It had been ages since our paths last crossed. That past relationship was marked by my admittedly critical nature and what I perceived as her shortcomings – she was a bore to travel with and had a lackluster appearance. We parted on less than favorable terms.

Then she showed up at my office one day, transformed by a stunning new look and obvious confidence. She had a week to kill before heading home.

Though our time together was brief, I’ll always hold dear those seven days I shared with her, the 2005 Mercedes-Benz SLK350. Along the curvy mountain roads drenched in California sunshine and while parked on the rippling concrete that is Interstate 405, I quickly forgot about the SLK I’d once known, the one with slow steering and sedate looks. Replacing that fading memory is an appreciation for the new SLK, with its striking appearance and more.

That “more” is all-inclusive: more horsepower and torque, more overall passenger volume, more trunk capacity, length, width, wheelbase, and fuel capacity. There’s more rubber wrapping larger wheels, and more response from the new rack-and-pinion steering system. Let us not overlook the more muscular, chiseled styling of the 2005 SLK-Class – gone is the subliminal “This is a chick car!” banner plastered on previous generation SLK models. The result is a car that “more” shoppers will be inclined to buy.

In the collective mind of Mercedes-Benz, more is obviously better. Leave that silly “less is more” philosophy for the other guys. After a week behind the wheel of a 2005 SLK350, we couldn’t agree…more.