SLK 55 Review from caranddriving.com
11-26-2004, 12:00 PM
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SLK 55 Review from caranddriving.com
NEW CAR REVIEW
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG
PRICE: �49,570 � on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 20
CO2 EMISSIONS: tba
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 155mph / 0-60mph 4.7s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (average) 24.1mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags / ABS / ESP
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 160/70/52"
MERCEDES SLK55 AMG
THE POWER PRINCIPLE
Super-Quick Mercedes SLK Models Sounded Good In Principle But Rarely Satisfied In Practice. The Latest SLK55 AMG Aims To Rectify This Situation. Andy Enright Reports
Sounds great, doesn㦙 it? A monster engine packed into a sweetly proportioned, elegantly bejewelled drop of Mercedes-Benz bodywork. Then you drove the first generation SLK32 AMG and realised that it was in fact a bit � and let be charitable � unsubtle. So Mercedes have tried again, beavering away to create a worthy fast SLK he latest SLK55 AMG model, which might well have hit the nail square on the noggin. A far more focused driver tool than its predecessor, here a car that drivers can put straight on the shortlist.
The trouble with the old car was that despite having 349bhp on tap, the SLK32 AMG never felt like a sports car. The chassis wasn㦙 particularly willing and, when the limits of its talents were reached, it felt raggedy and truculent. As a car to blitz all comers on sweeping A-roads, it felt the pukka item but ask a little more of it and it ran out of answers. As a serious alternative to a Porsche Boxster or even a late BMW Z3 it didn㦙 really cut the mustard.
The SLK55 AMG couldn㦙 be more different. Power creeps up to a heady 360bhp and torque to 510Nm but the output gains are secondary to the advances made in chassis design and the overall driver interface. Punch in all gears is, as you鏆 expect, of the sledgehammer variety and the SLK will bludgeon its way to 60mph in 4.7seconds on the way to a limited top speed of 155mph. With the limiter removed and with a favourable tail wind, there little doubt this car would knock on the door of 200mph. Although purists may groan at the revelation that the V8 engine is mated to a seven-speed automatic gearbox, the 7G-TRONIC transmission system can be controlled via wheel-mounted buttons and is a very capable unit. It not as if you can even begrudge the torque converter sapping a few horsepower when youe got this rampant excess to play with in the first instance.
"Punch in all gears is, as you鏆 expect, of the sledgehammer variety"
Many will have already seen an SLK55 AMG without actually registering the fact. When Jean Pablo Montoya ploughed into the back of Michael Schumacher in the tunnel at the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix, they were tailing an SLK55 AMG driven by German racing driver Bernd Maylander. Two of these cars accompany the Formula 1 circus to every venue, accompanied by a full team of AMG engineers. In order to make an F1 safety car, the vehicle needs to be able to lap at speeds of up to 150mph so that the race cars� tyres don㦙 cool too much and the engines overheat due to inadequate airflow. It needs to be able to achieve these speeds with a huge light bar on the roof and also has to have the power to accelerate out of low speed corners in any weather laden down with a variety of cameras, monitors and radio gear, the electrical draw being so great that an additional electrical circuit and alternator are required. Now it may well be apparent why Mercedes Benz supply so many safety cars, the SLK55 AMG being the sixth generation AMG Mercedes to fulfil the role. Few other cars have the torque, the high speed composure and the reliability to make the grade.
The basic shape of the latest SLK has been left unchanged, the characteristic short boot and long bonnet creating a more aesthetically pleasing profile than most of the other hard top convertibles, many of which have rather odd proportions. It a bigger car than before, the body being 72mm longer and 65mm wider, which means more space inside for beefier occupants. The roof mechanism has been widely copied and now no longer amazes bystanders but folds neatly into the boot in 22 seconds. The swivelling rear window means that with the roof folded there now a good deal more space available in the boot � a notable issue with the old car.
The SLK is a car that associated with engineering novelty, however, and Mercedes don㦙 disappoint this time around. The AIRSCARF neck-level heating system delivers a warm flow of air from the headrests, enabling SLK owners to drop the roof without experienceing the chill fingers of the typical British climate. This system monitors road speed and temperature and adapts the fan speed accordingly to ensure a toasty 鷔carf� of hot air.
Safety provision has been well and truly revisited too, the latest SLK featuring a 40 per cent increase in the use of high tensile steel alloys. For the first time in an SLK, Mercedes is using adaptive airbags which deploy in two stages according to the severity of the accident. Twin stage seat belt load limiters also feature and recently developed head/thorax airbags respond to side impacts. A sensor triggers the side airbags and both belt tensioners during a vehicle rollover, with solid roll-over bars behind the seats also helping to prevent injury in the unlikely event of such an accident.
The styling is a good deal more aggressive in its detailing than the cute first generation car. The distinctive arrow-like tapering of the front bonnet is reminiscent of both the McLaren Formula One racer and the Mercedes SLR McLaren supercar. Twin exhausts, a deep front spoiler and purposefully blistered wheel arches give the SLK a welcome dose of attitude, beefed up by the SLK55 AMG additional vents in the front spoiler and bigger alloy wheels.
