Test drive Mercedes Benz SLK R171 since 2008 Cabriolet

Show yourself, ride yourself

In Russia, there are few buyers of relatives, and they are divided into two different categories. Some understand very well what they want to drive and choose a car exclusively for its running qualities. Other speeds on the drum. They look at the car like a hat that will be decorated with themselves. Roadster in this capacity is the most expensive and causing headdress. However, among Western buyers of double open cars, consumer separatism also takes place. Maybe there is a share of the Schumachers more than dandruff, but this is not fundamental. Anyway, manufacturers of relatives have to break between the competent and shocking public.
Gloves and rubber helmet. In the news feeds, reports about the imminent output of the new zeta began to occur. It is known that the next -generation BMW Roadster will become larger and more expensive, it will not be produced in the United States, but in Europe. He will surely get a rigid folding roof. Against such a news background, sales of the current Z4 model are unlikely to be good. It's a pity. Zet-feed is an amazing and incomparable car.
The first acquaintance with her took place in the summer of 2003, when the new Bavarian relatives began to appear in Russia. In 2006, it was lucky again-it was the opportunity to roll up to nausea and erased tires on Z4 M. Accepting the car for a test drive for the third time, I again rejoiced at this, like a schoolboy. For four days, I fell out of the office and editing life and was constantly looking for an occasion to go somewhere. No, do not go, but fly. Here you are, how much will you need to get from Leningradka to Altufevsky Highway when the Moscow Ring Road is relatively free? Five to six minutes? You go to the wrong rings. If you choose the outer part of the Moscow Ring Road, the pleasure is stretched for 45 minutes. Here for such crazy tricks sets up the Bavarian relatives.
Alexey Mochanov, pilot Racing Team Ukraine
- You drove Nordschlyife on Z4 in just 8:13. Is it possible on a serial car?
- A three-liter pin on the mechanics is a shell ready for battle. Perfect weightlifting, hard body, powerful motor, honed handling. The Bavarians removed the lessons from the unsuccessful Z3 and made a pilot car. To do this, it is enough to teach the car to drive exactly on the Nordschlya.
- Does Mercedes Slk noticeably differ in this position?
- Swabs think more about features and gadgets, and the driver of the serial Mercedes is rather a passenger than a pilot. But if you need a walking car, then I'm just a SLK supporter with a small engine. Z4 for walking is too nervous, sharp and hard.
- Suppose there is SLK 350, which is more powerful than Z4. Will he be able to give a battle to the BMW Rodster on the racing track?
- On the northern loop, SLK brakes have enough for five fast circles, AMG- by ten, in Z4, the problems begin to arise only by the end of the second day. And Z4 M does not have it at all! So who will win, what do you think? BMW has the right philosophy - the brakes should be more powerful than the engine.
- Which one would he take?
- I already made a choice- I bought Porsche Cayman.
You can understand those who fundamentally do not like the BMW Bangle design. Z4 also gives a lot of reasons to blame the Munich stylists. The shape of the roof, when the fabric top is raised, is absurd and monstrous - each time you shudder from its appearance. And when the awning is removed, the class due to a long hood and an upturned tail becomes like a giant eggplant. Five years ago, all passers -by, barely seeing Z4, immediately turned their neck, poked their finger or stumbled. But the car became embarrassed, the attitude became much calmer. She willingly give way to the road, forgive innocent road pranks. So sorry, gentlemen-critics, and the design of Z4 as it should. When this lobed muzzle, which literally bursts with impudence, flows into the stream, for some reason, daredevils to compete with it are not visible even a mile away. It sounds paradoxically, but it is Z4 that is better than others protects its owner from any road stress.
Not everyone complains the fabric top. And in vain. It just needs to be removed from sight. In good weather, traveling with a raised roof on Z4 is a Moveton, if not a perversion. The forces of the climatic system in the Z4 are enough to supply the driver with coolness when the sun is baked, and with warmth, when the thermometer is lowered to 12-15. You can safely go towards a thunderstorm cloud in an open car and breathe in electrified air. At the first signs of rain, slow down and press the button - the roof will spill out of the trunk and cover the cabin in just ten seconds. And since it is made multi -layer and has powerful heat -insulation, the Z4 interior in winter warms up ten times faster than that of any machine. This is not an assumption, but a proven fact.
White boot, black glasses. It is believed that the relatives are most actively buying men aged 40 to 50 years (why powerful open double machines are in demand for mature men - this is already for psychologists, they will tell a lot about libido and unrealized desires). But in the case of Mercedes-Benz SLK, statistics are failing. Money for this car is also usually made by men of the age mentioned, but they buy it exclusively for their daughters. Meanwhile, Mercedes does not get tired of reminding that SLK is not a toy. This is a serious sports rubber, created for those who understand a lot about fast driving. How to interpret the contradiction?
Firstly, they do not deceive in Stuttgart. When you get acquainted with the technical data of the latest SLK 350, there is no doubt-in front of you is a very, very frisky car in your class. Secondly, her appearance has become even more sports. The arrow -shaped nose hints at the relationship with the expensive Slr supercar. Oblique air intakes in the spoiler look spectacular. The lower edge of the posterior skirt, from which the hefty meal of the muffler stick out, began to resemble the diffuser of a real racing car. And the seats are very good. They provide a low class landing and differ in small weight - the frames of the seats are made of magnesium alloys.

