From a SLK to a 370Z...
 

Did you own a Mercedes Benz SLK before the 370Z? If so, please share your observations. I currently have a SLK and am considering purchase of a 370Z.

Thanks in advance.

You'll love the 370Z coming from an SLK. I'm assuming you're looking at a roadster?

There is quite a large difference in performance in the two cars. The Z has much better feel and handles a lot better, it's also a good bit quicker.

My GF is an MB fanatic and we spent quite a bit of time looking at the SLKs.

Thanks. I am considering a coupe. Did you own a SLK and drive it for 10,000 miles or more?

Never owned one, but have driven one and that was enough to tell me it isn't really a sports car like the Z... it seemed more of a somewhat fun, cute roadster. The Z is far and away more performance oriented.

Thanks again. Hopefully I will hear from folks who have owned SLKs.

Ben, I have experience with the S and E classes but nothing specific with the SLK short of rides here and there. Both cars are nice and it really depends on what you want my friend. If you are looking for a ride that will provide you a more involved driving experience then the z fits the bill. If you are big into all the sensors and goodies(smoother suspensions, quieter ride, more body roll) in the Benz plus the statute that comes with it then you know which road to follow. I don't think you'll miss the $500 oil changes plus $1500+ maintenance costs for virtually anything else on the Benz should you decide to get a Z. Having said that, the Z is a better value car and is a lot more fun.

I also own a German Buick (E350). I am interested in comparisons of the 370Z with an R171 SLK from people who have owned both. Thanks.

I understand sir, hopefully you'll pick the Z once you get your comparison :tiphat:

Have you had a chance to test drive the Z yet?

That's a very limited source pool to pick from. I haven't seen anyone here that said they traded in an SLK for a Z. Hope you find someone.

:rolleyes:

Exactly. I don't need to own an SLK to be qualified to state my opinion (again, this is just my opinion....) that the Z is superior in all aspects. I too, looked at a used 2007 SLK before purchase of the Z. Wife and I test drove it overnight from a dealership here. The only things it holds over the Z were the more elegant name and look, and a fancy hard drop top.

Upon driving it for about 30 or so miles, I found the following nuances:

1) Interior quality is sub par
2) The shifter is very vague feeling and throws are very long. It just feels "loose".... compared to a notchy snick-snick feel of the Z or any other real sports car
3) The handling was boaty compared to the Z
4) The engine, though a 350 version, was very coarse.... at least I expected smoother from an MB. Put it this way, it's no BMW in terms of smoothness.
5) The car is very "chic"... my wife loved the look. But it's not really "manly" in all senses of the word.
6) Was also told/notified about high maintenance prices and bad overall quality.

Needless to say, we passed on it, returned it the next day, and continued on our search. The Z surpassed the SLK in all categories, particularly value, sportiness, looks, and ride.

Good luck with your decision.

My wife had a SLK55. Car is great for cruising and straight line acceleration, but it didn't handle nor was it cheap to maintain. We got rid of it for an SUV. It's a nice car in its own right, but it is not a track car

No. I did drive a 350Z a few years ago. There was a lot to like about it but I was turned off by the general lack of road feel through the steering. This may have been addressed in the 370Z. Once I narrow things down a bit, if the Z is still on the short list, I will definitely try to arrange a long enough test drive to form an opinion. There are very good cars that fit different people and their requirements differently. Thanks for the note.

I agree. A friend of mine owns a SLK. I wasnt behind the wheel of the car but was a passenger. It was a nice, smooth, quite ride. Not agile and nimble like the Z. SLK is a luxury coupe, Z on the other hand, is a %100 raw performance.

You should definitly test drive one. Good luck with the decision :tup:

Call your local dealer and schedule a test drive. People here can tell you their opinions all day, but in the end its your opinion that matters, isn't it? :icon14:

Before my Z I drove a 2005 Crossfire SRT6, which is basically a rebadged SLK. All the components from hoses, to exhaust, to supercharger are badged Mercedes. That car was awesome! The power from that FI v6 was amazing. That being said, I think the ride, comfort and handling of the Z are much better. I went 207 350Z to the SRT6 and now to a 2011 370Z. Hope that opinion helps, it is after all, just my two cents. :tiphat:

I currently own an SLK and was pleasantly surprised with the handling, once I got used to it's eccentricities. It even delivers fairly good fuel economy on the big road. Incidentally it is a roadster (retractable HT) rather than a coupe and isn't all that quiet. <g> I am just thinking about getting something different and have never owned a Z.

Yes. The Crossfire was built on the previous generation (R170) SLK platform. Thanks.

I own a SLK350 and recently bought a 2011 370z, we are comparing two different cars here.

The merz is more classy and elegant, definitely fit better as a daily
driver cause it has a smoother ride, and more quiet.

The Z is loud, more aggressive and definitely have more power. Handling wise i think the Z is far more superior.


If you like to cruise around in town with your wife/gf then stay with the more luxurious SLK. If you like to drive a lil more aggressive, like the sound of a louder engine and faster sports car, go with the Z

Thanks. What model year SLK did you have? How long did you own it and how many miles did you put on it v. the 370Z?

Thanks again.

op- just go test drive one. end of story.

