It may be newer but better is debatable. So you spent 4x the amount for the 55 in order to gain 0.2 here and 10 hp there? Wait till you see the price for parts and repairs. Seems to be alot of post on M/B forums debating the reliability of the SLK55. M/B has released a butt-load of updated parts to fix numerous problems. One of the major complaints...
The biggest problem is the gearbox though - it simply isn't up to the job and ruins the fun at every opportunity. Try manually shifting up on the redline and instead of punching home the next gear the box dithers, sending you crashing into the rev limiter.
Heck, they've even started threads on the M/B forums to inform others of the problems these cars have...
List Your Problems For The SLK55 AMG - MBWorld.org Forums
And nobody gives diddly squat about Top Gear and particularly Jeremy Clarkson. But if Top Gear means so much to you, then you must have seen their yearly episodes on the reliability ratings for all the cars they've driven, and how they consistently dump all over the M/Bs, which haven't done too well with the JD Powers ratings either.
I, on the other hand, based my decision to buy a Xfire on the episode of "Test Drive" where Tommy Kendall, a real professional racecar driver (and not some muted "Stig") while doing 140 mph in the Xfire on the Autobahn, took his hands off the steering wheel and exclaimed to the camera that this was the fastest and most stable passenger car he has ever driven off the track!
SOLD!!!
And they weren't laughing at us over on the G8 forums...
http://www.g8board.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48655
By the way, how about some pics of your precious 55, so we know that you're not just blowing smoke up our skirts..!!
