Review of the new Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG

You have to take your hat off to Mercedes' AMG division. When it comes to fettling obscenely powerful engines, they have no peers. Even Audi's RS models and BMW's M cars usually have to cede the top spot on the power podium to the crew from Affalterbach. If straight line speed was everything, the market would be sewn up, but while AMG models could render you light-headed with their acceleration, straight line grunt doesn't make a completely convincing sportster. The latest generation of AMG models look set to rectify that.

The current generation SLK raised many eyebrows when it was launched, few expecting it to drive so well. The SLK55 AMG remains a bit of a hot rod, albeit one with a very engaging personality.

Perhaps the SLK55 AMG suffers a little in comparison to the Porsche Boxster and the BMW Z4 in the handling stakes, but then its brief is subtly different, offering more of a GT focus than either of these models. This is exemplified by its choice of gearbox. Where the Porsche and BMW work best with a manual gearbox, the SLK55 AMG instead uses a seven-speed automatic. The 7G-TRONIC transmission system can be controlled via wheel-mounted buttons and is a very capable unit. It's not as if you can even begrudge the torque converter sapping a few horsepower when you've got this rampant excess to play with in the first instance.

Power is rated at 360bhp and torque to 510Nm and the SLK never feels anything less than sledgehammer quick. The car will bludgeon its way to 60mph in 4.7seconds on the way to a limited top speed of 155mph. With the limiter removed and with a favourable tail wind, there's little doubt this car would knock on the door of 200mph. The direct steering system with variable steering assistance takes a little getting used to but it's undeniably effective. As is the traction control system which will get a regular workout when the road surface is anything other than bone dry.

"With the limiter removed and with a favourable tail wind, there's little doubt this car would knock on the door of 200mph."

Mercedes has revised the engine line up in the SLK range but has left the SLK55 AMG's powerplant alone. Instead, the car has received some cosmetic tweaking along the lines of a revised front apron with a black painted cross strut, side outlets and darkened headlamp clusters to give it a more aggressive front end. The nose now features an even more defined arrow shape while the back end gets an F1-style diffuser to help plant the car to the tarmac. Trapezoid exhaust tailpipes and arrow-shaped LED indicators in the door mirror housings also feature. The SLK always has been probably the neatest shape of any folding hard top car and the latest modifications just sharpen the look a touch further.

Inside, quality has improved with particular attention paid to materials. A revised three-spoke multifunction steering wheel and a dial cluster designed with better visibility in mind both feature. Of all the premium roadster models, the SLK feels the best built and the easiest to operate. Space in the boot is at a premium when the vario roof is folded but interior room is fine for two.

What price this level of power and presence? A decent negotiator will be able to get the price of the SLK55 AMG down to just under £50,000 which doesn't look too bad now that a comparatively quick performance car, say a BMW M3, now costs more. There's little doubt which of the two feels more special, the SLK's sportier profile and open top roof giving it a more purist appeal. Yes, the BMW is the more polished all-round sportser and has the edge in terms of practicality, but at this price point we move from the realms of the purely objective into a more nuanced notion of relative desirability.

Equipment levels are strong and an enhanced audio and telematics system features Bluetooth hands free integration, an iPod connection in the glove box and even the option of LINGUATRONIC voice operation. Other notable gear on offer includes a Harmon Kardon sound system and the Airscarf neck heating system which is a must if you want to get the most out of your SLK's open top.

There's no gentle way to say this, but don't buy a Mercedes SLK55 AMG if you're at all concerned about cost of ownership. It drinks like a fish, emits a big slug of carbon dioxide, your insurer will be rubbing his hands in glee and you'll also need to put up with some steep servicing costs. Just about the only consolation is that it's unlikely to go wrong.

Let's put a little flesh on those bones. Mercedes claims an average fuel consumption figure of 23.5mpg for the SLK55 AMG but on our test routes we have never seen more than 20mpg from one. Insurance is predictably a top of the shop group 20 and emissions are 288g/km. One consolation is that the hefty retained value of 56 per cent helps to take the edge off total running costs.

That the Mercedes SLK55 AMG isn't one of the best drivers cars money can buy would appear to be a damning indictment of this vehicle. Latter day AMG models like the C63 AMG and the CLK Black have shown that handling is becoming more of a priority and in this regard, the SLK feels a generation removed, offering the same sort of point and squirt power that drivers of TVRs once enjoyed.

Obviously there are benefits to driving a well developed and beautifully finished roadster from one of the world's premier car manufacturers and the SL55 AMG underlies this with a feral brutality that many will find intoxicating. Driven at eight tenths it feels magical. Up your game and the margins of this SLK's talent can become disappointingly apparent. If you need 360bhp or the cachet of the AMG badge, go right ahead but those in the know realise that the SLK350 and £15k in your pocket is a sweeter prospect.

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