The SLK55AMG is all about credibility restored. Many had lost faith in the possibility of Mercedes building a credible sporting car. Yes, the company could build cars that would carve trenches in autobahn sweepers but where was the car that could just as happily jink around a tight race track, making the driver feel as if he could have been an F1 contender? Ladies and gentlemen, youe looking at it.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG
PRICE: �49,570 � on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 20
CO2 EMISSIONS: tba
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 155mph / 0-60mph 4.7s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (average) 24.1mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags / ABS / ESP
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 160/70/52"
MERCEDES SLK55 AMG
THE POWER PRINCIPLE
Super-Quick Mercedes SLK Models Sounded Good In Principle But Rarely Satisfied In Practice. The Latest SLK55 AMG Aims To Rectify This Situation. Andy Enright Reports
Sounds great, doesn㦙 it? A monster engine packed into a sweetly proportioned, elegantly bejewelled drop of Mercedes-Benz bodywork. Then you drove the first generation SLK32 AMG and realised that it was in fact a bit � and let be charitable � unsubtle. So Mercedes have tried again, beavering away to create a worthy fast SLK he latest SLK55 AMG model, which might well have hit the nail square on the noggin. A far more focused driver tool than its predecessor, here a car that drivers can put straight on the shortlist.
The trouble with the old car was that despite having 349bhp on tap, the SLK32 AMG never felt like a sports car. The chassis wasn㦙 particularly willing and, when the limits of its talents were reached, it felt raggedy and truculent. As a car to blitz all comers on sweeping A-roads, it felt the pukka item but ask a little more of it and it ran out of answers. As a serious alternative to a Porsche Boxster or even a late BMW Z3 it didn㦙 really cut the mustard.
The SLK55 AMG couldn㦙 be more different. Power creeps up to a heady 360bhp and torque to 510Nm but the output gains are secondary to the advances made in chassis design and the overall driver interface. Punch in all gears is, as you鏆 expect, of the sledgehammer variety and the SLK will bludgeon its way to 60mph in 4.7seconds on the way to a limited top speed of 155mph. With the limiter removed and with a favourable tail wind, there little doubt this car would knock on the door of 200mph. Although purists may groan at the revelation that the V8 engine is mated to a seven-speed automatic gearbox, the 7G-TRONIC transmission system can be controlled via wheel-mounted buttons and is a very capable unit. It not as if you can even begrudge the torque converter sapping a few horsepower when youe got this rampant excess to play with in the first instance.
"Punch in all gears is, as you鏆 expect, of the sledgehammer variety"
Many will have already seen an SLK55 AMG without actually registering the fact. When Jean Pablo Montoya ploughed into the back of Michael Schumacher in the tunnel at the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix, they were tailing an SLK55 AMG driven by German racing driver Bernd Maylander. Two of these cars accompany the Formula 1 circus to every venue, accompanied by a full team of AMG engineers. In order to make an F1 safety car, the vehicle needs to be able to lap at speeds of up to 150mph so that the race cars� tyres don㦙 cool too much and the engines overheat due to inadequate airflow. It needs to be able to achieve these speeds with a huge light bar on the roof and also has to have the power to accelerate out of low speed corners in any weather laden down with a variety of cameras, monitors and radio gear, the electrical draw being so great that an additional electrical circuit and alternator are required. Now it may well be apparent why Mercedes Benz supply so many safety cars, the SLK55 AMG being the sixth generation AMG Mercedes to fulfil the role. Few other cars have the torque, the high speed composure and the reliability to make the grade.
The basic shape of the latest SLK has been left unchanged, the characteristic short boot and long bonnet creating a more aesthetically pleasing profile than most of the other hard top convertibles, many of which have rather odd proportions. It a bigger car than before, the body being 72mm longer and 65mm wider, which means more space inside for beefier occupants. The roof mechanism has been widely copied and now no longer amazes bystanders but folds neatly into the boot in 22 seconds. The swivelling rear window means that with the roof folded there now a good deal more space available in the boot � a notable issue with the old car.
The SLK is a car that associated with engineering novelty, however, and Mercedes don㦙 disappoint this time around. The AIRSCARF neck-level heating system delivers a warm flow of air from the headrests, enabling SLK owners to drop the roof without experienceing the chill fingers of the typical British climate. This system monitors road speed and temperature and adapts the fan speed accordingly to ensure a toasty 鷔carf� of hot air.
Safety provision has been well and truly revisited too, the latest SLK featuring a 40 per cent increase in the use of high tensile steel alloys. For the first time in an SLK, Mercedes is using adaptive airbags which deploy in two stages according to the severity of the accident. Twin stage seat belt load limiters also feature and recently developed head/thorax airbags respond to side impacts. A sensor triggers the side airbags and both belt tensioners during a vehicle rollover, with solid roll-over bars behind the seats also helping to prevent injury in the unlikely event of such an accident.
The styling is a good deal more aggressive in its detailing than the cute first generation car. The distinctive arrow-like tapering of the front bonnet is reminiscent of both the McLaren Formula One racer and the Mercedes SLR McLaren supercar. Twin exhausts, a deep front spoiler and purposefully blistered wheel arches give the SLK a welcome dose of attitude, beefed up by the SLK55 AMG additional vents in the front spoiler and bigger alloy wheels.
The SLK55AMG is all about credibility restored. Many had lost faith in the possibility of Mercedes building a credible sporting car. Yes, the company could build cars that would carve trenches in autobahn sweepers but where was the car that could just as happily jink around a tight race track, making the driver feel as if he could have been an F1 contender? Ladies and gentlemen, youe looking at it.
