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The cost of fuel- and CO2-based taxation is reaching all areas of the user-chooser market to the extent that even Mercedes' promotional material majors on the improved efficiency of the engines in its facelifted SLK.
Sure the car, on sale from 17 April, has been given a re-styling with F1-style front bumper, better equipment and other visual tweaks, but in a market that's traditionally been all about looks and driving experience, Mercedes is focusing on mpg and CO2.
On offer are four petrol engines: the 184PS SLK 200, 231PS SLK 280, 305PS SLK 350 and the monster 360PS V8 in the SLK 55 AMG.
All but the £51,592 AMG version are now more efficient and return better CO2 and mpg figures. And the two biggest sellers, the 200 and 350, have also gained improved power outputs.
The SLK 200 is expected to shift the most units, taking nearly 60% of sales. In manual form it's also the best for mpg and CO2, coming in at 36.7mpg and 182g/km.
The only thing that's not improved is the price, which has risen nearly £1000 to £29,705.
An automatic transmission - a worthwhile option given the notchy manual - adds a further £1480 and hits efficiency (unlike in the 350, where the auto is better for CO2 and mpg than the manual).
To drive, the 1.8-litre supercharged engine in the SLK 200 is plenty powerful enough, but needs to be worked hard to get the best out of it.
For those user-choosers less worried by costs the auto 280 is the pick of the range with better steering feel, a smooth engine and a much better exhaust note. It's also nearly as fast as the more powerful 350.
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