23/12/09

• Price31,235
• We like...Looks; quiet at speed
• We don't...Ride when the top is down

Prestige two-seat sportster is, put simply, one of the sharpest lookers you can buy. But is there more to it than that?Look at this car, viewed head-on, and it’s one of the best lookers on the road – at any price. And that, for many buyers, settles the deal. And if they have a second thought, the simple fact that it’s a Mercedes-Benz steadies their hand.

But is it any good? The question’s a fair one because the previous model started life available only with an automatic gearbox and with a steering set-up better suited to the make’s limo-like big saloons. A sports car it was not. Neither was its boot much use for carrying luggage. Like the current car, its roof retracted neatly into the boot. But, when there, it took up most of the space.

For a start, you’ll not have that problem because the new one is designed to leave room for a suitcase. And it continues. Because unlike the old car it’s pretty good to drive.

Here, we’re pedalling the 200K which is the smallest-engined of the range and packs a four-cylinder engine and 184bhp. But it is quick, spirited even, if you rev it and those big twin exhausts give off a lovely burble.

Roof up, you’ll get the best of the car because it rides well. It’s quiet, too, even at motorway speeds. But once you lower the roof – something that happens quickly and easily once you operate a control between the seats – it loses body stiffness and that affects the way it drives. While it still feels reasonably solid, you notice that it can’t ease over the bumps as well. Which is a pity, because the cabin is cosy and a great place to sit, roof down. And there’s the air scarf system, which pipes warmth from the heater up through the headrests to keep the chills away in winter.

The steering, meanwhile, feels direct and predictable while in the dry, there’s ample grip from the tyres. But there’s not the precision and the ‘think and you’re there’ sense you’ll experience in the best sports cars – like a Mazda MX-5 or a BMW Z4. And because it’s relatively light and rear-wheel drive, it struggles when the roads turn icy.

You sit low in the car, behind a biggish, rather plain wheel but there’s good space inside for a tall driver and passenger and generous space in lockable storage bins. Our SLK was a 2Look special edition, which has black and white leather seats and a white inset across the dash. It looks good but the plastics used across the dash look and feel low-rent in places considering the car’s price.

Should you buy one? Looks alone will win you over, while the car’s popularity as a second-hand buy means it’ll fetch a good price when the time comes to move on. And if you’re after a pretty car to ooze round town in, it’ll be close to perfect. But if you’re buying it because it’s a sports car, there are others that’ll do better – BMW’s Z4 or Porsche’s Boxster, to name but two.

To view and buy new and second-hand SLKs – or any of over 150,000 other great cars, go to motors.co.uk

• Engines1.8 Supercharged petrol
• Power184bhp
• 0-60 mph7.6secs
• Economy35.8mpg
• CO2g/km188
• Insurance groups17
• EuroNCAP
• Airbags4
• Seats2

Motors.co.uk value verdict: