In case you Mercedes-Benz fans were feeling a little jealous of the new BMW 3-Series Sedan, the arrival of the 2012 SLK55 AMG should cure your purple rage. The baby Benz gets a serious makeover in AMG trim, with more in-your-face styling, a tighter chassis and suspension, and, of course, a lot more power.

This time, AMG stuffs the engine bay with a guttural sounding 415-horsepower 5.5-liter V8, making this the most potent SLK ever. Yet the designers still kept a foot in the real world, by including cylinder cutoff during cruise mode, and an automatic start-stop function to save fuel. But these green technologies do nothing to diminish the SLK55 AMG’s devastating firepower, or delightfully sharp handling.

Specifications

  • Engine: 5.5-liter V8
  • Horsepower: 415