The 6-speed manual transmission is far, far superior in shifting ease and feel to the old 5-speed manual, with the added bonus of one more gear for much quieter, smoother and easier highway cruising. The transmission is almost perfectly suited to the power and torque characteristics of the engine, and we would recommend it over the automatic for sheer driving fun. The automatic is no slouch in this department, however; the automatic's TouchShift manual shifting mode is very quick and precise.

The SLK320 is terrific fun to drive, in part because it is short and relatively light. The 3.2-liter V6 delivers a lot of power, while the six-speed gearbox guarantees you're in the power band.

The supercharged 4-cylinder engine in the SLK230 runs out of steam pretty early, but the SLK320's V6 just keeps going, and sounds less labored doing it.

In either case, you get anti-lock brakes with Mercedes' Electronic Brake Assist, traction control, and Electronic Stability Program, all of which will keep a driver out of trouble in wet, snowy or muddy conditions or when cornering at very high speeds on dry pavement. (Experienced drivers can switch ESP off for autocross and racetrack events, but all other systems are constant.) Front and rear stabilizer bars keep the car from lolling around in corners.

Front and side air bags are standard in all models. Also standard is TeleAid, an emergency communications system that puts you in touch with a help center via cellular telephone and pinpoints your location via the Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system

Summary

With three models, the Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class is competitive in both price and performance with such competitors as the Porsche Boxster, BMW Z3, Audi TT and Honda S2000. It also provides the security and four-season benefit of having a power steel top

Model Line Overview

Model lineup:SLK230 ($39,400); SLK320 ($44,800); SLK32 AMG ($54,900)

Engines:3.2-liter sohc V6

Transmissions:6-speed manual; 5-speed automatic with TouchShift

Safety equipment (standard):dual airbags, side airbags, ABS, TCS, ESP

Safety equipment (optional):dual airbags, side airbags, ABS, TCS, ESP

Basic warranty:4 years/60,000 miles

Assembled in:Bremen, Germany