IN THIS FEATURE Feeling short-changed Focus and firepower Superlative driving dynamics? Proper manual please

It doesn't change down exactly when you want, but some time later such as when you're starting to turn. You can imagine what that does for the chassis balance. And when it does change down, it can put such a drag on the rear wheels that stability is compromised. It makes no effort to match the engine revs to the new lower gear, and it thwarts attempts to do this yourself with a blip of the throttle. All in all, you never quite know where you are with this gearbox in manual mode, which is bad news on a track.

Roof up or down, the SLK feels solid

So you're better off in auto mode, which is a sad indictment. And then you have the possibility of an unbidden downchange as you power out of a corner, and the balance goes to pot again. It's a shame about all this, because otherwise the SLK 55 AMG showed up well on the track: good grip, tight body control, pleasing natural balance, natural-feeling steering, ample braking power from the two-part front discs (the braking surface is decoupled from the aluminium hub to allow for expansion, and is gripped by six-pot calipers). But if ever a car needed a DSG gearbox, or even - yes please! - a proper manual, it's this one.

Sales start in December at £47,730.