Luxury, power and style – these are three main assets contained in the new 2008 Mercedes-Benz SL600 Roadster. The model has many features offering innovation and convenience, and doesn’t forget about safety either. For instance, the transmission includes a Comfort Mode that can adjust gears for better control on slippery surfaces.

High-performance is wrapped up inside this ‘08 Mercedes-Benz model’s V12 engine, as it generates 510-horse power and uses a driver-adaptive electronic 5-speed automatic transmission, using programming that adjusts shift points to the driver’s current driving style. There’s also an intake system that includes biturbochargers with liquid-to-air intercoolers.

A car with this much oomph should have safety as well, and Mercedes-Benz got the job done in the SL600 Roadster. It has an Integrated Restraint System that includes dual-stage front airbags, a side-impact head/thorax bag and knee bag for the driver. There’s also a pop-up rollover bar, which uses sensors to detect a rollover. If one is detected, the bar deploys in 0.3 seconds. The driver can also raise and retract the bar electronically using a console control. Tire-pressure monitoring also adds to security.

Head-turning features on the exterior of this ride include dual-chrome exhaust tips, bi-xenon low and high-beam headlamps and electrohydraulic retractable aluminum hardtop. Features that make the SL600 more convenient are an electrically heated rear window with auto-shutoff based on time, driving speed and outside temperature and rain-sensing wipers that measure rainfall and adjust wiper speed and frequency accordingly.

The 2008 Mercedes-Benz SL600 Roadster is secure, classy and advanced, and many luxury car buyers might be putting it on their want lists this year.