The New Mercedes-Benz SLK Roadster in Melbourne
MULGRAVE, AUSTRALIA – July 4, 2011: With the completely newly developed SLK, one of the most exciting and successful sports cars ever built is entering its third generation. The new roadster uncompromisingly takes driving pleasure and open-air enjoyment to a new level. It blends light-footed sportiness with stylish comfort, a striking sports-car design with total suitability for everyday use, top performance with exemplary ecology. What’s more, the SLK is proud to present the world premiere of the panoramic vario-roof with MAGIC SKY CONTROL, which switches to light or dark at the touch of a button. Exemplary efficiency and sporty flair come courtesy of powerful new 4- and 6-cylinder engines. With a unique set of safety equipment and a wealth of technical innovations, the SLK is once again the benchmark in its class.
“The new SLK embodies the role of the trend-setter like no other car”, says Dr Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Cars. “I am convinced that with its passionate design, its highquality interior and its modesty at the filling station it will continue to provide an enormous amount of fun on the road in future, too, consolidating its status as a cult roadster.”
Innovations are part of the successful history of the Mercedes-Benz
SLK:
But the new Mercedes-Benz SLK offers more than merely individual highlights. It assumes a leading position in every discipline and offers fun at the wheel in every respect, with no half-hearted compromises. It impresses with characteristics which are generally deemed to be irreconcilable: it succeeds in uniting excellent comfort and high-quality equipment and appointments with a decidedly sporty flair, for instance. At the same time the new roadster is the most economical and thus the most environmentally friendly in its class, also setting new safety standards. And all-weather driving enjoyment – open and closed, in leisure-time and everyday use – is firmly anchored in the SLK’s genes.
A distinctive design creates a sporty presence
The designers
have tailor-made an outfit for the new SLK which emphasises its classic
roadster proportions and puts them in the spotlight to thrilling effect.
Behind the long bonnet is a compact passenger compartment positioned far
back, and a short tail end. The SLK will tempt potential customers with the
key attributes that characterise all the classic roadsters from
Mercedes-Benz and that have also made many of them automotive icons.
The first feature to catch the eye is an upright radiator grille that stands proud and confident in the wind. It facilitates the long and well-proportioned bonnet and with its rearward light-catching contours it already hints at the roadster’s dynamic qualities. The wide radiator grille bears the Mercedes-Benz star in a prominent central position and displays a powerfully contoured fin, chromed at the front. The clearly defined headlamps complete the look for the new SLK’s face, which resembles that of the legendary 190 SL from the 1950s, which is regarded by many as being the original “SLK”. But it was certainly not just the past that the designers were focusing on; with the new SLK’s front end they also intentionally created a close visual link with the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG “gull-wing model” and the new CLS.
The amazing and measurable proof of the meticulously detailed work that has been carried out is that in spite of the more striking, steeper front and the larger frontal area, the Cd value has been cut to just 0.30 – a brilliant achievement (the preceding model’s Cd value was 0.32).
The closed, elegant shape of the side view with the classic roadster proportions quickens the pulse and is a visual promise of the sportiness and driving pleasure in store. Fine details show the care that has been taken by the Mercedes-Benz designers. For example, a fillet conceals the boot joint, so that it does not disturb the side aspect as with similar roof designs. The ventilation grilles in the front wings with a chromed fin are reminiscent of the famous Mercedes-Benz roadsters of the 1950s. In the new SLK they form the perfect starting point for a feature line which flows to the muscular rear wing, using light and shadow to add style and elegance to the sides.
Interior with style and a feel-good atmosphere
With the most
compact dimensions in its class, the new SLK has an interior whose generous
size is exemplary. To achieve this, the designers have developed interior
appointments which offer the driver and passenger a real feel-good
ambience. The interior is characterised by sporty refinement,
well-thought-out ergonomics and high-quality, authentic materials which
have been processed with painstaking attention to detail and skilled
craftsmanship. Even in the base version the centre console and other trim
parts gleam in brushed aluminium.Wood can be selected as an option in
high-gloss dark brown walnut or high-gloss black ash. Four round,
galvanised air outlets integrated in the dashboard emphasise that this
model well and truly belongs to the Mercedes-Benz sports car family, their
shape being derived from those in the SLS.
The SLK’s generous dial instruments are flanked by a display for the information generated by the online computer. The colour display for the communications and entertainment functions is housed in the centre of the dashboard, and can be easily read by both the driver and passenger.
