Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Mercedes-Benz brings the power with newly redesigned SLK 350

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Who needs a double espresso when you’ve got this angry little tyrant? The recently redesigned Mercedes-Benz SLK 350 convertible may not fit the bill for big and tall motorists – that’s why Goddess made Mustangs – but its 3.5 liter, 6-cylinder, 7-speed transmission engine provided plenty of ferocity during a recent test up to New Paltz, New York. There, I carved corners, stepped on it when the coast was clear, spun the car’s racy flat-bottom steering wheel left and right to my heart’s content and dug its 11-speaker, 500-wattharman/kardon surround sound system. 

The SLK-350 comes with three different engines – a 4-cylinder turbo, a V-8 and my tester, a V-6.  Prices start at $54,800 for the base engine, and naturally rise from there as you move up in power. The list of SLK goodies is long and luxurious, too. Smart-looking 18-inch wheels, fine interior wood trim, LED daytime running lamps, adaptive bi-xenon headlamps, heated seats, keyless start, leather seats, 8-way power sports seats all come with.

And where to visit, once in New Paltz? Mohonk Mountain House.  One doesn’t merely arrive at this turreted seven-story structure, stretching nearly 1/8 of a mile and surrounded by more than 28,000 acres of state park land and private preserves. One instead wafts gently out of 2012 into 1869, when the property was first built. Horses clip-clop past the front entrance. Guests row boats and paddle canoes and kayaks on the lake around the back of the building.  Mohonk’s architects, bricklayers and first guests have long since departed the building but their work lives on, and it is masterful. There is much to do and things to see as well as specials galore, and they got that internet, too. www.Mohonk.com

When you’re done visiting your castle, will you be revving the SLK 350 through a snowstorm, helping a pal move a pool table, or lugging a set of drums to a gig? No. But that’s not the point when your top comes down in a mere 20 seconds and you’ve got crisp metallic trim on your gauges, controls and air vents reminiscent of Benz’s SLS AMG supercar.  This is a here-now car – or, rather, here and gone.

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