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MERCEDES SLK OFFERS SPIRITED RIDE
A x It . 0 C @
CARPE DIET
By Tosin Akinmusuru
For the Daily
The first noticeable thing about the
Mercedes-Benz SLK 320 is the fact
that it's a SLK 320. Last year's model
was the SLK 230 Kompressor, which
only dished out 195 horsepower. This
year's model adds another 20 horse-
power to the table. This two-door road-
ster is nice, fast and comfortable.
Mercedes-Benz gave the SLK a
whole new look for the 2001 model
year. This new rear-wheel drive road-
ster is a lot lower and smoother than
before. The rear lights on the car are
very pronounced and obvious.
The car has more of a complete look.
because all of its external parts are
painted the same color, including the
door handles, outside mirrors and
moldings. Turn signal lamps are built
into the external rear view mirrors, so
that other drivers on the road know
what you plan on doing, both in front
and behind you.
The rear tires are slightly wider than
the front tires, providing more power
on the road surface. These tires boast
five-spoke rims instead of the seven-
spoke rims that come with the SLK
230. There is a bigger gas tank and
higher levels of crash protection, giv-
ing you a longer, safer ride.
The SLK 320 comes with a standard
six-speed manual shift and an optional
five-speed automatic that can be shift-
ed like a manual by tapping it side-
ways. The model I test-drove included
the six-speed manual. This is a nice
feature because it gives a smoother,
quieter ride at high speeds with a sixth
gear.
The entire inner steering wheel can
be depressed to activate the horn,
instead of touch specific horn regions.
There is also a feature called Tele Aid
that is similar to GM's OnStar system.
It connects you to emergency response
personnel, roadside assistance, it can
also place your car if ever stolen and it
can unlock you car if you manage to
lock the keys in it.
As I sat down in the car, I was real-
ly surprised by the comfort of the
seats. I expected something more rigid
for a roadster, but these were very soft,
thick, eight-way power leather seats.
With the downward angle of the
car, I reached the pedals easily com-
pared to the Toyota MR2's straight leg
seats. I depressed the clutch, and
started the. car. Alas, I found yet
another cool modification of the new
See MERCEDES, Page 168
no _ -
Spring has officially sprung, and if
you're still carrying Aunt Martha's
Christmas cookies around in your keis-
ter, the button on your favorite khakis
may be primed
for some spring-
ing action of its
own. And, as
warmer weather
makes it more
difficult to:
obscure obesity
inside a puffy
coat, (should I
say a P. Diddy
coat?), now
might be a good Meredith
time to put down Keller
the HoHo's and
pick up the cel- Keller
ery stalks. Is n
Summer is com- m s
ing, and the beach will be calling.
If you're feeling as I am these days,
more Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man than
Stick Figure, don't hit the pudge-panic
button or hire a search and rescue team
to find your missing abdominal muscles
just yet. Plenty of time is left to get your
glutes and your gut back into shape and,
of course, back into those favorite
khakis. I am not a dietician, nor do I play
one on TV. I have, however, read enough
empty-promise articles such as "Have
Thin Thighs by Thursday" and "How to
Look Like a 10-Year-Old Boy When
You're a 30-Year-Old Woman" to have a
vague sense of modern trends in dieting.
Second only to airbrushing, perhaps
the most popular method of body-down-
sizing these days is a low-to-no carbo-
hydrate diet such as the Atkins. Credited
for giving Dennis Franz his NYPD
street smarts and enviable girlish figure,
the premise of this pro-protein plan is
relatively simple - meats and cheeses
are your edible friends, but bread is
merely Satan dressed up in starches. Eat
a herd of cattle and the state of
Wisconsin and you'll look like Heather
Locklear with the IQ of Einstein. But
horror of horrors, eat a crouton and you
will look like the Love Child of J-Lo and
the Pillsbury Dough Boy. (Please note
however, that this high-protein diet is
not to be confused with the absolutely
no-protein diet practiced by the
President.)
If you find yourself opposed to eating
your weight in round steak each day,
however, another popular alternative eat-
ing plan is the highly touted Zone diet.
Made famous by Jennifer Aniston, who
used this diet to successfully find inner
peace, Brad Pitt's love and her hipbones,
in contrast to the Atkins diet, the Zone is
not as simple as eating livestock.
Engineered in some secret room at
NASA, the Zone diet is based on com-
plex ratio calculations in order to strike a
harmonious balance among consumed
proteins, carbohydrates and fats. As long
as you maintain this ratio, you will stay
in the Zone. So for example, should you
eat a vat of Haagen-Dazs, counterbal-
ance your carbohydrates with a whale's
weight in protein and you'll maintain the
Zen of the Zone.
For less indulgent followers, however,
a typical Zone meal (which I'm not mak-
ing up) might actually contain the fol-
lowing: a can of tuna, three heads of ice-
berg lettuce and a macadamia nut. Can I
get a "Mmm. Mmm?" Having recently
spent a week in the Zone, however, I
would like to offer up r
how these cockaman
actually work. The Zoi
has little to do with a se
la and everything to do
matics. Unless you happ
brained tutor on hand, it
forego the food rather 1
division. Followers clair
just a diet, this eating 1
tionary "way of life,"v
Zone-ie for "chronic eal
As with most newly a
life," however, dieting c
suming endeavor, and t
i
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GVSU is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution and is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
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