Mercedes-Benz: SLC (formerly SLK)
In the world of small luxury roadsters, your choices mainly boiled down to two. You can either have a Porsche 718 Boxster, or you can have one of these. Mercedes-Benz fired the first shot with the SLK back in 1996, and it’s been locked in battle ever since. Overall demand for convertible sports cars has waned though, and that’s hurt the SLC’s performance. As Mercedes realigned its naming scheme, the change from “SLK” to “SLC” may not have helped it either.
This was a death we saw coming a long way away, as the German automaker announced its demise in early 2019. You can still buy a 2020 Mercedes-Benz SLC, though, including the “Final Edition” shown above. Don’t expect to see this car in 2021, and it will be the last small sports car to wear the badge for now. If you want a convertible or a sporty car, the next most affordable option is a C-Class. While the SLC is going away, the full-blown (much more expensive) SL will live on.
