Mercedes Benz SLK 55 AMG vs. SLR

R171 represents the second generation of Mercedes-Benz SLK. Compared with the R170, R171 has larger dimensions. The Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class is a luxury roadster built by the German manufacturer Mercedes-Benz since 1997. The name was chosen to reflect the company's intentions for the car - that it be Sportlich (sporty), Leicht (light), and Kurz (short). There have been two generations of SLK cars from Mercedes-Benz. Like its predecessor, the second generation of the vehicle featured a retractable hardtop. Following the trend initiated by the R170 model, by the time the R171 was released, this had become an increasingly common feature in almost every new convertible introduced in the market, especially in Europe. The SLK was updated in 2004 with a new Formula One-inspired appearance and serious performance; the new model also took design cues from the Mercedes-Benz Vision SLA concept car, presented in 2000. The new R171-platform SLK was again on Car and Driver's Ten Best list for 2005, and it won the Canadian Car of the Year Best New Convertible award. Highlighting its potential appeal to women, New Zealand's Lucire magazine announced it as its 'Car to Be Seen in' for 2005. The current SLK is built in Bremen, Germany. A facelift of the R171, with more powerful engines and an updated front splitter was unveiled at the end of 2007. The SLK 200 now produces 135 kW (184 hp DIN) while the SLK 350 is upgraded to produce 224 kW (305 hp DIN). The SLK 280 and SLK 55 AMG engines remain unchanged. The SLK 280 will now be called an SLK 300 in some markets. The new models are expected around July, but can already be ordered. The updated SLK 55 AMG can be recognized by the blacked out portion of the front spoiler. A new Steering assist system is offered in which the gear teeth are cut at increasing frequency at either extreme to physically increase the ratio, rather than using power assist. Comand APS 2.5 is the new system which uses a hard drive based GPS map.