AMG told you directly? It's not what I've heard. The 6.2 liter engine is built very ergonomically and is quite compact. It's supposedly nearly the same size (yes, there's still space in the SLK engine bay even after a 55 engine has been dropped inside), and the 63 engine weighs about 20lbs less then the 55 engine as well.

 

Also size is usually not a huge obstacle, as seen in the W203. When the C55 was introduced in the W203 facelift the C32 AMG front end was lenghtened in order to accomodate the larger engine.


As for car choice, with a few relatives who live in Hong Kong, I understand the mentality there in terms of "status" (based on one's tangible possesions). Definitely the SLK55 will give you more respect in that regard, as BMW and Porsche ahve not built the luxurious reputation that Mercedes-Benz has in Hong Kong. As well just in general after test driving the Z4M, just in terms of a car I would choose the SLK55 over it any day. Regardless of what you choose I'm sure you will be happy with any car, but I really think the SLK55 is the better option for you.

 

AMEN.... but you wouldnt take a E350 over an M5 would you!?!?


im jking, i would take any MB over any BMW too!!!!(equally comparable of course)


AND OH YEH... SLK55, BOXSTERS, Z4M. IN THIS ORDER...

 

I would go for the SLK55 if you want a daily driver, however if you want something to play around with on the weekend go for the Z4 M. But note the SLK55 is still a toy that you can use to play around on the weekend aswell, therefore I would go for the SLK55.

 

Respondng to the above question, although not directed at me. I was told by the head of AMG NA (North American) marketing that the 6.3 will not currently "work" in the SLK because of a fuel delivery space issue within the current chassis design?? The 6.3 engine is very compact and would fit.

 

even a detuned version of the 6.3 engine would be to much power for the lil slk55....and not because it couldnt handle it, but because the car would be smoking benz's far more expensive sports cars, and benz doesnt want that. Hence why all there factory performance numbers are BS...the more u spend the faster they put the 0 to 60 times (on amgs).

 

Derelique: I don't agree with you. A detuned SLK 63 could be made to have "official" numbers of 4.5 seconds like the new E class has (with over 500hp on the 63 engine). That's a .4 second improvement (over the official numbers), and this is still a few tenths of a second slower then any AMG '65'.

Additionally, if MB wanted, they could play around with the gearing so that even if the engine wasn't detuned much (say, to something similar like the CLK, which has around 480hp), it would still be a few tenths of a second slower (i.e. give a higher torque band as is used for SUV's... even provide a higher top speed).

Let's not forget that a CLK 63 is only a few hundred LB's heavier then the SLK 55. Yet they made the CLK with this new engine (old one was the same NA 5.5 liter engine the SLK has), so why not for the SLK?

If it's just a issue of some fuel delivery space issue, I'm pretty sure they could work it out. Even the SLR engine, which is much larger, was fitted into the SLK!

And finally, the new CLK 63 is just $10k (or less) expensive then the old 55... I think this is really good value for money. It's a cheapish car with tons of power! A few ECU and header changes later (surely to come) and the CLK 63 would have the same power as an E.

So, if they do release an SLK 63 (Which I hope they do) and they detune it, I bet we will only need to replace a few bits here and there to get it running at the original power levels. And in regards to fuel cables and so on, the Kleemann mods which bring power to nearly 600hp, are able to use the existing infrastructure in the car, so it really is no issue for AMG.

I believe they're seriously looking into it, but are afraid to bring it out too soon (probably looking at what BMW has in store, like the new M3 with 400hp, and a V8 Z4) because currently it would beat the pants off an SL 55 or 65...

It's just economics of scale, and bringing out an SLK which is TOO powerful would mean a huge spike in orders which they wouldn't be able to fulfil. The current SLK AMG is already a lot of value for your money, you get so much for so little (ok, so american muscle is cheaper, but we're talking about a hardtop german convertible here).

Anyway, I've got a test drive planned for next week to evaluate the 63 engine in an E class. If I like it, I'm putting down an order on an SLK 63, no matter if it's coming out or not. Something in the back of my head says it will... probably end of 2007

 

Tell us more, I am putting down an order soon as it is available. That $ here will half my pension fund,but what the hell, life is short, let's drive the best we can afford.

