Slk and winter climate

Living in North Dakota, my cars are subjected to more extreme conditions than most. After driving a Corvette for sometime it was time for a new sports car but one which would better handle the 4 season driving conditions of North Dakota. On my list were the new C-5 Corvette, Porsche Boxter and the Honda S 2000.Nothing really fit the bill until Mercedes came out with the SLK and its wonderful retractable steel top. That top was the selling point for me as the others all had cloth tops which are terrible at -20 below. Not so the SLK. With its heated seats, winter driving mode on the transmission and Blizzak snow tires, it handles as well as a front-wheel driver. Snow tires are absolutely mandatory though, as without them the car slides right through intersections under slippery conditions. My Black SLK does not have a block heater as none is available and MB says its not necessary. I do use Mobil One Synthetic oil for ease of starting and so far no problem.
The top operates flawlessly without rattles or squeaks. in fact the car, top up or down is rock solid.
I really like the long seat cushions which give much better support than any American car and better than many other luxury models including the new Jaguar. I have driven sports cars my whole life beginning with a Porsche 356 and the SLK is right in there with all of them as far as fun is concerned but much better than any of them in terms of 4 season practicability. Performance is not blinding as you might expect for a C-5 but then, this is a four cylinder engine that gets good gas mileage.Exhaust note is flatulent and some minor skimps on map pocket material but other wise the SLK is up to MB quality standards.