Mercedes SLK...Continued

Recently a few other journalists and I took an SLK coast to coast in company with new BMW, Corvette and Jaguar open tops, and while each had its appeal, the top of the Mercedes was a crowd pleaser whenever it was demonstrated. It is by far the slickest solution, with flawless operation and wonderful quiet when up. With careful planning, two people can travel quite well for at least a weekend in this car.

It's remarkable to find leather as a standard feature in a base car, even a $40,000 model. Standard features also include power windows, cruise control, and an anti-theft system. There seems to be more passenger room, possibly due to the smaller engine. At the same time, there is less foot room on the passenger side, so tall buyers should sit in both seats.

To enhance top-down driving, there is a black nylon windshield between the functional roll-over bars, but it is gilding the lily, since the sloped windshield offers little buffeting.

Realistically, this is still a stiff price for a toy car, but there are lots of them at similar or higher prices that still sell well. Already dealers have committed most of their '97 allotment to existing customers, but a friend of mine placed an order and was given a delivery date about a year out.

This young couple had only owned performance sedans before this and this is their first Mercedes. They drove around with me while I photographed the car, and by the end of the day, they were hooked. I predict the SLK will have the same effect on buyers that the C-class had, and they will sell all they want to bring in.