Andrey Leontyev, Avtoplyus TV channel
- I was delighted with SLK, but the image of a ladies car confuses me. How do you like it?
-I just got out of the steering wheel of the Dakarovsky KAMAZ and now I can say that all other cars are female. But seriously, you should look at the SLK as at the class for pleasure. He continues the idea that Mercedes embodied in the famous 190SL half a hundred years ago.
- It turns out that Slk is still a glamorous toy?
-- Not only. The car is very tolerant. You can get pleasure from it, rising in the city center at 20 km/h, and a crazy driving along a mountain road.
- Audi TT, Porsche BoXter, BMW Z4, Honda S2000, Nissan 350Z Roadster- In this five do you think the most quick?
- I would not consider TT for a competitor due to the passenger formula 2+2. Boxter is correctly balanced. S2000 must be kept all the time at high speeds. 350z behaves too nervously. Only the four remains.
- Can SLK350 compete with him?
- An ordinary model yes. But Z4 m is not. This is an ultimate machine. Only SLK 55 AMG can enter into a battle with her.
- I already made a choice- I bought Porsche Cayman.
But still, the toy in the new SLK has not yet been obsolete. The front and rear spoiler, as well as the side linings are made of thin and flexible plastic-such elements can probably somehow affect aerodynamics, but at high speed the best clamping to the road is unlikely. And the hood is not impeccable - where it adjacent to the headlights, decent cracks are visible. The intricate mechanism of folding a hard roof looks much more massive than that of a competitor, in addition on our car, he did not work perfectly - the right triangular glass did not reach the seal of a millimeter of three. In general, SLK should not park next to the Munich relatives - it will look like a flip glinge with a glossy soap dish against the background of a strong nut Z4.
But SLK is much better adapted for everyday driving. A hard top is already an advantage. The roof is formed so that there is still a lot of space in the trunk-a three or four package filled with all sorts of tastes from the alphabet, it is placed without problems. Roadster is distinguished by excellent aerodynamics with a cleaned roof-up to a speed of 120-130 km/h in the cabin, acceptable comfort is preserved and the hairstyle does not even suffer. But the most wonderful thing in SLK is called AIRSCARF. Clutch a button and feel how warm air began to penetrate into the neck area. It's nice that I want to squint.
Windy persons. If you aimed at buying a BMW Z4, choose mechanics. The point is not about saving (for the six -speed STEPTRONIC you will have to pay 72,000 rubles) and not even as the work of the machine (there are almost no complaints about it), but in the purity of the driver sensations. This machine requires a hundred percent driver's concentration. Do not count on the fact that it will be possible to drive more relaxed with an automaton. Z4 immediately makes you cling to the bagel tightly - the car reacts nervously even to an invisible track and very sharply makes any maneuver. When you fly on such a shell, I want everything - the choice of programs, and overheads, and braking by the engine - remained under your control. And STEPTRONIC does not even give this in a sporting mode-you rule over the machine only 80-90 percent. I will also not advise anyone to the Z4 with automatic to turn off electronic stabilization. In a relative with a pen, this action is still somehow justified-it brings additional severity to the management process. You sit almost on the rear wheel and you feel the drum that arises instantly-there are several moments to adequately respond with a steering wheel or gas. When not only your right leg, but also Steptronic, any sliding begins to scare and can endlessly be in the rear wheels and can end unpredictably. And do not rely on the symmetrical distribution of mass 50/50. This is good until the car remains under control. When she breaks down in Spin, she begins to spin the way she wants, not the driver.
In addition, Z4 with a machine gun loses about three tenths of mechanics in acceleration to hundreds. It would seem that the unfortunate three tenths. But, believe me, this is an eternity for such a light and powerful machine. And if you express it more definitely - this is a drain into two buildings to a competitor from Stuttgart. Moreover, the most offensive, you lose at the very first meters of the distance. With mechanics, Z4 would have broken from a place as stung.
SLK after Z4 is perceived as a car with calm and balanced handling. This class is softer, he generally does not care about the rut, he does not so lazily reacts to sharp actions by the steering wheel. Bavar, for example, does not enter, but literally drives himself into a turn - a long nose is thrown as if a car was moved from all over the jaw on the right or left. SLK just dies in the same turn. Performing a maneuver clearly, with millimeter accuracy, and even at the limit of tire clutch, is more difficult.
However, Mercedes is really faster than Z4 on straight lines. Much faster. The 7G-Tronic machine understands the driver’s teams literally half a word. And the 3.5-liter V6 is really successful for this relatives-finally SLK has a strong, fast and controlled engine. The car shoots with him with marvelous ease. I'm even a little sorry for the macho on steep cars. If the blondes in SLK 350 shows that the bangs can be corrected without hands, simply stomping the leg on the gas pedal (so that it makes a clan), the girls will tear everyone on traffic lights. Even Z4.
For five years, little has changed in the interior Z4. A lush and comfortable bagel with a rounded bibikk is spinning in front of you. The dashboard is framed by the same incredibly massive decorative insert, from which the air ducts and the audio control panel stick out. Perhaps, only the design of the devices has changed - before, if the memory does not change, the tachometer and speedometer bordered the cheap -looking silver rings, and now they are covered with stylish visors. And five years ago, Z4 was not sold with navigation. Now please - its retractable display sticks out exactly in the center of the torpedo. Alas, it is inconvenient to use Susanin - the monitor is too dim for a car without a roof, in addition, the control interface still remains not Russified. I will not find fault with ergonomics. In this machine, as in any BMW, everything is in its place. The position and stroke of pedals, landing and visibility - everything is sharpened under the driver. I also liked new chairs, although in 2003 it was the seats that caused the greatest complaints (weak lateral fixation, uncomfortable profile, very rough skin). Later it became clear that they were not new, but optional-from the M-series. The surcharge is decent, 35 thousand, but it will justify itself.
Mercedes in recent years, too, have not spoiled its fans with high -quality and stylish interiors too much, but progress has already been visible in the new SLK. The steering wheel is the most important detail of any driver, finally became like a steering wheel, and not a product of a codel factory. It is big in diameter, but as a native lays in the hands of a grip. The pedal node is impeccable. The only multifunctional steering wheel switch is also in place - to the joy of lovers of Mercedes and to the chagrin of everyone who is just going to join them. A chic multimedia audio system part -time is a very advanced navigator. In any case, the control interface is Russified, it is much more beautiful and visual, the cartographic base is significantly wider. Categorically did not like massive plastic doorbells and elaborate door grills. It was confused by the frankly plastic view of the entire dashboard. I liked the upholstery of the seats with the skin of NAPP - smooth and soft. And about the seats themselves. It seems that they were designed under the asses no more than fifty. Fragile delicate persons are simply obliged to evaluate this nuance.

