Sportlich (sporty), Leicht (light), and Kurz (compact). The Mercedes SLK’s are all that and more. And they seem to come in unicorn pairs for me. About 18 months ago I covered a pair of SLK55’s here, and today we have an SLK250 and an SLK55. Let’s start with the 2013 SLK250, mostly because it’s cheaper and has a rare 6-speed manual transmission. It’s no rocket with only a 1.8 liter 201 hp turbo-four, but it is nimble. And good looking.
The 2013 SLK250 appointed like this one, with “air scarf”, heated seats, and a decent audio system ran about $50,000 new. It’s half that now. It’s also only been driven about 4,000 miles annually. It got reasonably good reviews here in Auto Guide back in 2013. Sporty. Light. Compact. Find this accident free car here in Knoxville, Tennessee. Keep scrolling for the badass SLK, though.
This is more my style. A 2014 SLK55 AMG, stuffing a naturally aspirated 5.5 liter V-8 in the same hood hole as the SLK250 above. Good for 415 hp and a 4.2 second 0-60 mph hour run it’s a whole lot faster than the 250. No manual transmission, this one comes with a seven speed automatic.
CarMax claims the car is fully loaded, although it’s really the same as the SLK250. It’s all about the motor. And the brakes. And the suspension. This SLK is a performance car, no doubt. It sold new for a good $77,000 and is also a little less than half price, if you will. Mileage is higher. MaxCare a must. Both of these hardtop convertibles make for year round driving fun. Find this 2014 SLK55 AMG here in San Jose, California.
