Where each one leads
Buick Riviera
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Mercedes-Benz SLK
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2016 Mercedes-Benz SLK uses 8.5 l/100 km, the 1999 Buick Riviera 12.2.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Buick Riviera | Mercedes-Benz SLK | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1981–2000 | 1998–2012 |
| New cars registered in Europe | — | 75,551 (2010–2020) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | — | 47,128 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 136 | 9,739 |
| In traffic in Finland | — | 2,181 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Buick Riviera | Mercedes-Benz SLK | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | — | 73% |
| … against cars of the same age | — | +16% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 1.1% | — |
| … against cars of the same year | −4% | — |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | — | 9.5% |
| US owner complaints | 314 | 74 |
| Most complaints about | Service brakes, hydraulic | Visibility |
| Model year with most complaints | 1995 (130) | 2002 (25) |
| US recall campaigns | 15 | 3 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 487 | 79 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 24 | 9 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Buick Riviera | Mercedes-Benz SLK | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 12.2 l/100 km (1999) | 8.5 l/100 km (2016) |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | — | 153 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | — | 120 kW (161 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | — | 1,578 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | — | €61,479 |
| Average odometer in Finland | — | 175,000 km |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).