Raising The Roof
by Ross Finlay (04 Apr 00)

Mercedes has tripled the number of models in the SLK roadster range, offering two supercharged types plus a 3.2-litre V6, filling a serious gap by making a short-throw six-speed manual the standard transmission, and providing an entry-level car priced on the low side of £27,000.

On the UK market since 1996, the individual and eye-catching SLK, with its retro styling details which are there to remind us of the 300SL sports-racers of the early 1950s, sold better than expected right from the start.

Mercedes reckoned on annual sales of something like 1700, but they hit 2400 in the second season, went to 3000 in 1998, made 3300 last year, and could easily manage 3500 this time. But there will be no over-supply. Stuttgart is a firm believer in strong residual values.

There are modest styling changes at front and rear, more to freshen up the SLK than to make drastic alterations. One curiosity is that the indicator repeaters are now built into the door mirrors, and not on the front wings. Nobody at the launch said how much a damaged mirror would cost to replace.

Inside, the standard finish for the centre console and the door-handle plates is milled aluminium. But wood trim is an extra-cost option, either bird's-eye maple or eucalyptus. The main structure of the car feels more solid, as it should do after the substantial modifications in advance of the revised EuroNCAP tests, and the magnesium bulkhead which firms up the rear end is still in place behind the seats.

The electrically operated steel Vario roof, which retracts into the boot, remains the most discussed feature of the car. It needs a very complex mechanism, especially as the bootlid hinges at the back to let the roof in, but at the front when you want to stow luggage.

Roof-down, and with the mesh air deflector in place between the headrests, the SLK cabin is pretty well draught-free apart from the hair-ruffling upper airflow. The snag about retracting the roof into the boot is that there isn't a lot of luggage space in that configuration. One case and a few squashy bags fill it up. You also have to watch the rather less distinct view through the mesh in the interior mirror.

At £26,390, the 200 Kompressor model takes Mercedes sports cars down into a UK market sector they've never explored before. This version is no wimp, though, because the supercharged engine pushes out 161bhp, takes the car to 60mph in just over eight seconds, and manages a maximum speed of 138mph. The top model in the range uses the 3.2-litre V6 engine transferred across from Mercedes saloons and estates. That hikes the price to £33,640 while the normally aspirated 215bhp engine gets the 0-60mph time down to just about seven seconds and the top speed up to 148mph.

The one I fancied most, though, was the SLK230 Kompressor at £30,190. Its engine shares the revisions also made to the 200 - modified cylinder head, ignition and management systems, supercharger and exhaust.

There's 194bhp under the bonnet, and it provides a seamless surge of revs and power such as even the best modern turbo engines rarely manage. The blower whine seems much more restrained than in the original car, but the acceleration is almost as strong as with the V6, which has an advantage of only a fifth of a second to 60mph.

You can spend a lot of extra money on an SLK - £1000 for leather upholstery, £710 for xenon headlamps and so on - but the standard cars still look the part. The cabin is a roomy two-seat job, if you bear in mind that the steering wheel can be pushed in until it's almost touching the fascia. But I had to sacrifice my usual well-reclined driving position. That rear bulkhead, as in so many sports cars, won't allow it.

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