2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK250 Reviews

Mercedes-Benz is hot on the engineering front at the moment, turning out new models and engines at a huge rate in an effort to grab back buyers made nervous by gloomy global economic predictions.VALUENot only is the engine of the SLK 250 on the small side, so is the price (these things are relative…) with a recommended retail of $92,450 you will see it sitting proudly in your driveway for comfortably under $100,000.TECHNOLOGYThe car we have just reviewed on the great driving roads of Victoria - the Mercedes-Benz SLK 250 - is a classic example of continuous improvement. The smallest sportscar in the vast Mercedes sporting range, the SLK has one of the smallest engines, with only four cylinders and just 1.8 litres. But this hot little powerplant is force fed by a high-pressure turbocharger that enables far more air to be fed into the combustion chambers. The result is that it tops out at 150 kW of power and an impressive 310 Nm of torque.Send that lot to the back wheels by way of some slick electronics that permit just enough wheelspin to keep the engine at its best and you can rocket from a standstill to 100 km/h in only 6.6 seconds. Not that many years back you would have needed 5.0 litres of HDT V8 engine to achieve that acceleration. Typical fuel consumption of an HDT would have been somewhere between 15 and 18 litres per hundred kilometres. The high-tech Mercedes-Benz four-cylinder is officially rated at just 6.7 litres per hundred kilometres.DRIVINGIt has to be said that during our test period that occupied a couple of hundred exhilarating kilometres our consumption was up in the eight to nine litre range, but considering the fun we got out of it the extra few dollars was money well spent. You don’t necessarily buy a car like this with low emissions in mind, but this superb 1.8-turbo is one of Mercedes’ family of Blue Efficiency units so the engine only puts out 155 grams per kilometre.The engine is a dream to sit behind, with little turbo lag and lots of meaty torque once it is up and running to maximum effect. The chassis responds brilliantly to the way the throttle is manipulated and the rear drive gives a keen driver very pleasing control over exactly what their car is doing. The exhaust note has a great sound that’s not overly muffled by the turbo, which is an excellent reason to power down that folding roof at every opportunity.The new Merc engine is complemented by a seven-speed automatic transmission that’s generally in the correct gear. Driver override is easy through paddles behind the steering wheel.VERDICTTop down motoring in a Merc roadster with a modest price tag - does life get any better than this?Mercedes-Benz SLK 250Price: from $92,450Warranty: three years/100,000 kmResale: 57 per centService Interval: 12 months/15,000kmCrash rating: not testedSafety: six airbags, ABS, TC, ESC, EBDEngine: 1.8-litre turbo four-cylinder, 150kW/350NmTransmission: seven-speed automatic, RWDDimensions: 4.15m (L), 1.82m (W), 1.31m (H)Weight: 1450kgSpare: space-saverThirst: 6.7L/100km (95 RON), 155g/km CO2

You need boobs or a buffed bod to get away with casual cruising in a drop-top. My wife assures me I have neither, which is why I tend to keep the lid on the SLK 250 up.She has a point though - most people who splash $100,000 on a two-seat roadster are image conscious. If that’s the case, Mercedes-Benz has their measure. The SLK roadster is as pretty a mechanical picture as you can paint for the money.VALUEThe 250 is the pick of the pair of 1.8-litre turbo engines that start the SLK line-up. At $92,450 it is $3000 dearer than BMW’s rival Z4 28i and $11,000 dearer than the all-wheel drive Audi TT 2.0 quattro. It’s still $15,000 under a Porsche Boxster or its SLK 350 stablemate, though.The SLK 250 rolls off the showroom with an infotainment system including satnav and web browser and voice control, a seven-inch hi-res screen, bi-xenon headlamps and heated and powered seats.TECHNOLOGYIt takes just 20 seconds to transform from classy to cool as the roof tucks in to the boot. That will chew most of the cargo space, so on weekends away, plan on getting to the hotel and unloading the luggage before you go topless.The engine is a 1.8-litre four-cylinder turbo matched to a seven-speed auto. The auto is a switch-hitter. The default economy setting heavily favours frugality over fun. That leads to a long wait between burying the right foot and eliciting a response from the engine but is also key in helping the car achieve a claimed 6.7 litres/100km.Great for boulevard cruising; frustrating when trying to get on the throttle mid-corner.  Sports mode eliminates the lag and is the preferred option for those making moves. Better still, go for manual mode and change gears via the wheel-mounted paddle shifters.DESIGNThere’s a touch of SL and SLS about Merc’s baby roadster. The fact it’s more than $130,000 cheaper makes it the standout of the two-seater range. The single horizontal bar that carries the Benz emblem on the front brings enough aggression to the front end to jab the “girl’s car” image in the head and the profile is pure roadster curves.Inside it has an edge on its German rivals. It looks premium and, with the manually operated wind-blockers behind the seats, there is very little turbulence when you are exposed to the elements.SAFETYIt hasn’t hit the ANCAP wall but Merc doesn’t build anything that won’t earn a five-star rating. In the case of the SLK, there are six airbags, the usual assortment of computer-enhanced and accelerometer-monitored braking software and a chassis that is harder than an ATO auditor.DRIVINGThis car raises the roof for top-down driving. Body flex is impossible to find at legal speeds and it combines outright fun with luxury motoring. The steering isn’t as sharp as the Z4 but compensates by being more relaxed around town. Ditto with the suspension. It is firmer than your average German sedan but there’s no jarring over potholes.A 0-100km/h time of 6.6 seconds isn’t going to set acceleration records but that isn’t what the 250 is about. It is about caressing corners, clipping the apex and then using the 350Nm to cannon to the next turn. Or shooting the breeze on country roads, then parading down seaside promenades. It is built for a purpose and does the required tasks purposefully.VERDICTIf you have an appetite for luxury roadsters, the SLK 250 will sate it. Easy to park, easy to pose in and easy to drive, it shaves the rough edges off outright sports car to bring refinement to alfresco driving.Mercedes-Benz SLK 250Price: from $92,450Warranty: three years/100,000 kmResale: 57 per centService Interval: 12 months/15,000kmCrash rating: not testedSafety: six airbags, ABS, TC, ESC, EBDEngine: 1.8-litre turbo four-cylinder, 150kW/350NmTransmission: seven-speed automatic, RWDDimensions: 4.15m (L), 1.82m (W), 1.31m (H)Weight: 1450kgSpare: space-saverThirst: 6.7L/100km (95 RON), 155g/km CO2