectiveness as a vehicle simply for style.