Tummy:
I, for one, had not, but I am a great fan of "Top Gear". And I thank you for posting the videos. Comments. The SLK 55 and the SL 55 are not, IMO, sports cars but GT cars (as are all SLKs and SLs), so judging them as "sports cars" may not be quite right. The S 2000, in pure stock form, is rather dead below 6K rpm (6K to 9K, hang on). But, some simple mods to the air intake (which I have done on mine) get you some real power as low as the 3.8K rpm range. In stock form, the S 2000 intakes all its air from within the engine compartment, and right on top of the radiator so it is nice and hot -- just the way we don't want it. With about $200 in aftermarket parts and a little fabrication, you can intake cool ram air from the grill, which allows the engine's "pre-VTEC" mode to really sing. It's a true sports car, and I've had one since '01.
As I hinted above, SLKs are GTs rather than true sports cars, and that's fine with me, because that is what I wanted when I bought my SLK 280. Under most situations, it is as fast or faster than the S 2000. And remember the part of the video where they showed that the S 2000's trunk could hold more than the 350z's? Well the S 2000 has a trunk of a well-designed 5.2 cu. ft. The SLK has a trunk of about 10 cu. ft. which is also well designed, and is the clear choice over the S 2000 (and surely the 350z) for road trips and shopping. |