:iagree:

If you think your SLK handled well, then you need to test drive a Z. However, the 370 is not quiet by any means. A lot of people complain about the noise. I for one, love the noise... lol.

Amen.

Its a 2009 . I have the Z for 2 months and it is now my daily driver. The Z is more of a wow factor comparing to the slk thats for sure. But like everyone else said, test drive one and get an on experience with it

Ben,

FWiW, I got my wife one of the first ML-320s in 98. We used to enjoy driving around that first year, spotting maybe 1-3 other MLs a week. Then the vehicle got too popular.

Another issue we had was that routine warranty & maintenance work always included about 12-15 pages of other stuff than we had ordered, apparently chargebacks to the Mercedes factory for various recall campaigns. A lot of the time, we were pretty sure there was nothing wrong with what was being "fixed".

When we got to the end of the 50K warranty period, the string of $700 bills started arriving ... aimed at US. Mass air sensor? $700. Inside rear latch defective? (We never tried to open the hatch from the inside.) $700. A simple oil change & filter was at least $200. And you couldn't get 3rd-party work for something as simple as brakes pads, because they all said Mercedes controlled the supply of parts.

The happiest day for my wife was the day she got this car for her 50th birthday. The second-happiest was the day we traded it away.

We like the SLK a lot, but it's another 40 miles to the next-nearest Mercedes dealer, and it's just too much to pay for a car that looks like a Hyundai. My wife's happy in her current Acura TL. I'm happy in my Z. And we both fight over who gets to use the Honda Element. :)

:icon18::iagree: It's like most of the sensors are designed to break just shy of the 50K warranty and then begins the fun part. I left the sunroof slightly open and of course it rained, $1500 to fix sensor, no 3rd party shop wanted anything to do with it, hydraulic sensor went bad $1500, passenger side HID unit went bad $2000. Maintenance for the Z on the other hand is so much cheaper and parts are easier to get imo.

Dude. just get the damn Z its better. And Women Love it just ask my aunt :rofl2:that went from 2011 SLK to 2011 Z love at first site, but a brand spanking new Z its really harsh, noisy, nasty, clunky, after about 6k miles it becomes much smoother better and if you put diff tiers on it it becomes much quieter. I must admit the seats are sooooo comfortable :rofl2:

Very different cars. My ex-gf used to have the previous gen SLK350 and I prefer the look of those to the new models. IMO SLK has much better fit and finish to the interior and much more luxury than the Z at a higher price point of course. If you want a real sports car feel, then go with the Z. It's raw and has a better driving experience overall.

For luxury roadsters, I prefer the BMW Z4... but if I could afford it, SLK55 AMG all the way.

If you liked the 350z at all, you'll LOVE the 370z. It's that much better. Definitely get some seat time, and after the first turn and a long hard pull I'm sure you'll be sold. The SLK is one of the most feminine MB's, the AMG version is at least pretty to look at but still for the price you could have a much more fun BMW, Audi or Porsche. The SLK should remain only for the ladies.

:icon17:

It's that damn Mercedes SDS. We had a crank position sensor go out on my gf's CLK500. It's maybe $50 for the part but since you have to have it done by the dealer it's $700. You can't just plug in a new sensor and go... it has to be programmed. :facepalm:

As long as nothing breaks it is fine, though. Regular maintenance is easily a DIY job... oil changes, brakes, etc. But there's always that "out of warranty" cloud over your head whenever you drive it...

i know your pain, problem with the one i had is that it wouldn't throw a code for that, it would just randomly die going down the road if it got too hot and killed the sensor. i swore off mb's after that.

:icon17: you've gone through those funny experiences with Mercedes, labor charges are simply outrageously outrageous ;) and the ratio of part to labor disproportionate. Mechanically speaking, the engine is as solid as a rock and you can do all you want to it, it won't break; problem lies within all the sensors in the car as they are bound to break at some point. I used to laugh at the strategic positioning of the fancy sofa right by the cashier desk. I saw this lady almost ***check spoiler*** when she got hit with the bill.

All I can add is that the Z will actually let you defeat the traction control, whereas the AMG SLK55 pretends to let you turn it off, but shuts down the party immediately if you do ANYTHING fun. SLK is anti-rad, no opposite lock=not interested.

Mike

yep. Went from an slk designo to my z. Love both cars and they are quite different vehicles. The z is a true sports car. the slk is a cruiser

I've ridden in the passenger seat of an SLK350. I could tell there were lots of electronics working beneath the car to keep it in line. I feel it's Mercedes' version of a sports car, if that makes sense. . .

Anyway, the 370z is much more masculine and muscle. .. from the V6 to the notchy shifter to the exhaust.

I think so, too.the Z is a better value car ,my friend's Z run well,and he had been install a new parking camera,For Added Security.

The trend here is obvious......the SLK is a chick car, just like the EOS and Eclipse are too. Man up....get the Z.

lol, why can't you just plug it in? aren't they all identical? how do you "program" a sensor anyway?

Because when you plug it in it doesn't work... There must be some code associated with the sensor that is programmed in SDS to allow the ECU to communicate with it... who knows aside from it being a PITA. :icon17:

Whatever... it just makes me like the Z and 5.0 more... I can actually work on those in my garage.