Merc’s baby sports car grows up

With its rounded curves and compact proportions, the SLK was considered the slightly effeminate, easy-to-drive sports car from Mercedes-Benz. Even the AMG was more straight forward and less wicked compared to the likes of the SL and the SLS AMGs. But, the current generation with its sharper edges and longer list of equipment has made the SLK more desirable. And the new SLK 55 AMG just took the desirability index to a whole new level.

The folks at Affalterbach, near Stuttgart, are some of the best in the business for creating super-performance power-trains and for tweaking the stock car’s underpinnings to handle the more exacting demands of a super sports car. The result is the new SLK 55 AMG, a roadster that is sure to awaken your senses and make you see it in new light.

Design At just over four metres in length, the SLK 55 AMG is a really compact roadster. Its dimensions surprise you even more when it is viewed from the top. The bonnet is not too long and the cabin is really compact too. The other aspect to its dimensions is that there is hardly any room in the cabin except for the two passengers. So, even a duffel bag has to find accommodation only in the boot.

The space in the boot itself is about 335 litres when the two-part solid roof has not been folded. When the roof has been retracted into the divided boot, the space remaining for luggage is just 225 litres. The roof is almost entirely made of glass that can be transformed from a dark tint to near transparent at the touch of a button.

The new face of Mercedes design is evident on the SLK 55 AMG. The exterior design differences between the regular SLK and the beefy AMG cousin are all bunched together at the front. The airdam design is different with a lowered, more focused three-sectioned version directed air flow into the bonnet. There are also the additions of side slits on the side panels and just at the front of each front wheel. These vertical slits allow more air flow into the radiator and oil cooler.

The V8 AMG logo and the new 18-inch, matte-black AMG 10-spoke light alloy wheels also speak out to the onlookers about this new avatar and its prowess. Extended side skirts, the door mirrors with the forked LED turn indicators, quad tail-pipes at the rear and an integrated lip spoiler on the boot lid are some of the other exterior design features of the SLK 55 AMG. The roadster’s design is now much more aggressive and gives it new road presence, making it possible to (without wincing) put it next to a Porsche Boxster or Cayman.

Interior The cabin of the SLK 55 AMG has the classic Mercedes elements in the choice of buttons and knobs and the new turbine style airconditioner vents. The general theme of the cabin is a pleasing combination of dark grey soft-touch plastic, carbon-fibre and bright red perforated leather. One eye-catching element in the cabin is the IWC Schaffhausen analog clock at the top of the centre stack. Drilled metal pedals, a projection type twin-pod instrument cluster and a chunky AMG performance steering wheel, which is flattened at the top and bottom are all features that point to the car’s performance orientation. LED back-lit AMG scuff plates are a nice touch, as are the contrast double stitched leather elements. A six-DVD changer and Harman Kardon music system with hands-free telephony is part of standard equipment.

Performance The SLK 55 AMG is one of the most raucous small sports cars there is. And the alternately burbling and booming exhaust note is choreographed by the 5.5-litre, V8 AMG engine under the hood. This naturally aspirated V8 engine is currently being used only in the SLK 55 AMG and it has been tuned to deliver a ‘torquey’ performance.

For a compact roadster, the car gets a sizeable 421 hp of peak power at 6,800 rpm from the 5,461cc engine and a peak torque of 540 Nm at 4,500 rpm. The impressive numbers translate into an impressive performance on-road, especially on the straights. The car’s top speed is set at 250 kmph and it manages the 0-100 kmph sprint in just 4.6 seconds.

The engine’s raw performance is better reined in by the AMG SPEEDSHIFT PLUS 7G-TRONIC transmission. The gearbox’s ability to learn your driving style and shift instantaneously based on driver inputs is a big plus. The gearbox’s performance-oriented tuning becomes more evident while test driving the SLK 55 AMG in and around Delhi’s roads and some of the highways outside the capital, where a mix of slow driving and quick sprints is inevitable.

To be sure to reflect the new responsible luxury image that every car maker now wants, the SLK 55 AMG’s engine fuel-saving efficiency features like direct injection, cylinder deactivation, variable valve timing and a start/stop function. The AMG 7G-TRONIC transmission is offered with three drive modes – controlled efficiency, sports and manual. The modes a predictably focused to ensure that they live up to their promise, with the sports and manual modes being the most fun to drive in.

Ride and Handling The suspension in the SLK 55 AMG is expectedly stiff and the 18-inch alloys with 235/40 tyres don’t really help in improving the ride on bad roads. But on smooth tarmac, the car feels planted and boosts our confidence even through tight corners. The car features the AMG handling package that includes the AMG rear axle differential lock, its high performance braking system and the performance hydraulic steering wheel with direct steer system.

Bottomline Despite a strong package overall, the SLK 55 AMG is not in the same league in terms of sheer performance as some of the other super sports cars, including some of the other AMG models. But, this performance avatar can find its own footing, now with added pride, amongst the others just below the top rung. And that is a big market to explore. The SLK 55 AMG has been priced at Rs 1.26 crore (ex-showroom, Delhi).

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