Overview

It’s back to the future for Mercedes with the third generation SLK Roadster. To celebrate its 125th anniversary year in 2011, the SLK has been given a classic face, resembling the legendary 190 SL from the 1950s which is regarded by many enthusiasts as being the original ‘SLK’. The SLK has always been one of the most interesting cars when it comes to new technology: the first SLK (1996) had the first ever hard folding roof that could be opened and closed by the touch of a button. The second generation in 2004 brought us ‘Airscarf’ – a heating system to warm your neck and shoulders when you had the roof down. This latest model brings us Magic Sky Control that switches the roof to light or dark at the flick of a switch. Can this new gizmo and new driving dynamics of the SLK be enough to worry Porsche’s Boxster and BMW’s Z4? Read on to find out.