Subjective considerations are a big part of choosing any vehicle, but none more so than a sports car. Perceptions of just what a sports car is can vary widely amongst those in the market for one.

This has been reinforced this year with the introduction of the Mercedes-Benz SLK, at the same time as two rivals from Germany. The SLK has a different personality from the others.

But it still very much has the personality of a Mercedes. Its styling is wedgy, purposeful, and not embellished with gimmicks, except perhaps for the chrome “Kompressor” script on the fenders. Most people seeing the SLK for the first time didn’t know that it stood for “supercharger.” It marks a return to forced induction for Mercedes, which of course has a history in the company, having been employed on their sports and racing models of the ’20’s and ’30’s.

That supercharger is mounted on the 2.3 litre four cylinder engine also found in the C-Class sedans. Internally, it is standard fare for a modern engine, having double overhead cams and four valves per cylinder. As well, it has variable valve timing, which has become necessary technology on any high-performance engine.

And performance there is, bearing in mind this is a four. It pumps out 191 horsepower, but that isn’t the main story. Supercharged engines have always been torquey devils, and this one boasts a torque curve that is more of a plateau, with peak pulling power available from 2,500 to 4,800 rpm. What this all means is that this engine is very responsive under all normal driving conditions.

Under a heavy throttle foot, the engine sings a raspy tune we expect from neither a four cylinder nor a supercharged motor.

Carrying on with the mechanical description, the SLK comes with a five-speed automatic transmission. That’s it, no ifs, ands or buts. There is no manual transmission available, at least in North America.

This has been the source of much hand-wringing amongst reviewers of the SLK. They say, how can a sports car not have a manual transmission available?

Mercedes says they are responding to consumer demand, which is likely given the SLK’s target market, more about which later. Of course, there is also the cost of certifying an entirely different drivetrain for emissions, and amortizing it over the comparatively low volume of SLK’s they expect to sell.

More than anything, though, we figure that Mercedes expects to sell every SLK automatic they make, at the price they are asking for them. A waiting list reported to be around a year-long in the Vancouver area is testament to that.

Reports have the Euro-spec manual SLK being quite a transformed car, but for now at least, we’ll have to do without. Pity.

Having said that, the auto box is a good one, with the most up-to-date adaptive control. It reacts to how quickly the driver presses and releases the accelerator. So on a twisty road driven enthusiastically, it will downshift quickly and delay its upshifts. Easy driving equals easy shifting and better fuel economy.

There are no surprises with the rest of the hardware, given the three-pointed star on the hood, and the SLK’s mission in life. The suspension is double wishbone up front and five link in back. The brakes are big and thick, with anti lock, of course.

Mercedes continues to resist using the now-common rack-and-pinion steering set up, in favor of a recirculating ball design. That may mean little to you, but in driving, the SLK’s steering is a little heavy feeling on center, and not as lively on turn-in as other sporty cars. But you get used to it.

Mercedes went for the retro look inside the SLK. The instruments have chrome rings around ivory faces, and there are some shiny accents, too, for that ’50’s look. It is almost incongruent that there is a large patch of, apparently, simulated carbon fibre on the dash, as well. I guess there has to be some connection to the ’90’s.

Those who heard about the SLK probably know that we have saved the best part of it for last. And that is its top. If you don’t know about it, it isn’t some mundane manual soft top. Oh no, not that for Mercedes.

With one touch of a console-mounted button, what appears to be a fixed hardtop folds in half and disappears beneath the trunk lid. Operating it in a public place is sure to attract a crowd of onlookers marvelling at the engineering involved. A hydraulic pump is linked to five hydraulic cylinders and numerous switches, to open the trunk and fold the roof. Interestingly, the trunk lid opens backwards for the top, and the regular way for normal use as a trunk.

Of course, with the top folding into the trunk, a lot of space is taken up. There is still useful space in the deep trunk under the folded top, but not lots of it. Of course, you have to plan ahead when packing. If you want to fill the trunk, you won’t be putting the top down. And of course, there is no other way to drive the SLK. Catch 22, if you like.

The SLK is a bit of an enigma in some regards. There is no doubt of its style and panache, nor of its safe, solid construction and image as a Mercedes-Benz. On the other hand, those of us who see sports cars as being light-feeling and equipped with a clutch might feel a bit perplexed with it.

So who is the SLK appealing to? A couple of clues. Everywhere we went, it was the women who really went ga-ga over it. And, we hear that a lot of sales are being made to women, many of whom live in households that already have a Mercedes product in the garage.

Now we get it. And there is nothing wrong with that, of course. The SLK is more of a sporty image car, a drop-top GT, than an out-and-out sports car, at least to some of us.

To everybody else, it’s a sports car through and through. It all depends on how you perceive it.

SPECIFICATIONS