BMW Z4 3.0SI
Gasoline engine, 6 in a row
Working volume (cubic cub) 2996
Power (L.S. at rpm) 265 at 6600
Moment (nm at rpm) 315 at 2750
The rear drive
Gearbox automatic, 6-speed
Length/width/height (mm) 4091/1781/1299
Equipped mass (kg) 1385
Maximum speed (km/h) 250
Acceleration to 100 km/h (c) 6.0
Fuel consumption, city/highway (l/100 km) 12.8/6.8
The price in Moscow is 1 810 800 rubles.

Mercedes-Benz Slk 350
Gasoline engine, v6
Working volume (cubic cub) 3498
Power (L.S. at rpm) 305 at 6500
Moment (nm at rpm) 350 at 3500
The rear drive
Gearbox automatic, 7-speed
Length/width/height (mm) 4080/1790/1300
Equipped mass (kg) 1465
Maximum speed (km/h) 25
0 destination up to 100 km/h (c) 5.4
Fuel consumption, city/highway (l/100 km) 13.1/7.0
The price in Moscow is 2,2200 rubles.

We thank for help in organizing the shooting of BMW Rusland Trading (495) 781-3400 and CJSC Mercedes-Benz Rus (495) 745-2600.
Text: Ruslan Tarasov
Photo: Andrey Danilov
 

Source: "Autopilot"