GIVEN the seemingly never-ending wait we’ve had to endure for the third-generation Mercedes-Benz SLK, it would be fair to assume that widespread changes are on the cards. According to Mercedes, the new car does usher in a number of improvements to styling, handling and comfort, but does it depart from the admittedly successful formula of its predecessors enough to make it the de facto choice in its segment?
In its previous incarnations, the SLK acquitted itself more as a competent and mildly entertaining roadster than an out-and-out sportscar. The new car is a well-balanced proposition, being comfortably sprung around town and reassuringly planted and stable at speed.
Dropping the roof doesn’t adversely affect the car’s structural rigidity and even rutted surfaces fail to induce any body flex or scuttle-shake. This particular version is suspended on a standard-fitment steel-sprung setup comprising independent three-link suspension up front and a multi-link setup at the rear, while anti-roll bars feature fore and aft. This system serves up a pleasantly supple ride and conspires with the car’s wide track to keep body-roll well in check when tackling corners at speed.
The standard steering setup is a hydraulically assisted rack-andpinion type which, despite not being the most communicative helm out there, is still crisp in its responses, has a satisfying weight and is regulated by a sporty threespoke steering wheel. There’s plenty of grip on offer, which makes the new SLK more entertaining and composed than the outgoing car, but the overriding impression is still more sportstourer than sportscar.
With 135 kW and 270 N.m of torque on tap, the turbocharged 1,8-litre engine is perky but can’t be described as a ball of fire – after several attempts, we managed to crack the 0-100 km/h run in a lethargic 8,2 seconds, just over a second off Mercedes’s claimed time. Thankfully, the motor exhibits little in the way of turbo lag and the broad maximum torque band spanning from 1 800 to 4 600 r/min gives the motor a deceptively brawny feel.
This impression of there being more grunt than is present is further accentuated by a surprisingly snarly engine note under acceleration, courtesy of a sound generator in front of the throttle flap that filters out intake noise.
Although the SLK lacks outright punch, it claws back some marks for frugality. By utilising direct fuel injection, as well as a host of other fuel-saving measures that fall under Mercedes’s BlueEfficiency banner, the SLK returned a respectable 8,4 litres/100 km during our fuel run test and only emits 151 g of CO2 every 100 km.
But, while the engine itself didn’t come in for much criticism, the optional seven-speed automatic transmission was a bone of contention among the CAR test team. Our past encounters with the carmaker’s 7G-tronic ‘box have been mixed affairs – generally speaking, it’s a transmission option that works better with torquier, more powerful engines, where it doesn’t seem to hunt for the correct ratio as much as it does in lesser powered models. Although the transmission shifts smoothly, the general impression is that the gearbox is missing a preset shift-logic mode. Of the three presets on offer, the sport setting hunts and hangs onto the gears erratically at times, the economy setting is generally smooth and well suited to leisurely driving (although it does whip through the ratios as quickly as possible, sometimes leaving you in a higher gear than you’d want on twisting roads in its quest to save fuel), while the manual mode is a bit slow to react to inputs from the gearlever or steering wheel paddles. A setting between sport and economy would probably have been more favourable to this car’s drivetrain setup.
In all honesty, few people will base their decision to buy an SLK based on its dynamic prowess – the fact that the car is comfortable and largely competent will suffice on that front. It’s the image a car such as this serves up that will often prove to be a deal-breaker. On this front, it has to be said that the SLK is a far more aesthetically pleasing proposition than its predecessor. Like the previous car, it borrows styling elements from the company’s halo performance model. Fortunately, the inspiration this time is the stunning SLS AMG and not the mash-nosed Mercedes- McLaren SLR. Although the new car retains the classic long-nose, snub-tail and cab-aft roadster profile, the design is far more chiselled than before. Head-on, the SLK’s squat, rectangular silhouette forms a more aggressive canvas upon which the prominent onepiece grille, bisected by a chrome louvre, angular headlamps and strongly-straked bonnet with SLSinspired vents, are applied.
The rear quarters are a bit of a contradiction to the sharply styled front, with a curvaceous rump sporting a hint of spoiler flanked on either side by prominent haunches that lend the car a hint of visual muscle. It’s a styling treatment that won’t endear itself to everyone but it certainly gets you noticed.
The party piece is still the metal Vario roof that, thanks to the use of lightweight materials and a mild re-working of the operating mechanism, now scissors into place in less than 20 seconds – roughly two seconds quicker than the previous car. As graceful as the roof’s machinations are, it can only be deployed when the car is stationary – 20 seconds is plenty of time to become thoroughly sodden if you first have to pull over – and its descent into the boot cuts the luggage space down from 192 to 112 dm3.
Although the SLK’s roof-down driving experience is good, wind buffeting over the occupant’s shoulders does present itself at speeds above 90 km/h and the clear panels that fold out from the roll hoops are no substitute for the optional wind deflector screen. With the roof up, the SLS-inspired cabin, with its tactile chromed eyeball-ventilation pods and cowled dials, is about as sheltered from the elements and road noise as it would be with a fixed top.
Although the high sills and bluff facia combine with a low-slung seating position and narrow glazing to give the SLK a seemingly snug roadster air, there is plenty of room in the cabin and the seats are both supportive and well bolstered. There’s no disputing the quality of the cabin’s fittings; it boasts a tasteful mixture of soft-touch plastic, leather and chrome trim on the centre console that lend it an upmarket feel – more so than in the Z4 or Boxster – and the ergonomics are pretty much spot-on.
TEST SUMMARY
Although the cosmetic treatments and improvements to general ride and handling characteristics are welcome, it’s fair to say that Mercedes hasn’t re-written the rulebook with this latest version of the SLK. It still provides a comfortable, head-turning mode of roof-down transport, but it also doesn’t engage the driver seeking a sporty experience behind the wheel.
The new car will certainly garner a great deal of interest and make a big impact in the drop-top fraternity, but we still feel that, by adhering to a formula that hasn’t changed much since the first model’s inception in 1996, Mercedes has missed an opportunity to shake up the segment. However, the SLK’s existing formula has proven effective and immensely popular over the years, and that’s unlikely to change with the new car.
