Open Road

It's time for top down enjoyment.

You get to stage in your life that you want to reward yourself or rid yourself of the minivan days and slip into something a little more comfortable. There are two vehicles that often get a lot of this attention and these are the Porsche 911 and the Mercedes SLK.

Porsche continues to update their 911 model to ensure that it remains on the shopping list of anyone looking at this segment. Although the Cayenne has become a top seller for Porsche over the last few years, the 911 is the still car that most people associate with the brand and Porsche knows this.

Mercedes has taken the popular SLK model and re-designed it bumper to bumper for 2012. In the showroom by the time this story gets out, the newly designed SLK is something that anyone who enjoys driving will want to take a look at. It has a front grill that resembles the very hot SLS AMG and an extremely appealing curb appeal with new body paneling. 

For many, performance in this category is important, but for many more, comfort is equally as important. Although we would love to get out on the track or the open road each weekend, the reality is that we want to be able to get in, have the top seamlessly go away, take a sip of our coffee and head out to the office, run errands and just enjoy every minute of the drive. Both the 911 and the SLK allow this. They are comfortable in the driver cockpit and easy to drive. Both manufacturers realize that people want this comfort and looks as much as the race inspired performance.

2012 Porsche 911
The 911 is a car that makes you smile each time you get behind the wheel. Porsche has, in the last couple years, started to incorporate the technology that buyers expect such as touch screen controls, ipod docking to allow all of your information to be downloaded for access while you are driving, bluetooth, etc. This makes the car appealing to the customer who is looking for features and performance, as many other manufacturers have incorporated into their sport models. For many years, Porsche maintained that performance came first, but they have quickly caught up any lost ground with the Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system with navigation and satellite radio.

Although Porsche is working hard to make sure that the 911 keeps up with technology and comfort, don’t let this fool you into thinking that the performance is being moved to second place by any means. The new 3.6l engine produces 345 HP and 288 ft lb of torque, which will make the butterflies in your stomach jump. The 6-speed PDK (Doppelkupplung) transmission actually has a faster 0-100 kph time than the manual transmission and makes this performance machine the best of both worlds in terms of exhilarating and easy to drive. Each time you start the 911, the sound of the exhaust will remind you of the heritage that you are about to drive out of your garage.

2012 Mercedes SLK 350
The Mercedes SLK has long been a fantastic looking car that appeals to many. A great roadster that has always had sex appeal and comfort. Easy to get in and out of and a great interior, Mercedes has really stepped on the gas with this re-design. It is sleeker-looking with a longer hood and that SLS-AMG looking grill, the interior is clean and functional and it has performance and fuel efficiency. With slightly larger doors, the new SLK is inviting you to get in, sit down and drive.

From the moment you get behind the wheel you feel like you just want to stay right there and drive for a long time. The SLK incorporates up to date driving technology including Attention Assist and an optional Panorama Roof featuring a see through panel on the hard top convertible and all of the audio and navigation technology that you will require A great new feature is the Mercedes AIRSCARF. This feature allows us in Winnipeg to drive a little longer into the Fall with warm air blowing around your neck area to keep you comfortable which also adjusts based on your speed.

As summer begins and with our fall season seeming to be longer in recent years, now may be the time that you get behind the wheel and see which one is for you. Take our word, after driving both models, we can say for certain that you will not miss your minivan days for very long. You could also find that you may be looking for a longer route to the office.