SLK55AMG

http://www.channel4.com/4car/road-t...slk-55-amg.html

There was a time when AMG pledged to make no more naturally-aspirated engines. It was on the launch of the S55, E55 and diesel C-class Sports Coupé (a tyre-smoking diesel, great fun). That pledge has obviously crumbled, because here is the AMG interpretation of the new-shape SLK complete with blower-less 5.5-litre V8.

It has the same capacity as the supercharged version found in the AMG-enhanced S-Class, E-Class, CL and SL, and now in the CLS, but the lack of forced aspiration sees power drop from 476bhp or so to 360. Torque dips too, from 516lb ft to 376.

Should we feel short-changed? Not really; AMG couldn't let the SLK upstage the SL, and 360bhp is plenty for a compact sports car. So the notion of a 476bhp SLK will have to remain a rather violent dream for the moment. Maybe Brabus will do one, and trigger a worrying brand corruption among souped-up Benzes.

The last AMG-tuned SLK had a supercharged 3.2-litre V6, but Euro IV emissions rules were against it. That's why the new one goes the big-bruiser route. The question is, does such a hefty lump of engine compromise what is a very sweet chassis, all the sweeter with a four-pot than with a V6? Piling in a V8 will surely tip the balance yet further away from the optimum.

Not that such thoughts are uppermost as you bellow off into the distance, surprised and delighted at the pace (0-62mph in 4.9 seconds) and the sound effects. You could almost be driving a mini-Corvette - but does a Corvette have such stout body rigidity? With the metal folding roof latched to the windscreen, this feels an entirely solid coupé, and even with the roof folded, draught screen erect and AirScarf™ activated for a warm neck, this SLK feels all of a piece. And that's despite the AMG additions of lower and stiffer suspension, thicker anti-roll bars and 18in wheels. Those at the rear are 8.5in wide and carry 245/35-section tyres, while the 7.5in fronts bear 225/40s.

These suspension changes answer the chassis-ruining question in the negative. This is a taut, wieldy and highly entertaining device. with quick and meaty steering and lots of scope for nudging the tail out. The Mercedes ESP system never goes completely off-duty even when you've pressed the kill button, but on the road it matters little. Here is a compact Mercedes sports car with a focus and a firepower we've not seen before in the genre. It woofles contentedly when asked, crackles into life when goaded.

It looks keen, too, if a bit overdone with its louvres ahead of the front wheels, those strange sill-bulges ahead of the rear wheels and an uncomfortably aftermarket-looking design for the wheels themselves. This is all a matter of taste, and it's not mine.

More of a problem, though, is the '7G-Tronic with AMG Speedshift'. First, seven gears in an automatic gearbox is too many when you're using manual mode. You get lost in the sequence, and besides an engine this torquey doesn't need so many ratio steps. And it's not as if they're usefully spaced, because there's a big gap between fourth and fifth followed by two more gaps of minimal significance.

Worse, for all the talk of 'superlative driving dynamics' when using the manual mode - no unwanted auto-shifts up or down, proper engine braking - the shift never quite happens when you want it. There's always an indeterminate delay. We drove the SLK around the Paul Ricard test track, Formula One's high-tech racing laboratory whose long, tightening curves reward technical skill far above instinct (have we just stumbled on what might be wrong with F1 today?), partly to reinforce the link between this AMG and its close relative, the SLK 55 AMG F1 pace car. And, in manual mode, this automatic transmission was a real impediment.

It doesn't change down exactly when you want, but some time later such as when you're starting to turn. You can imagine what that does for the chassis balance. And when it does change down, it can put such a drag on the rear wheels that stability is compromised. It makes no effort to match the engine revs to the new lower gear, and it thwarts attempts to do this yourself with a blip of the throttle. All in all, you never quite know where you are with this gearbox in manual mode, which is bad news on a track.

So you're better off in auto mode, which is a sad indictment. And then you have the possibility of an unbidden downchange as you power out of a corner, and the balance goes to pot again. It's a shame about all this, because otherwise the SLK 55 AMG showed up well on the track: good grip, tight body control, pleasing natural balance, natural-feeling steering, ample braking power from the two-part front discs (the braking surface is decoupled from the aluminium hub to allow for expansion, and is gripped by six-pot calipers). But if ever a car needed a DSG gearbox, or even - yes please! - a proper manual, it's this one.

Sales start in December at £47,730.

cntlaw

Thanks for the valuable information.

Would SLK55 still be a choice being the top class MB roadster with a price less than a poor man's porsche BoxterS ? Or should I simply go for a SLK200 with AMG package and full luxury options ?

I truly want some advice. I love MB, I love roadster, and there is an opportunity here to get the one with highest attention; and the auto hard top is so tempting
I seriously thinking replacing my Z3 2.2 with the SLK200K

cheers
cnt

SLK55AMG

I think the 7G problems they talk about will only appear in long sweeping bends so if you don't have many of them where you live it won't affect you. City driving is mostly sharp turns and straight drags so wouldn't be a problem either.

I think you will like the SLK200 compared to your Z3...... go and test drive one!