Yes, Mercedes Benz is preparing to try diesel into its smallest sports car. The Mercedes Benz SLK Luxury car is notable for the unique experience that it offers due to its power-retractable hardtop—combining the practicality of a coupe while offering the excitement of a real roadster.

Though small and with limited cabin and cargo space, the SLK compensates for this weakness with its great driving power, reliability, and exterior construction. It boasts of ultimate power in every gear and its aerodynamic crafting and classic design propels it to the top of its class. In fact, despite some of its few shortcomings, it was able to rank 7 out of 8 in the luxury sports car class during the analysis made by various U.S. News editors of published vehicle ratings, reviews, and test drives—getting an overall 8.4 rating.

The base model (SLK280) is incorporated with a 3L V6 engine and a 6-speed manual transmission, with an option of 3.5L V6 7-speed automatic for the SLK350. For the year 2010, Mercedes Benz plans a lot of changes in the 3^rd generation SLK. On top of these changes (adoption of angular styling for the sports car, inclusion of ribbed bonnet and an optional glass panoramic sunroof, and the elimination of its nose), the major one would be the incorporation of the 2.2L 4-cylinder BlueEfficiency twin-turbo diesel engine into the said model. This engine is used in the company’s recent C250 CDI. It boasts of up to 204 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque, returning 54.3 mpg while emitting only 138g/km of carbon dioxide.

If Mercedes’ plan becomes successful, the Mercedes Benz SLK will become one of the pioneers in merging luxury, sportiness, and fuel efficiency. This might just be the start towards more fuel-efficient luxury roadsters and sports cars in the future. Let’s just all hope this model will be made available in the U.S.

NOTE: Photo taken from Auto Spectator