Wednesday, 6 September 2017
Review 2015 Mercedes SLK250
The idea of ​​the Mercedes SLK is only two years younger than the idea of ​​the Mercedes SL. Of course, in 1954 the marketing people do not quite have the weight or imagination they have now, so that the original SLK was simply called the 10SL. As SLK today, it was based on small sedan mechanicals and shared very little with the high-end "Gullwing" 300SL. It also sold its most glamorous on around eig ht to one, mainly on the coast where he served as a respectable transport good weather for the well-heeled.
The 10SL extract 104 horsepower from a 1.9-liter four-cylinder engine. Even by the standards of the time, it was all show and no go - but it was pretty good and it was also very popular with the right kind of people. The 1.8-liter, 201 horsepower junior variant of the SLK is the natural descendant of the car, so when I found myself in Palm Beach ends on Saturday, it occurred to me that we hire could be just the ticket for the weekend. Although I have a lot of time to wheel in the previous two generations of the snub nose Benz convertible, including a Nurburgring test day self-funded a second generation SLK0, I still had to try the current model. That would be my chance to see if the SLK is still firmly on the "touring" side of the continuum of sport / touring.
There are two ways of looking at 50.195 price of my SLK250, which was far from the base MSRP 44.875 $ a commendably optional seven-speed automatic tested $, an upgrade of the 18-inch wheel and a premium package that includes heated seats, a Harmon / Kardon sound system, and some options in cold weather. You might think of it as one of four cars to more expensive cylinders of money can buy, sandwiched between the more powerful GT convertible Mustang to $ 41,800 and the far more capable Corvett e convertible at $ 59,000. But to do this is to miss the whole reason for the SLK to be. There are many places in America, such as Palm Beach, where owning a Mercedes-Benz is a sort of minimum requirement for membership in the society. In a world where you can spend thirty-two great on an Agreement and nearly fifty thousand on an Agreement for a badge "TLX" SLK250 this is a cheap way to get a reasonable treatment of the valet.
What you will not be for the money is a particularly upscale interior. There are lots of brushed aluminum trim, but MB-Tex is the standard seat and unless you want to break open your wallet to one of the many designo upgrades your passenger is unlikely to be terribly impressed with the accommodation available. Fortunately, there is a remarkable amount of space between the doors, especially compared to previous generations of the SLK. Another inch or two legs would not hurt, but the standard "Panorama" smoked glass top has a lot of overhead space for me.
As a vehicle for bopping between hotels and venues upscale dinner, the small Mercedes-Benz is perfectly satisfactory. The top is tight when it is up and falls in thirty seconds. When it is down, the cargo space is severely limited, but there is enough room for an extra bag. If tailored to the garbage head of a regional jet, it will fit in the trunk of an SLK. Do not expect to fit two of them, though. Climate control would suffice for a much larger car, and the sound system "Logic 7" worth the modest upcharge. It is loud enough to be heard with the top down on the highway, so I made the Miami Vice soundtrack on my phone and went for a walk in the evening.
in partnership with the manual six series of speeds, low pressure turbo engine is probably just enough to push along SLK250. With seven optional speed automatic torque converter, it takes a firm foothold to stay ahead of traffic.
Left to its own devices, the transmission starts in second according to the age-old practice MB. It is slow to move, but once you are on the path of rapid change and, on the 2-3, accompanied by an ignition cut-and-pop-race there very reminiscent of the current GTI. A button on the console can pass control "manual" paddle shifters, but the delay between the request and the lag can be as much a second. I do not waste much time pretending to be me, although the native algorithms SLK have the gearbox up to seventh at speeds as low as thirty miles per hour, where the turbo will happily Puff the car along at 00rpm or more.
As you can see, even with the smaller engine and transmission upshift-happy, its not superstar fuel economy. Some of this must be due to the abuse of which cars are usually set, but even with some deliberate on my part butterfly moderation, I could not manage to record 23.6mpg over 100 miles of relaxed driving. My Boxster also defeated easily with a 3.2 liter, 264 horsepower flat six, and Im willing to bet that the SLK350 with its 302 horsepower V-6, can beat too. Couple that with the unpleasant rattle diesel direct injection four emits slow and it becomes quite easy to make the case for the 3.5-liter model, even with a margin of nine thousand dollars. The big league power would just be the icing on the cake.
thereNine years, I managed to get the predecessor to this car, a Euro-market, 163-horsepower, auto-transmission, SLK0, around the Nurburgring in 9:19 on my seventh ever turn. (This is called a gantry bridge of time, by the way ;. It was an open house) In my view, this SLK is a useful mixture of handling and ride quality, better in this respect almost every potential customer that you have obtained with a Boxster or Z4. This current SLK tipped the balance further in the direction of comfort, perhaps at the expense of the car. Management has zero feel or feedback, replacing a heavy silk probably communicates "sport" fine for the owner of the average climbing but not exactly inspire me to attack a ramp. Even the large potholes are swallowed by the flexible frame and the ri gid shell, which makes me think it would be possible to put a little spring rate and may connect the wheel to the front wheels a little better. As it is, you do not want to take the Benz at a race track. It is also biased towards comfort than the current SL has become, and it feels both wider and more inert than any previous SLK.
Its tempting to get frustrated with the SLK250, because even today, Mercedes-Benz knows how to build shiny sports cars. If you do not believe me, spend a day with a Black Series SLS and see if you prefer just about everything else for sale at any price. The friendly people at M-B know how to make an SLK that stirs the emotions. They just chose not to. Instead, for your fifty thousand dollars you get a very faithful homage to the original 10SL. It is quite elegant, it is quite comfortable, and it will get you parked near the front of the hotel, even when there is a Ferrari FF and a Rolls-Royce Ghost in the lot as well. What he not - fast, capable, brilliant to drive - not very important to the vast majority of people who will buy one. Most TTACers would be better served with the Boxster, even in its current form wide fuselage, but if you want the same things that buyers of the original 10SL wanted, thats the only way you get it.
