New SLK appeals to both heart and mind

THE Mercedes-Benz SLK is the perfect car for a sunny day drive. This two-seater sports car now comes with powerful new engines and transmissions and excels with exemplary efficiency. The new model year SLK is now available to order.

In 1996, Mercedes-Benz redefined the roadster with the innovative vario-roof, and combined open-air driving pleasure with uncompromised comfort in poor weather. For the new model year of the SLK, Mercedes-Benz has once again combined passion with good sense to appeal to both the heart and mind.

This is impressively demonstrated by the four-cylinder SLK models, a new engine generation with direct injection and multi-spark ignition ensures sporty driving enjoyment.

In the SLK 200, the four-cylinder engine generates 135kW from a displacement of 1 991cc and torque of 300Nm, this is 30Nm more than the preceding model.

The new SLK 300 replaces the SLK 250. The output from the same displacement increases by 30kW, versus the preceding model to 180kW. At the same time, torque is increased by 60Nm to 370Nm.

As standard, Mercedes-Benz combines the SLK 200 with a new six-speed manual transmission which excels with a high level of gearshift comfort and precise travel. The new SLK 300 is equipped with the new nine-speed 9G-Tronic automatic transmission as standard.

This allows for very fast gear changes, especially in manual mode and also lower engine speeds. This has a particularly beneficial effect on efficiency and noise comfort. Optionally, the SLK 200 is also available with the innovative 9G-Tronic automatic transmission.

The 9G-Tronic transmission comes with a newly designed, sporty direct select lever on the centre console, as well as steering wheel gearshift paddles.

All the SLK engines feature the ECO start and stop function and meets stringent emission standards. This also applies to the six-cylinder engines of the SLK 350 and SLK 55 AMG, which round off the SLK family.

The extended standard equipment of the SLK includes LED daytime running lamps in a rod design. An LTE-capable exterior onboard aerial is also new in conjunction with the optionally available convenience telephony.

The high transfer rates of this new, high-performance mobile radio standard allow an even better quality of reception and transmission. This also benefits the performance of the Comand Online multimedia system with faster internet access and intuitive operation.

A feature that continues to be unique to the SLK is the panoramic vario-roof with Magic Sky Control, this glass roof is lightened or darkened at the touch of a button. This means that it provides an open-air feeling at any time, but when required gives welcome shade under a hot sun.

The classic strengths of the SLK also include its well-designed boot, which at 335 litres has easily the highest capacity in this segment, and a very sporty suspension which demands no compromises in terms of comfort.

The standard suspension already ensures agility and comfort on long journeys. The optional Dynamic Handling package with adaptive damping system, Direct-Steer system, ESP® Dynamic Cornering Assist and suspension lowered by 10 millimetres all enable outstanding handling dynamics.

Despite the increased performance and new technical features, the prices for the SLK have only increased slightly:

• SLK 200 – R645 700

• SLK 300 – R720 000

• SLK 350 – R851 200

• SLK 55 AMG – R1 105 900.