- Doors and Seats
2 doors, 2 seats
- Engine
2.0i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
100kW, 190Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 7.4L/100KM
- Manufacturer
RWD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
Top of the class
It's hats off to this convertible, Jonathan Hawley reports.
IF OWNERSHIP of a Mercedes can be seen as elitist, then a convertible Benz must surely be decadence incarnate. Roadsters, cabriolets - call them what you want, but if roofless cars are made as much for looking at as looking out of, then one with the three-pointed star up front is not about to go unnoticed.
HOW IT RATES
FOR: Gutsy engine, good fuel economy, sensational looks, clever roof, stiff body.
AGAINST: Ordinary engine note, somewhat wooden steering, small boot.
SCORE: 4 stars (out of 5)
Mercedes has three separate model lines with some form of detachable roof - the SL, CLK and SLK - and despite their hefty price tags, they sell in healthy numbers.
So it's no surprise the smallest convertible from the stable, the SLK, has gone into a second-model cycle. It has just been launched in Australia and closely follows the recipe started with the one launched in 1986. That is, it's a perky-looking, wedge-shaped two-seater with a hard-top roof that folds neatly back into the boot for fully open-top motoring.
There are two models in the range, for now, with the four-cylinder SLK 200 tested here starting the line-up at $83,800 in manual form. The V6-powered SLK 350 is $109,400 as a manual or $112,900 with a seven-speed automatic. And a 5.4-litre, V8 SLK 55 AMG arrives early next year, for which you probably won't get much change, if any, from $150,000.
Mercedes has shifted away from its earlier inclination to name its cars after the engine's capacity, so while you might think the SLK 200 has a 2.0-litre engine, it is actually a 1.8. This is one of the company's new line-up of four-cylinder engines that also goes into the C-Class and gets a supercharger to boost power, although the Kompressor badge has been dropped from the boot lid. Possibly that's because the extra curves and slim elegance of the SLK's body hasn't left room for such an ungainly word.
This is a nice-looking car, much rounder than before and similar to the larger SL. Unlike some cars with folding hardtops that require awkward proportions because of a boot that also needs to accommodate a roof, it quite admirably fits the classic roadster's proportions of long bonnet and short tail.
Folding the roof is as easy as holding back a switch. The roof hinges in half, the rear window swivels on itself, flaps and lids open to receive it, and the whole thing disappears in about 20 seconds. This is not a piece of engineering that has been knocked up overnight in someone's shed.
With just 120 kW on tap, the supercharged 1.8 doesn't have an impressive power output, but the truth is that on the road the SLK's performance is better than adequate. Part of the reason for this is there's a hefty 240 Nm of torque available in the middle of the rev range. There's also the six-speed manual gearbox with a new shift mechanism that makes it far quicker and more positive to use than the old SLK's system.
And, at less than 1400 kg, this is not a heavy car, so acceleration is strong from a standing start without being neck-snapping.
More impressive is the amount of pulling power available from low engine speeds that allows the driver to trickle down to walking pace in second or even third gear and pull away smoothly. The temptation in any small-engined sports car is to use all the revs and plenty of gear changes, but in this one it isn't really necessary. The Hoover-like exhaust note from the supercharged engine doesn't encourage too much throttle work, anyway.
Driven sensibly, the return of less than 11 L/100 km fuel consumption isn't difficult to achieve, and there's a 70-litre tank.
This SLK seems a much more serious performance car than its predecessor, with a stiff body despite the lack of a permanent roof, and a solid ride that can be explained by minimal body roll and plenty of grip on the road. But the steering is heavy and reasonably wooden away from the straight-ahead position, which, more than anything else, detracts from the interaction of car and driver that makes for the ideal sports car.
But the SLK also doubles as a luxury car and has the standard equipment befitting its price. There are leather seats, cruise control, an excellent stereo, steering-wheel buttons for the trip computer and stereo operation, and plenty of safety gear from adaptive airbags to stability control. What it doesn't have is much boot space, even before the roof is folded away, and that's despite there being just a space-saver spare under the floor. The cabin, however, has much more room than the old SLK, with quite a bit of fore-aft seat travel and the ability to set the driver's seat low.
The dashboard is relatively unadorned but attractively styled, with the main instruments in protruding, circular binnacles and the odd touch of alloy for the gearshift knob and handbrake handle.
The upshot is that anyone who thought the old SLK was a pretty good thing will find this new one improved in every area. Despite the softer exterior, it's got a harder edge to its performance and handling, and its roof has to be about the best in the business. If looks mean anything - and in this sort of car they can mean everything - the SLK is a winner before it's even turned a wheel.
NUTS 'N' BOLTS
HOW MUCH
$83,800 (manual), $86,900 (auto) plus on-road costs.
INSURANCE
Premium $1200 (RACV, 40-year-old rating one male driver, medium-risk suburb, $450 excess).
WARRANTY
Three years/unlimited km.
ENGINE
1.8-litre, DOHC, 16-valvesupercharged four-cyl, 120 kW at 5500 rpm and 240 Nm at 3000 rpm.
TRANSMISSION
Six-speed manual or five-speed auto. Rear-wheel-drive.
STEERING
Rack and pinion, 2.8 turns lock-to-lock. Turning circle 10.5 m.
BRAKES
Ventilated discs front, discs rear. ABS.
SUSPENSION
F: Independent by MacPherson struts with stabiliser bar. R: Independent by multi-links with coil springs and stabiliser bar.
WHEELS/TYRES
16 x 7.0-inch alloy wheels, tyres 205/55. Space-saver spare.
HOW HEAVY?
1390 kg (manual).
HOW THIRSTY?
10.3 L/100 km average. PULP, 70-litre tank.
EQUIPMENT
Yes - standard equipment
No - not available
O - optional
Driver airbag Yes
CD player Yes
Side airbags Yes
ABS brakes Yes
Cruise control Yes
Remote locking Yes
Air-conditioning Yes
Leather trim Yes
COMPETITORS
BMW Z4 2.5
$78,500 (manual) 3 1/2 stars
Sports-car handling isn't quite matched by performance in the 2.5, but it's still a lot of fun.
Audi TT Roadster
$81,200 3 1/2 stars
Engine is also a 1.8, but turbo adds heaps of blow. Looks fabulous.