robg

The new Car & Driver reviews the SLK55 AMG and gives it a very good write-up, especially the new 7 speed auto tranny which delivers the power bettwe thena before. i like the fact that they achive the HP/torque with the tubo or superchargers, espeicvially if you are going to buy instead of lease.

wiszmaster

look at the pontiac GTO ... ls2 engine, 400HP .. and drives very much like a european engineered car. & you know the engine & tranny will be solid.
i test drove the '05 model a few months back, and was honestly surprised. once you shut the door, its quiet inside, the door has a very solid & heavy feel to it, and they are pretty rattle free, surprisingly for an american made car.

i have a few friends who have them, and they all love them, most of them have had audi/bmw/mb & still prefer the GTO for many reasons.

and at $32,000 you can't beat solid reliable 400HP.

wiszmaster

besides the fact that MB has been having serious issues in the past 2 years, and mainenance is no longer included, which makes owning a MB just THIS MUCH MORE expensive.

alohalc

thanks to mitsubishi <_<.

yogibear458

We don't have the GTO here in Canada because of the stupid safety regulations. (same reason why we dont have the VW R32) And you can't even import 1 yourself.

We do get the mustang GT here. It's about 1/3 the cost of the SLK AMG and the mustang has a real manual tranny. I drove 1 and love the exhaust tune. The interior is not that great. I think the mustang is a great car for the track... abuse it all you want and the sell it in a coupleof years and still get a decent resale.

Merzbow

The Pontiac GTO is an Australian car.

yogibear458

MB Sales guy called me up yesterday and asked if I'd be interested in test driving a "press car" SLK55 AMG

EBMCS03

AMG built engines are AWESOME I think...

EBMCS03

And did you? waht did you think?

yogibear458

And did you? waht did you think?
[/quote]

YES I DID !!!

It was a sunny day… and I drove it first with the top down. The exhaust note (with the top down) was a lot more pronounced and aggressive than the SLK350 V6’s. Punched the gas pedal in a turn, and the rear stepped out just enough to make it fun before stability control kicked in. Punched the gas in the straights and the exhaust note was absolutely glorious and it felt a lot faster then my 545 steptronics. Gear shifts on the 7speed automatic were quick and I didn’t notice any downshift harshness as described in the Car and Driver review. I didn’t play with the steering wheel shift buttons.

The driving position is low, cornering was very flat, the feeling when going hot into a turn was similar to but more natural when compared to my 545 with Dynamic Drive. I felt the seat hugged my body quite well and my WHOLE body pushed out together with the car in hard turns. Whereas, on the 545, I feel my UPPER body pushes more against side bolster (comfort seat). That’s what I meant by “more natural”. I remember a similar “natural” feeling when I drove a WRX.

The ride is surprising comfortable for such a short wheelbase. I would say, it’s 10-30% firmer than a regular SLK350. And just a tad harsher than a 545 with sport package (run flats 33 front and 35psi rear).

I then drove with the top up. To my surprise, the exhaust note was not muted. I’d say it’s about 80% as glorious as when the top is down. This is a significantly different from the SK350 V6. With the V6 and the top up, I could barely hear the exhaust note but instead there’s a droning “mooooo” sound from the back of the car. Not very sports car like. But the V8 is a real beast.

Lastly, the steering is not as quick as I’d like. I guess I’m spoiled by Active Steering. But I think the AMG’s steering is still a bit quicker than then regular SLK350.

The June issue of Car and Driver mag has a full review. You can read about the performance numbers there. 0-60 in 4.3secs!!

There’s a production slot available in July for MY 06 and the car would be here by Sep this year. I can’t decide whether to get it this year since I bought two cars last Sep (the 545 and a VW GTI) for myself.. plus there's a wifemobile. Getting a fourth car for the 2 of us seems a bit too much. Although, my wife doesn’t mind the Benz as her summer car. I suppose I should get it while I’m still young