More telling of the engine's effect on the new car's character is the power-to-weight ratio, which has been improved by 20% over the current SLK 320. And though the SLK 350 weighs in at 3,231 lb, heavier than the Boxster S (2,,911 lb) and Z4 (3,020 lb), it feels to be more than a match for the Porsche and BMW in acceleration. Mercedes states the 350 will pull the car from 0 to 60 mph in 5.5 sec., about 0.3 sec. faster than a Boxster S, almost a half second faster than the Z4 and a full second better than the 320.
Indeed, the SLK 350 is improved in every aspect, and larger in every dimension, compared to the outgoing model. This isn't unexpected from a company as capable as Mercedes-Benz, but it is big news that the company has drastically changed the car's essential dynamic from GT to pursang sports car. (It's almost as though it's taking out the frustration of a dismal showing in Formula One on its street car competitors.)
Longer than the 320 by 2.8 in., wider by 3.0 in., taller by 1.3 in. and with a 1.2-in.-wider wheelbase, the SLK 350 also has considerably more trunk volume (6.6 cu ft with roof opened vs. 4.8 cu ft) thanks to a new pivoting rear window in the slick Vario-roof, which now opens and closes more quickly (22 sec.).
In re-checking the car's specs after I drove it, I noted the more rigid chassis, strengthened by 19% in bending resistance and 46% in torsional rigidity over its predecessor (roof down). This stiffer structure was augmented with all the goodies needed to enhance a driver's connection to the road: bigger brakes, tighter steering, heftier running gear, quicker shift throws and a more willing throttle. Add a new front axle and major revisions to bearings, bushings and links in the independent rear suspension, and the SLK 350 has all the earmarks of an AMG-massaged Mercedes.
The front discs, increased from 11.8 in. to 13.0 in., are now perforated as well as ventilated and are gripped by four-piston fixed calipers in place of single-piston floating units. The rear solid discs were enlarged from 10.9- to 11.4 in.; retained are dual-piston fixed calipers.
As I discovered during the cockfighting between my SLK and the hordes of cyclists, these are the best Mercedes brakes I've ever felt. There's none of that electronic disconnect which compromises some of it cars' braking systems, and the surety delivered by their application makes late and threshold braking an important aspect of the 350's appeal to serious drivers.
Massive improvement is also found in the steering, a rack-and-pinion unit replacing the previous recirculating-ball setup. It hands the reins to the driver like no other Mercedes and is a far cry from those old days of oversized steering wheels and overly damped racks. Whereas the SLK 320's steering muffled driver awareness of what the front wheels were up to, the new system makes a direct connection from the hands to the tires and then on to the road. The engineers would point out that positioning the lighter rack ahead of the front wheel center contributes to better chassis balance and increased safety, but the driver will experience only an unprecedented response to the twist of his or her hands on the wheel.
The precision of the new rack was particularly impressive as I weaved along the unknown Mallorcan roads. The car seemed like it had local knowledge as it flowed smoothly through sudden transitions, and it conquered unexpected corner radii as though it had an on-board Cray computer charting the optimum line.
Once the province of BMW, Mercedes now has caught on to this handling thing. If the big Benzes are wonders of stately balance, and the SLs are the epitomes of sporting luxury, this small sports car represents the union of those qualities.
Fear of road-kill cyclist appearing on the local police blotter and attention to the unforgiving rock walls tempered my desire to drive the SLK as quickly as, say, a Boxster (with which I am extremely familiar), but there's no denying the SLK is a superb handler. It slices into corners like fine German steel and tracks through the bends with complete communication between nose and tail. Weight transfer is easily felt and corrective moves responded to with efficient directness-no secondary oscillations in the suspension when the car transitions through an S-bend, no excessive brake dive, and no unsettling squat when the V6 is asked to run free.
I'd occasionally fall in behind a fortunate local, who had to get nowhere slowly, enjoying a long life, free from stress, healthy as a tub of yogurt from his Mediterranean diet...and then I began to appreciate the SLK's supple ride, very unlike its predecessor's proclivity to hop over road imperfections. This new suspension soaks it all up, shrugging aside cracks, holes and humps while it waits for the next curvy road to get tough again.