I have been defending the faith againt the MD'S wife who has test driven both cars this weekend. She said the SLK was far better and quicker, but the stats dont suggest that. What do you think?
z4 2.01 or 1.8 merc slk??
- Thread starter marypoppins
- Start date
Not sure you're going to get an un-biased opinion on here!
Having tried both, and boiling it down... The Z is a bit more sporty IMHO but the SLK rides softer if you want better comfort. There's not THAT much between them, so it depends on which style appeals more. Personally while I don't think the Z build quality is all that, I found a lot more interior squeaks and rattles on the SLK I test drove last year. Doesn't seem much to pick between the brands there either, some are good, some are bad.
I test drive both before I bought the zed and I agree that the slk had more squeaks coming from the roof area. The zed is a bit more practical in term of boot space and looks better in my opinion. The zed is also more sporty and agile but the slk has a more comfortable ride. If the zed had a little bit more comfortable ride and there was a way to eliminate the bouncing rear end on very bad roads it would have won the competition by miles for me. I am still in the search on improving the comfort and eliminating that bouncing rear end so I believe I will achieve the optimum result.
She thinks it is? :|
I keep forgetting about the e89 well that changes things... Don't know how as I know nothing about either car really lol.Another 2k for the glass roof, apparently :thumbsdown:
shotbybothsides
Member
I'm not defending SLK's on a Z4 forum obviously but it is a bit more than a £2K sheet of glassmarypoppins said:
Electronics to the particles in the glass make it go dark, and tinted etc, quite cool if you like that sort of thing.
And they have the airscarf which is a great idea.
If they still did a 3.0 manual gearbox I might be tempted
I could point at any number of trinkets on the e89 that cost a bomb... BMW can whack on the old extras like there's no tomorrow, Merc aren't alone there. The SLK isn't a bad car, its personal preference like anything else. For me, I felt it wasn't as well built, albeit it looked like a nice interior. I was looking for something more robust than the e89 interior in terms of odd noises but could not find a single convertible of any brand that didn't make noise in one place or another.
I drove both before settling on the Z4. Downsides of the merc are the sluggish auto box and completely dead steering. Looks wise its subjective. I do prefer the Z4 looks much more than the SLK now, though. Interior finish felt more upmarket in the SLK although not as aesthetically nice.
The glass roof is a really nice addition on the SLK. Ironically all of them are made with the basic one in but will come with it blocked out by the headlining unless you want to pay £400 odd to have the headlining that allows you to see through it, which costs about half as much for the part if you want to do it yourself. The £2000 glass roof option is the Magic Sky, which lets you control the opacity.
The glass roof is a really nice addition on the SLK. Ironically all of them are made with the basic one in but will come with it blocked out by the headlining unless you want to pay £400 odd to have the headlining that allows you to see through it, which costs about half as much for the part if you want to do it yourself. The £2000 glass roof option is the Magic Sky, which lets you control the opacity.
I've put 1300 miles on my new SLK 250 CDI so far and love it. Different animal to the Z4, but very comfortable to drive, feels a lot more solid, great build quality and definitely no creaks or rattles from the roof. The 7 speed auto, 500 Nm of torque and twin turbo means it can certainly shift! 
The diesel can sound a bit growly when cold, but loosening up nicely now.
The petrol SLK's only have a single turbo.
Looks are subjective, and from some angles I agree the Z4 looks better, but the SLK certainly has road presence in AMG Sport trim.
The diesel can sound a bit growly when cold, but loosening up nicely now. The petrol SLK's only have a single turbo.
Looks are subjective, and from some angles I agree the Z4 looks better, but the SLK certainly has road presence in AMG Sport trim.
