By Oh Young-jin
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Maybe that is not true. Perhaps, it can be judged in absolute terms, dividing everything into two categories: beautiful and unbeautiful.
Or the beholder gains so much attachment to the thing he is looking at that he mistakes subjectivity for objectivity. In the end, all rhetorical exercises prove to be irrelevant. It all comes down to taking a look at yourself and making a decision.
That was what happened during my short tryst with the 2012 Mercedes SLK 200 BlueEFFICIENCY.
The front of the car looked as if it were a big-mouthed whale shark but once you turn the corner for a look at its body, it proves to be tiny. What will surprise you even more is a drop-off back that can’t accommodate even one golf bag.
So is this account about the latest SLK contradicting itself? It started as a paean but is ending a poignant critique? If it sounds like that, blame the writer’s jealousy.
In self-correction, the comparison with the big ugly shark was partially wrong because it was intended to highlight a surprise in the roadster’s contour, not its features. That unexpected design makes one sigh, reminding one of the well-sculpted curvature found in women of nude paintings of the Renaissance era. Even those with a predilection for skinny models can find it voluptuous and inviting, mechanically speaking.
One amateur car lover commented, “It looks more Mercedes-classical when seen from the front but the back is a totally different affair.” He didn’t say what he was comparing it with _ the 2010 version has undergone a major facelift. I would say under my breath, “The SLK is the SLK, not the SL.”
That appeared wrong once inside.
The car gives the driver a cocoon-like sense of safety, a sensation that comes with an expensive two-seater, but it didn’t last long.
If you clocked 3 hours and less than 300 kilometers, the joy would be replaced with the agony of back pain. A slippery road with a light shower of snowflakes is all it takes to make the maximum 260 kilometer-per-hour odometer irrelevant. It is brought to a crawl. Then, a sense of claustrophobia would set in.
Don’t blame her. It’s not her fault. It’s the man’s fault.
Wait a minute. Are we sure that she is a woman?
Because on dry patches on wet roads, one can stamp on the accelerator and it responds with a roar. It was not quite that of a fully-grown tiger but closer to that of a tigress that is ending puberty.
According to the online Convertible Car Magazine, the SLK 200 takes 7 seconds to reach 100 kilometers per hour from zero. Of course, the bigger versions ― the 250 and 350 ― are far faster.
Mercedes Benz Korea says that it is marketing the SLK 200s only in a turnaround from its practice of selling bigger vehicles. An official say that its decision is aimed at making the SLK more accessible to young buyers. The sales for January and February were over 100, not bad for a sports car. Its available from 67.5 million won and the Magic Sky Control, the new feature for the skylight roof on the retractable hardtop, alone costs an additional 4 million won.
Enough plugging. It all comes down to whether you want an SLK 200 over a BMW Z4 or Audi TT.
My vote would go for the SLK because it was so long ago that I rode in the BMW roadster and the Quattro that there is no real comparison to be made. Can we call it a win by default or argue SLK draws a bye?
Still, if one is a Casanova who preys on beautiful cars, the SLK (BlueEFFICIENCY) would not be one he would easily forget.
Oh Young-jin is The Korea Times' publisher and president. He began to work at The Korea Times in 1988 as a sports writer. Then, he worked as a reporter and later as editor at the City Desk, Business Desk and Politics Desk. He worked as chief editorial writer before taking the current position. He has a keen interest in politics as well as defense affairs.