Driving the length of the Canary Island of Tenerife is roughly equivalent to leaving my driveway in Huntington Beach and motoring up the California coast to Malibu. Driving up the California coast I see beaches, a bit of low-altitude forest, and miles of urban sprawl. If I'm lucky the drive culminates in a parking spot leading to pancakes and good coffee. Traversing Tenerife means starting on a tropical beach, climbing through lush jungle, eventually finding a high desert that gives way to forest, and finally culminating in a volcanic wasteland that looks more like the surface of Mars than a tourist trap for Europeans. Luckily, the 2012 Mercedes SLK350 is not only great for all-season touring, but all ecospheres as well.
Forget what you know about SLKs of the past. You might think of them as hairdressers' cars or beach cruisers for 20-something trophy wives, and you would be correct. For 2012, Mercedes has refined the entry-level roadster into something entirely different, something you might even be able to call a sports car while keeping a straight face.
The most obvious change is the styling. It's reminiscent of the SLS AMG, the supercar that harkens back to the iconic 300SL Gullwing and an era when sports car racers wore leather helmets and warmed up with pre-race martinis. The elongated nose adds a classic touch to the more modern squat dimensions. The hood hangs over the grille, a daring move in the day of jelly-bean-shaped cars that avoid any styling that doesn't look like it was formed with a frosting spatula. The SLK manages to carry classic features without falling into the retro trap. It's unique without being over-styled or kitschy. The sharper radius curves and bulging fenders make the SLK borderline manly. Borderline.
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