Test drive Mercedes Benz SLK R171 since 2008 Cabriolet
Girls are resting
For the premiere tests of the new SLK relatives, Daimler-Benz functionaries invited the press to coastal Alps. This area with palm trees and serpentines is quite beaten for test trips, however, in the case of SLK, the landscapes of Nice and Monaco are selected correctly this Rogster remains a favorite car toy for girls on vacation. The SLK Roadster, first presented in 1996, is, what a sin to hide is still a female racing machine, as if in Daimler-Benz would not want to inspire the opposite. In order to prove this in the opposite, Daimler-Benz employees always take to various events where SLK suddenly takes place, a completely different car. This is a magnificent, assembled, rapid, convincing racing Rogster SL of the late 1950s with the current residence permit in Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Stuttgart. It is this strict uncompromising car that is, according to Daimler-Benz marketers, the direct ancestor of the current Rodster SLK.
In Daimler, everyone does not get tired of repeating the tucking old mantra: SLK is a serious, very well -made, German sports car, you can light it, it is worth driving it quickly, and men should pay attention to it. But only now the audience is not only Russian, but also the Western one, too, does not hurry to listen to these exhortations, rightly believing that a man, if he wants to buy himself not even a sports car, but simply a real civilian car, will rather go to Porsche. And there is nothing to be done here, to fight Porsche on this field is more expensive. Although Daimler-Benz nevertheless found the strength to put the strength in coastal alps and a freshly wrapped SLK 350 with a V6 and 305 horses, and then lure the press and the ultrasound version of the SLK AMG55, but it seems that all this was useless.
The new SLK relatives failed to break out of the image of an expensive women's car toy, a frivolous expensive machine, which a beautiful Russian girl receives as a gift, for example, on her 20th birthday. Either on the day of graduation, such cases in Moscow are not at all uncommon. However, we will leave alone the potential or already established client base of SLK. Nevertheless, this new car is not updated, namely the new one, since his body, in which, at first glance, nothing fundamentally changed, received a new designation.
So, the body of the third -generation SLK family has completely new forms of the hood. The hood of SLK turned out to be more elongated, flat and visually well referring, for example, to the flattened hood of the hood of the Slr Mercedes-Benz sports car. Some observers even go even further in their assessments, claiming that with a new hood, the innocent SLK began to resemble McLaren car. In addition, a stamp in the form of letter V appeared on the hood. This stamping is a central pride for designers working on SLK. So, the stamped V-form starts from the proprietary three-beam Mercedes star located on the radiator grille (it received a new drawing), and reaches for the windshield. Thus, designers sought to give the appearance of a car of aggressiveness, seriousness and swiftness.
By the way, the new SLK is especially seriously with the body of the Classical Mercedes-Benz color silver metallic. In second place, we would always put a noble black color, and in the third color red. I must say that the red color in the SLK body is completely bad, just in this case, the advanced consumers include historical memory: after all, the racing red color is historically booked for Alfa Romeo and Ferrari. And finally, in the very last place, a new body shade of Slk is silver, pale green. This is a rather strange color, on the one hand, it, as the most tender, is the most female shade, but on the other hand, completely kills the Roger racing nature.
The line of engines in SLK is as follows: two previous engines remained in strength, it is 200 (185 horsepower) and 280 with 231 horses, they are equipped with both a mechanical transmission and a six -speed automatic. The textbook Mercedes engine V6 350 in SLK is installed for the first time, and it is entrusted with a responsible task to draw attention to a car of fans of a sports style of driving. However, there will be problems with this.
The fact is that the V6 350, enclosed in such a small squat body, seems to torment the car from the inside. This is especially noticeable in the version with an automatic 7G-Tronic box. Such a class starts as if it is in clay, but, having gained strength, rushes forward already uncontrollably and is absolutely unclear why he does it. In addition, in the case of V6 350, certain problems arise with the sound setting of the motor. A powerful engine mercilessly resonates the tiny salon, making unpleasant sharp sounds. This, by the way, cannot be said about an even more powerful engine installed in the AMG55 version, in a 360-horsepower motor collected by one master, even stronger sounds do not affect the nerves, but sound bass and beautifully.
However, the obvious failure with the installation of the V6 350 again proves that SLK is a well -made, expensive female car toy, and not a small male car. However, setting all the points over I, one of the Daimler-Benz employees after the completion of test drives in the seaside alps carefully asked me: is it true that only women buy SLK in Russia? I answered in the affirmative. Then the employee sighed heavily and said: but still it’s good when our cars can serve as evidence of love. These are golden words. Still, almost Italian grace and narcissism from this little German relative cannot be taken away. Abstracts after
1: The SLK owner should develop a command voice to control navigation without hands, through the Linguatronic system.
2: To replace the weather around him, the SLK driver needs only 22 seconds precisely during this time the roof of Vario disappears in the trunk.
3: With a new hood on which the letter V flashes, the innocent SLK began to resemble the McLaren car.
4: This car is a beautiful Russian girl as a gift for the 20th birthday or on the day of school.
Mercedes-Benz Slk Engine V6
Working volume (l) 3498
Power (l. P. At about/min) 305 at 6500
Moment (nm at rpm) 360 4900
The rear drive
Gearbox 7-speed automatic
Length/width/height (mm) 4080/1790/1300
Full mass (kg) 1800
Maximum speed (km/h) 250
Acceleration to 100 km/h (c) 5.4
Fuel consumption, average (l/100 km) 9.2
The price in Moscow is not determined
Text: Ekaterina Istomin
Photo: Daimler-Benz
Source: "Autopilot"
