I managed to do just over 300 miles in the UK spec SLK55 AMG, mainly on country roads with about 50 miles of motorway cruising. So this is my review.....
0-60 and other performance figures: I think Mercs figures are conservative, with a brand new car and ESP on I could match or
better their times so a well broken in car driven well without ESP should be able to beat the claimed figures.
Performance: Amazing! Mercs 4.9 second 0-60 is accurate and achievable by anyone in dry conditions. In a straight line the 55 is
much faster than my S2000. The SLK55 is devastating away from the traffic lights and will leave all but the fastest cars trailing!
Sound: The V8 sounds fantastic and is much louder than the V6 in the SLK350, I'd actually say that the SLK55 sounds better than
the SL55. The engine and exhaust sound is very noticeable in the car and by the number of people who turned to look what was coming its
obviously something to attract lots of attention! The other interesting sound you'll hear is a squealing noise under full throttle
acceleration which I assume is the rear tyres slipping slightly?
Roof up: Very refined ride, firm but not too hard. The SLK350 handled some very rough British roads without much bother and the
SLK55 is no different. I was worried that the extra weight of the engine would result in more under-steer but AMG seem to have worked
their magic somehow to the point where the front end turns in very well. Road and engine noise is less noticeable when the roof is up and
windows closed so it will make a very good mile muncher on the motorway.
Roof down: The chassis in the new SLK is very stiff. I couldn't feel any sign of scuttle shake which is very good indeed!
Fuel MPG: 14mpg average! £90 of fuel in 300 miles!!!
Handling: The SLK55 handled better than I expected (I was worried about the extra weight of the 5.5ltr engine) and is a match for
most roadsters on the market today with the exception of the S2000 and Boxster. Although the SLK sticks to the road very well and the
traction control does its job well the car feels slightly heavy and cumbersome in corners, the feeling of heaviness is made worse by a
slightly slow steering response..... don't get me wrong the steering is generally good but compared to the Boxster in particular there
was a lack of feedback and slightly vague feel about the 55...... I often found that I needed to make steering corrections when I
wouldn't normally expect to. Throttle response is also rather slow compared to a good manual car so quick applications of the gas
resulted in delayed action resulting in a jerky ride. The throttle response was surprisingly slow which makes smooth progress more
tricky...... but I guess you'd get used to how the car drives after a while.
Brakes: Good strong brakes with ABS cutting in only at the last minute with a few final judders..... even in the wet!
Wet handling: Better than expected... Even with the bags of torque on tap from the monster engine the grip on a wet road was
impressive, the ESP system does a great job of keeping wheel spin in check without being too obvious that its there. Several of my
favourite corners allowed the tail to slip out a bit before the ESP cut in to clean things up which is fun.
7G: I didn't like the 7G box in the SLK350 I tested last year so I was again worried that the SLK55 would also let the car down.
In theory the AMG 7G has been tweaked to make the manual shift changes faster. Unfortunately its not that much quicker and I'd be
surprised if many people could tell the difference!. In full auto the 7G is great and other than not changing down when I'd expect it too
(under hard braking for example) I don't have many complaints. The manual mode was a big let down for me - its still TOO slow and
unpredictable. When I press the change up or down button I want the car to change gear THEN! The reality is that the car sometimes
changes quickly (within half a second) but sometimes it can take a second or two before reacting and sometimes it ignores you
altogether!.
Some examples: On full throttle I hit the shift button 1000rpm before the redline. On more than one occasion the shift was too
slow and the car hit the rev limiter before making the change. In the time it takes from hitting the change button to when the change
happens I could take my hand away from the wheel and adjust the rear view mirror. In sport mode (ie. not manual) the car will change up
in the middle of a long sweeping bend when you are trying to hold a steady throttle (there's probably a way to avoid this if I read the
manual but I didn't have chance to find out). Under heavy braking the manual change down isn't great - it doesn't automatically blip the
revs to match the new lower gear (as a Ferrari 355 would) so the change is usually jerky as the engine races to match the new gear.
Overall: This is an AMAZING car! for me the only things that let it down were the 7G auto and the poor fuel economy (for me the SLK55
would cost around $200/month in fuel more to run than a Boxster S). In a straight line the SLK55 will have few cars nipping at its heels
but on a twisty road a few of the more agile roadsters will be right behind you (Boxster S should be close). If you don't mind the
failings (in my opinion) of the auto box you will love this car!, its handling is among the best, its speed is mind-blowing, great brakes
and good looks combined with a versatile hardtop make it hard to beat.
If the auto box concerns you and you generally prefer a manual I'd recommend you take a test drive before buying the car.
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