Hmm, Im 6'2. Would I fit in an SLK? I fit in a cayman or exige, but just barely.
At 6'2", my first preconception would be to guess that you wouldn't. I can only base this on a half-educated guess, though. The SLK is sold in the US in its own form, but also had a version rebadged as the Chrysler Crossfire, which I have been in (at least sat in it, though never got the chance to drive it as I was only serving to give a friend a ride to the showroom at the time). Supposedly, the Crossfire, is slightly roomier than the SLK (which I can believe considering it's basically the SLK with an
American body slapped on). Myself being 5'11", I just barely fit in there. It wasn't a squeeze, but it wasn't as though I had room to spare either.
I've always liked the Evo FQ400, though I've no idea if it's ever been available outside of the UK.
I don't believe it ever has been. Closest thing you can get in the states is the Evo MR, which has a lot of the suspension mods and chassis upgrades, but makes 290 hp rather than the 400. Of course, turbo lag is many times smaller, and the gas mileage is about 6-7x what the FQ400 makes. And it's also quite a bit cheaper to boot.
As long as we can mention cars in that price range, I'd be remiss not to mention the Mazda RX-8... which is probably the only car among this class I've actually had the pleasure of driving, as it is the closest one to being something I could afford (off by a mere $10,000
). It's not super-torquey, or super-powerful, or super-efficient, or all too practical, but damn if it isn't an awesome ride. It is a prime example of how a great car can be a question of balance. The engine runs dead smooth, the vehicle is so stable in almost any condition (and generally feels more stable and more in control at higher speed), the feedback is just so perfect and informative from all angles. It's not just that it's "forgiving" as Clarkson puts it, but that even if you are completely new to controlling a car at high speeds, it sort of gives you an idea how to handle it.
The tire problems he mentions aren't really a problem in the US version (different requirements for street-legal tires), but I don't know about elsewhere. To me, the big downside is the maintenance effort that goes into ownership of a Wankel.