Climb inside the SLK and suddenly it's 1955 again. Mercedes-Benz interior stylists have unabashedly opted for a retro look to the cozy cockpit. The three circular instruments-one a speedometer, one a tachometer, and the other a combination fuel level/coolant temperature dial-have chrome rings around ivory faces with black numerals and red needles. Shiny accents are applied in numerous places, and a two-tone effect combines black dashboard top, door panels, seat sides, glove box lid and center console with contrasting trim in the buyer's choice of red, blue, dark gray or light gray.But there is nothing old-fashioned about the SLK's safety features. Beyond dual front and side airbags, Mercedes has developed separate rollover bars behind driver and passenger. A circuit has been added to the airbag system that detects a child's seat mounted in the passenger side and disables the dash-mounted bag in front of it. The seats, too, are modern as can be. No vintage sports car ever had such comfortable and supportive seats. And no open car of the past protected its occupants from the wind as well the SLK's mesh wind deflector, which fits over the rollover bars. All controls are located in clusters for easy use. Air conditioning and a fine Bose six-speaker sound system are standard. The entire interior is finished off to the high quality level you'd expect to find in a Mercedes-Benz.
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