I think that this thread brings up an important point. It is to drive the model and year car you are thinking of buying before buying it. Though the seats may be different in the '05 SLK 350 than our '07 SLK 280, I must say that we drove a number of '07 280s before buying one. The power seats in it "fit" us, without the need for a lumbar support. But this may not be true for all. Not all cars "fit" all people. Here's an example.
Back in late '03 we were in the market for a new sedan, with RWD. I drove the Mercedes C Class, the BMW 3 series, The Jaguar S type, and the Infinity G 35. I recommended the G 35 to my wife, who is 5' 2" tall. She was unable to drive the G 35 because when she got the seat up far enough to see over the rather tall hood and forward far enough to reach the pedals, her knees were banging against the lower part of the dash. As I am 5' 10" tall, the G 35 fit me fine. But as my wife would have to drive the selected sedan as well, I rejected it in favor of the MB C 320. It fit us both fine. An example of a problem turned into and advantage, IMO -- and now we own two Mercedes!
The OP on this thread may have different seats than are on our SLK, or perhaps the same seats but just a different body size and proportion. But what is to be learned from my experience back in late '03 is that the car must be tested to see if it fits the bodies of all who will drive it -- as some cars just don't.
In May '08 we drove our SLK 280 about 600 miles over a weekend on a Mercedes Benz Club road trip. I have a chronic back ailment. I personally could not have been in a more comfortable car -- for me and my body size and shape. But we all come in different shapes and sizes, and buying a car is somewhat like buying clothing. You have to try it on for size. |