With the completely new
developed SLK, one of the
most exciting and successful
sports cars ever built is
entering its third
generation. The new roadster
takes driving pleasure and
open-air enjoyment to a new
level. It blends
light-footed sportiness with
stylish comfort, a striking
sports-car design with total
suitability for everyday use
and top performance with
exemplary ecology. What’s
more, the SLK is proud to
present the world premiere
of the panoramic vario-roof
with Magic Sky Control,
which switches to light or
dark at the touch of a
button. Exemplary efficiency
and sporty flair come
courtesy of powerful new 4-
and 6-cylinder engines
featuring the
standard-specification ECO
start/stop function. With
their superb levels of
performance they are up to
25 per cent more economical
than their predecessors. A
unique set of safety
equipment bestows role-model
status on the SLK in this
segment. With its wealth of
technical innovations the
SLK is once again the
benchmark in its class.
“The new SLK embodies the
role of the trend-setter
like no other car,” says
Dr Dieter Zetsche, Chairman
of the Board of Management
of Daimler AG and Head of
Mercedes-Benz Cars. “I am
convinced that with its
passionate design, its
high-quality interior and
its modesty at the filling
station it will continue to
provide an enormous amount
of fun on the road in
future, too, consolidating
its status as a cult
roadster.”
Innovations are part of the
successful history of the
Mercedes-Benz SLK:
-
In 1996 the first
generation caused a
furore with the vario-roof,
which transformed the
wide-open roadster into
a coupé with a fixed
roof at the touch of a
button in just a few
seconds
-
The second generation
placed the warm Airscarf
around the neck and
shoulders of the
occupants as needed,
ensuring pleasurable
open-top motoring even
in cooler temperatures
-
Now the third generation
is presenting a unique
highlight – the world
premiere of the
panoramic vario-roof
with Magic Sky Control.
It can be quickly
switched to light or
dark at the press of a
button
But the new Mercedes-Benz
SLK offers more than merely
individual highlights. It
assumes a leading position
in every discipline and
offers fun at the wheel in
every respect, with no
half-hearted compromises. It
impresses with
characteristics which are
generally deemed to be
irreconcilable: it succeeds
in uniting excellent comfort
and high-quality equipment
and appointments with a
decidedly sporty flair. At
the same time the new
roadster is one of the most
economical and
environmentally friendly in
its class and sets new
safety standards.
All-weather driving
enjoyment – with the roof
open and closed, in
leisure-time and everyday
use – is firmly anchored in
the SLK’s genes.
Timeless aesthetics embodies
hallmark sports-car
sensuality
The designers have
tailor-made a body for the
new SLK which emphasises its
classic roadster proportions
and puts them in the
spotlight to thrilling
effect. Behind the long
bonnet is a compact
passenger compartment
positioned far back, and a
short tail end. The SLK will
tempt potential customers
with the key attributes that
characterise all the classic
roadsters from Mercedes-Benz
and that have also made many
of them automotive icons of
the brand.
The first feature to catch
the eye is an upright
radiator grille that stands
proud and confident in the
wind and bears the new
Mercedes-Benz brand look. It
facilitates the long and
well-proportioned bonnet and
with its rearward
light-catching contours it
already hints at the
roadster’s dynamic
qualities. The wide radiator
grille bears the
Mercedes-Benz star in a
prominent central position
and displays a powerfully
contoured, chromed fin at
the front. The clearly
defined headlamps complete
the look for the new SLK’s
face, which resembles that
of the legendary 190 SL from
the 1950s, which is regarded
by many as being the
original “SLK”.
But it was certainly not
just the past that the
designers were focusing on;
with the new SLK’s front end
they also intentionally
created a close visual link
with the new Mercedes-Benz
SLS AMG “gullwing model” and
the new CLS.
The amazing and measurable
proof of the meticulously
detailed work that has been
carried out is that in spite
of the more striking,
steeper front and the larger
frontal area, the Cd value
has been cut to just 0.30 –
a brilliant achievement (the
predecessor model’s Cd value
was 0.32).
The timelessly classic shape
of the side view with the
classic roadster proportions
embodies aesthetics of the
highest calibre and is a
visual promise of the
sportiness and driving
pleasure in store. Fine
details and quotes show the
care that has been taken by
the Mercedes-Benz designers.
For example, a fillet
conceals the boot joint, so
that the side line cannot
get in the way, as it
usually does with similar
roof designs. The
ventilation grilles in the
front wings with a chromed
fin are reminiscent of the
famous Mercedes-Benz
roadsters of the 1950s. In
the new SLK they form the
perfect starting point for a
feature line which flows to
the muscular rear wing,
using light and shadow to
add style and timeless
aesthetics to the sides.
Meanwhile the upper edge of
the wide headlamps – which
boast all-LED technology for
the first time – also
appears to flow into the
feature line.
Spirit and efficiency
There will initially be
three models of the SLK
available at its market
launch, all of them powered
by new engines with direct
injection. The four-cylinder
engines in the SLK 200
BlueEFFICIENCY and SLK 250
BlueEFFICIENCY develop 184
hp and 204 hp respectively
from a displacement of 1796
cubic centimetres. The SLK
200 BlueEFFICIENCY is the
most economical roadster in
its segment. With the
enhanced, optional
seven-speed automatic
transmission 7G‑Tronic Plus
it returns 46.3 mpg on the
combined cycle. The frugal
model sprints from 0 to 62
mph in 7.0 seconds, and
achieves its top speed at
147 mph (150 with manual
transmission).
The SLK 250 BlueEFFICIENCY
is equipped as standard with
the 7G-Tronic Plus automatic
transmission and returns
45.5 mpg on the combined
cycle. From a standstill it
reaches 62 mph in 6.6
seconds, and it has a top
speed of 150 mph.
The V6 engine in the SLK 350
BlueEFFICIENCY draws 306 hp
from its 3498
cubic-centimetre
displacement, using this
power to accelerate in
5.6 seconds from 0 to 62 mph
(top speed 155 mph). It
returns 39.7 mpg on the
combined cycle. The new V6
engine has been developed
from the ground up and its
most important hallmarks are
its 3rd-generation
direct injection, piezo
injectors and multi-spark
ignition.
The exemplary efficiency,
with fuel consumption
improved by up to a quarter
compared with the
predecessor models, is also
due to the ECO start/stop
system which is fitted as
part of the standard
specification in all
models.
The new SLK will launch in
the UK in June, 2011.
Pricing and UK
specifications are still to
be confirmed.
