This is an admission, no, an about face. After a personal impasse over the new SLK roadster and many clumps of pulled hair from red knuckled hands, I am finally willing to admit that I got it wrong. The first time I drove one I thought it was good. The next two times I drove one I realised it really wasn’t. Of course I’ll pass the buck as much as possible, the blame lying with, but not limited to: Western Cape cold fronts, errant traffic, the dog eating my homework, take your pick, but at the end of the day I’m willing to own up to flip-flopping here.

Mercedes-Benz say the SLK invented the folding, tin-top segment 16 years ago, so you know there’s going to be a big bulls-eye on the back of its head. The underdogs, the pretenders have it a lot easier – more room to move, more room to experiment with controversial design and technology that may hit or miss, but by virtue of being segment leader, the SLK has to play it safe.

Mercedes-Benz pumps hundreds of millions of dollars into their R&D and then consider the product costs, the retooling of factories to make the new SLK, the shipping to get them into the country and the marketing budgets. It behoves Mercedes-Benz to make the launch event pretty spectacular then. There’s no point in investing so much time and money, only to have the cars arrival be a coffee and koeksister affair somewhere in Kempton Park.

For the SLK, Mercedes-Benz launched the car in Stellenbosch, to showcase its skills over and above its weaknesses, over some challenging roads to test the dynamics, have plenty of space for the engines to stretch their legs and hopefully take in some gorgeous Cape scenery… it is a drop top after all. On that particular day last August, however, the weather was shocking. Fierce, pile-driving rain, kilometers of cloud above, so the roof stayed very much up and any dynamic driving was hamstrung by the wet.

On that soggy day, however, I still remember being taken with the SLK – styling wise, comfort wise and interior wise. Okay, the long, wide grille might not be to everyone’s taste, but it worked for me that day. The SLK 350 was much faster and firmer with the AMG Performance Pack fitted, than I was expecting, and well, the SLK 200 was the baby, for estate agents presumably.

Fast forward to this week and I found myself with the SLK 350 and sunny weather. An eager 225 kW and 370 Nm V6 to play with, an AMG Sport Pack to lust over and no marketing speak whispered into my ear. Were my first impressions from a soggy Stellenbosch still correct?

Well, what I got right on the launch was the comfort. The ride, even with the Performance Pack fitted, is sublime and it’s easy to drive in an everyday way. The interior too, is just as I had evaluated, a great mix of chrome, leather and sturdy materials. The little glass dishes behind the headrests, meant to shield occupants from wind, are a worthy addition too. It makes a good noise in the middle of its normally aspirated rev range and has a rawness that’s quite refreshing over the very clinical, grippy and precise BMW Z4.

What I failed to recognise, however, was that the steering assistance is over powering. It’s a system that weights up as you go faster, so understandably I see now, thrashing it around wet, mountain passes exclusively on the launch day; I thought it was fine… a little soft, but fine. Now having full access to it on an everyday basis, I realise it’s not weighty enough. The feeling through your fingertips should be a huge part of the rear-wheel drive experience. The front wheels are free to do nothing else but steer, but it’s just such a poor communicator. The roof also cannot be opened or closed while you’re on the move, unlike the BMW Z4 that works up to speeds of 30 km/h and can even be remotely opened from the key fob, the ‘must-have’ high street posing accessory.

I remember commenting on the launch that the 7G-Tronic automatic gearbox was a little sluggish dishing up its changes. The gearbox may perform an admirable balancing act between sensible economy needs and occasional sportiness, but with the ‘E’ for economy mode engaged, the engine and gearbox interface feel like they’ve gone to sleep. This sloppy feeling infiltrates the entire driving experience, so you decide to flick around the paddle shifters. They work slowly. Not tectonic plate slowly, but slow enough for you to notice you’re backing off the pace. The ‘S’ for sport mode should be its default setting.

Another obvious thing I’ve noticed now is how cumbersome the SLK 350 feels around the bends. Not helped by the rubbery steering at all. This is small car and your butt cheeks should feel connected to those back wheels, but they just don’t. I want the four corners of the car to feel like they’re connected to an inflexible fulcrum as I direct proceedings from behind the wheel, but again, they just don’t. Driving in the wet on the launch day, helped hide this fact from me. I gave consideration to the conditions, but now, in the dry, I still backed off the pace. With the roof down there is also a semblance of scuttle shake in the chassis, but not anymore than other two-seater roadsters. The bellowing exhaust note at the correct revs is thrilling enough I have to say, when teamed with a steep enough cliff face.

Back in the real world with the car back in ‘E’ for economy mode, what I didn’t consider was the envy factor. The SLK 350 may not be a razor sharp sports car, but it is the absolute envy of everyone who passes it by. Begrudgingly or not, it has the high street all to itself when the roof is down and you have your blond girlfriend in the passenger seat. If you’re into that sort of thing, this car is like the turn of spring, rendering everything green with envy as it rolls past.

So what we can take from this story overall, is that you should try read between the lines about a car driven at its launch – as should the journalists driving them. Journalists should be the first to admit we can be distracted, misguided, blindsided by any number of things on a launch drive. Traffic, a thunder shower, or a looming deadline the next day can take you out of the crisp, subjective zone. Manufacturers know this to, and try their best to weigh the odds in their favour, but it’s all part of the game. It may have taken me five months to suss out the Mercedes-Benz SLK, but this here is my final answer.

What we like…

• The envious neighbours.
• V6 delivers some madness in the middle of its revs.
• Very comfortable and efficient.

What we would like…

• Much more dynamism from behind the wheel.
• A roof that retracts on the move.
• Someone to throw that gearbox into the back of the factory.