 

Just heard that the 245hp CAYMAN is available for entry price !

 

Cool, I just drove it

Since rumours abound that AMG might release an SLK 63, I wanted to give the engine a try. So my dealer organized a little test drive on an E class, and I have to say that with 515hp and 630nm of torque, the thing hauls a$$!

From the idla at 500rpm (same as the SLK) to 7500rpm (redline starts at 7200rpm, but if you push it in manual mode, fuel cutoff is only at 7500rpm), the power is delivered very linearly, much more so then on the 55. Those who have the 55, know how the power comes out in surges at peak toque in the 3000-4000rpm range. Well, in this one, it started moving faaaaast right off the bat. With the car in S mode, gear changes happened at 6800rpm (that where the peak power is found).

And whilst we're on the subject of gears, it seems to me this car has faster gear changes then in the 55. Whilst changing gears up is pretty much the same speed in manual mode, the gear changes down are much, much faster. Whilst the 55 occasionally takes some time to change down gears (depending on the rpm you're at and speed), the E class changes gears just as fast downwards, as it does up. And it does it very smoothly, even tho' you can feel a little jolt at each gear change (must be the torque talking). Of course, my SLK is almost 2 years old, so who knows, either MB has improved the 7G since then, or it's just a case of a software update. Especially when changing from 2nd to 1st, the car doesn't lurch like it does in the SLK (the 1st gear being quite short... so I always need to change to 1st when the car is driving relatively slowly, whilst in the E, it didn't matter too much, it just went ahead and changed just find).

Ok, so the E is a few tons, but the engine would go well in the SLK. It's not quite as "spiky" as the 55 engine (due to the nice 3000-4000rpm boost), but it makes it a very good "tourer" type car if the engine found its way there.

I was quite impressed, just a shame the car was so heavy and comfortable, making it hard to really feel things (before I even knew it, I was past 100mph... I think throughout the test drive, I drove 20-30% above the speed limit, you just don't feel it), and engine noise was hard to evaluate (even though I went through a tunnel with the windows open), but the engine itself was very rev happy, responded very quickly (tapping on the accelerator pedal caused you to feel the engine push the torque through the gearbox, unlike in the 55 where it's all a bit more smoothly laid out), and I really would like to see them bring this engine into the SLK. I think it would cause the car to become quite a little monster. The reduced weight as well could help... Just hope they don't handicap it to less then 480hp (come to think of it, I need to test drive a CLK 63 AMG now, it's a lot lighter then the E class).

The steering wheel mounted paddles were not as clickety click as the buttons on the SLK however... that's a shame. They felt a bit "thick" when pulling on them. I'd like to see them feel lighter and easy to pull at. But they're bigger and easy to get hold of.

The "owner" of the E class, was definitely driving more leisurely then me, as the autobox started off with lazier gear changes, but it took just 15 minutes of kickdowns to get it to adapt to my driving stype. Towards the end of the test drive, the gear changes had sped up and everything felt just right in my opinion

 

Excellent write-up. Thanks for sharing your very special experience.
The whole thing made my mouth watered. If I am still employed in April 2007, I will drop my deposit for a E63 despite its aging look if there were no SLK63 in 2007. Please tell us more if you do have a go with the CLK63.

 

ok then...well wait for the 63, but im 90% sure it wont come out...and although i cant give details my source if very good (works in germany at benz).

 

No, I wouldn't go for a CLK. I like 2 seat roadsters, not 4 seat cabrios.

If there's no news of a 63 SLK by the end of next year, I guess I'll just order headers for mine (Warranty will have run out, so it's the perfect time to do so ).

 

shini,

Did u notice any difference with the K&N filters?

 

Maybe a little more throttle response. That's all.

btw: whilst your friend might work at MB, even in-house engineers are sometimes surprised at what comes out of some departments. AMG for example works quite separate from the rest of MB, having their own building, own technical people, and so on... So would your friend really know what is going on behind the closed doors at AMG?

But anyway... we'll see. I'd love to have one, but if it doesn't happen, I'll live.

 

Could he be wrong? Yes...but i doubt it.