Mercedes SLK cabriolet (2011-2015) - Interior & comfort
The Mercedes SLK is built for comfort, and can cover huge distances without breaking a sweat
The Mercedes SLK is less overtly sporty than the Porsche Boxster, with more of a focus on luxury, comfort and long-distance driving. It’s a strict two-seater, and you sit very low down with your legs stretched out in front of you, so it can take some getting used to. Our only complaint is the pedals, which are slightly offset to the right of the your feet. With the roof in place, the car feels light and airy inside, particularly if you choose the glass roof.
Mercedes SLK dashboard
The interior feels very high quality, with plenty of soft-touch materials in evidence on the dashboard. The metallic air vents look great, too.
All of the SLK seats we’ve tried offer exceptional comfort and adjust electrically to improve your driving position. Airscarf is a clever Mercedes option that’s designed to blow warm air on the back of your neck and is particularly welcome if you like driving with the roof down in winter. The Magic Sky Control is clever, too, adjusting the transparency of the glass roof to let in more or less sunlight depending on the conditions.
Equipment
The available trim levels are simply called SLK and SLK AMG Sport, but don’t be fooled into thinking everything you need comes as standard – these are just the starting point for your journey into the extensive options catalogue.
A leather steering wheel, air-conditioning, Bluetooth phone connectivity, 17-inch alloy wheels and a wind deflector are standard. The stereo offers DAB digital radio and a six-disc CD changer, with a 5.8-inch colour screen and a central controller dial to operate everything.
The AMG Sport trim adds 18-inch wheels, tinted rear lights, enhanced brakes, sports suspension, trim highlights and steering wheel shift paddles for the automatic gearbox.
Options
Airscarf is a worthwhile £395 option (only available with heated and leather seats), while the roof with Magic Sky Control costs £1,995.
Also costing £1,995, the COMAND Online system has a seven-inch colour display with sat nav and traffic information, along with a bunch of ports that allow you to connect USB storage, an SD card or an MP3 player.
Metallic paint colours cost between £645 and £1,125 and Mercedes even charges £50 for cup-holders in the centre console.