Other high-quality items of equipment include a multifunction sports steering wheel with a flattened lower section and a thick leather rim, plus optional sunreflecting leather which noticeably reduces the degree to which the surfaces it covers heat up, impressive ambient lighting which for the first time has a red colour tone, and the innovative neck-level heating system AIRSCARF familiar from the preceding model.
Unique feature: MAGIC SKY CONTROL
For the first time
Mercedes-Benz is offering a choice of three variants of the
lightweight-construction vario-roof for the new SLK. In just a few seconds
this feature transforms the roadster into a coupé with a
“fixed” roof at the touch of a button – and vice
versa:
Innovative draught-stop system AIRGUIDE
A comfortable
alternative to the conventional draught-stop is a new, pivoting
draught-stop for the new SLK which has been invented by Mercedes-Benz
aerodynamics engineers. It consists of pivoting, transparent perspex
sections which are attached to the reverse of the roll-over bars. The
driver or passenger can pivot them to the centre of the vehicle in a flash,
thus taming turbulent air flow. When the pivoting draught-stops are not
required, they disappear almost invisibly behind the roll-over bars. There
is no awkward disassembly and removal as with other draught-stops.
Spirit and efficiency
There will be three models of the SLK
available, all of them powered by new engines with direct injection. The
four-cylinder engines in the SLK 200 BlueEFFICIENCY and SLK 250
BlueEFFICIENCY develop 135 kW and 150 kW respectively from a displacement
of 1796 cubic centimetres. The SLK 200 BlueEFFICIENCY has the lowest CO2
emissions in its segment. With the enhanced, standard seven-speed automatic
transmission 7G-TRONIC PLUS it consumes just 6.9 litres of petrol
(combined) over 100 kilometres, corresponding to 161 g of CO2 per
kilometre. This sporty model sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.0 seconds.
The SLK 250 BlueEFFICIENCY will be equipped with the 7G-TRONIC PLUS automatic transmission and will be available in early 2012 from Australian dealers.
The V6 engine in the SLK 350 BlueEFFICIENCY generates 225 kW from its 3498 cubic-centimetre displacement, using this power to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.6 seconds. Its consumption is 8.3 litres (combined) per 100 kilometres (194 g of CO2 per kilometre). The V6 engine has been completely newly developed. Its most important hallmarks are 3rd-generation direct injection, piezo injectors and multi-spark ignition.
Suspension for the closest connection to the road
There are
also two suspension versions to choose from:
Also included in the Dynamic Handling package (standard) is a Direct-Steer system and the Torque Vectoring Brake developed by Mercedes-Benz. The Direct-Steer system offers more handling and agility, whilst also reducing the amount of physical effort required when parking. In critical conditions the Torque Vectoring Brake produces a defined rotational movement of the vehicle about the vertical axis in fractions of seconds through selective brake actuation at the rear wheel on the inside of the bend. This results in the SLK stabilising without any compromises where dynamism is concerned, and it steers into the bend precisely and under full control.
Ingenious material mix and high levels of safety
The new
SLK’s bodyshell structure has been further refined, with the bonnet
and wings now made of aluminium. The new Mercedes-Benz SLK also sets new
benchmarks in terms of safety. The third generation of the powerful
trend-setter will make use of a whole host of the latest assistance systems
to support the driver, including the drowsiness detection system ATTENTION
ASSIST, developed by Mercedes-Benz and fitted as standard; the optional
anticipatory occupant protection system PRE-SAFE®, which is unique in the
world; and the PRE-SAFE® Brake, which can apply the brakes autonomously in
the event of an impending rear-end collision. This means that with the SLK
too, Mercedes-Benz is consistently and significantly exceeding the
requirements imposed by safety standards.
Further assistance systems are available on request:
The market launch for the SLK is August 2011.
SLK 200 BlueEFFICIENCY: $82,900 (MLP) SLK 350 BlueEFFICIENCY: $118,900 (MLP)
More information regarding the SLK specifications and options will be communicated closer to the launch.
Important note to editors - The price detailed in this document is the current Manufacturer’s List Price (MLP) for the Mercedes-Benz SLK.
As you may be aware, the MLP includes GST and any LCT applicable to the base / standard specification model but EXCLUDES DEALER DELIVERY AND ALL ON ROAD COSTS such as, for example, registration fees, stamp duty, CTP and the like.
Accordingly, please ensure that when you publish the details contained
in this document, your publication makes it clear to its readers
that:
Whilst we are unable to provide you with drive away pricing due to the wide variation in on-road costs between states and territories, and the different ranges of dealer delivery imposed by dealers, we encourage you to contact one of our authorised Mercedes-Benz passenger car dealers in order to obtain relevant and accurate drive away information for your specific audience.