"The performance AMG model is expected to arrive with a 375-hp 3.0-liter V6." ??!!??

What the hell happened there? I bet it will be turbo, not S/Ced.

 

Mercedes' next-generation SLK to debut at Geneva



We've spied Mercedes' next-generation SLK from afar (AW, April 14, 2003) and we've speculated about what lay hidden from view beneath its camouflage coverings. Enough of the guessing: Mercedes has released this first look at its redesigned SLK roadster, which will make its world debut at the Geneva motor show in March, followed by a North American premiere at the New York auto show in April. Look for the car to show up in dealerships by summer.

Benz designers incorporated cues from Formula One race cars, past and present, into the sharp nose, long hood and steeply raked windshield of the new SLK. For 2005, SLK gets a more powerful 268-hp 3.5-liter six-cylinder four-valve engine (up from a 215-hp three-valve, 3.2-liter V6) to go with a six-speed manual transmission, new suspension and braking systems. The performance AMG model is expected to arrive with a 375-hp 3.0-liter V6.

Mercedes also says it has re-engineered the foldaway hardtop roof design to open and close faster. The roof features a pivoting rear window for improved trunk storage space.

Source: Autoweek

 

SLK55......

 

 

Wow, the AMG version is already ready?

Nice find.

 

This applies to the European market

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The original modern-day coupe cabriolet is back. Mercedes took the unusual step of unveiling the brand new SLK last week - despite not showing the car at Detroit.

Instead, it will debut the car at March's Geneva Motor Show. Sales start in the UK this summer, with prices expected to start at around 27,000 Euros

Although smoother styling is an evolution of today's eight-year-old design, the new car gains a McLaren SLR-inspired nose. The same look will be transplanted to the SL in a forthcoming facelift, to give all Merc sports cars a family look.

Two models will be available in the UK at launch: an 163bhp SLK 200 Kompressor and the all-new 272bhp V6 SLK 350. That makes the 350 quick enough for 0-62mph in 5.6sec. Order the optional seven-speed 7G-Tronic auto 'box, and the sprint falls to 5.5sec.

The range-topping SLK 55 AMG, spotted by Autocar lapping the 'Ring last week, follows at the end of the year. With a 360bhp V8 and seven-speed auto, it will hit 62mph in 4.9sec and 155mph. Further engines will be added in 2005.

Thanks to new C-Class-based underpinnings, with rack-and-pinion steering, the SLK should be better to drive than today's stodgy roadster.

A new SL-style three-piece roof turns the SLK from coup‰oo cabrio in 22sec - 3sec quicker than the old car - and frees an extra 63 litres of boot space with the roof down, at 208 litres. Roof up, capacity is 300 litres.

Longer and wider than the old car, with an extra 30mm in the wheelbase, the new SLK boasts a roomier cabin and options include a new Airscarf neck-level heating system, which blasts warm air from the headrests to keep the driver warm on wintry top-down runs.

Source: Autocar

 

0-62mph in 5.5 secs with the automatic means 0-60 in about 5.3. That's very impressive for the hardware here. I cant imagine a 6 speed manual doing much better.

 

:wackit:

 

New SLK's A Hot-head

By Gavin Ward

Drivers of the new Mercedes SLK will be able to get hot under the collar for all the right reasons. After bringing you exclusive official pictures of the car last week, we can now reveal the interior - including a neat optional extra.

The clever gadget blows hot air out of the side of the headrest to keep driver and passenger warm, even when the metal folding roof is tucked away.

Called AirScarf, extra nozzles have been worked into the seat. These then blow air around the occupants' necks. The company's engineers claim the device is capable of working at speeds of up to 75mph, and it is expected to be a £300 option on the SLK when it goes on sale in UK showrooms this summer. News of the revolutionary system comes at the same time as the three-pointed star revealed the stylish and functional interior of its Vision Grand Sports Tourer - the car that will become the new R-Class. It has seven seats, five of which can be tucked away under the floor. Its dashboard, meanwhile, apes the style of the manufacturer's SLR supercar, with its hooded dials and distinct blend of technology and understated luxury.

Source: AutoExpress

 

Very clever and nice. Mercedes always comes up with innovative gadgets that make a difference.

 

I've got some killer links on the matter. Might wanna read this post thoroughly.

I know someone posted the first series of pics here, but since the links are dead, I managed to find them officially, on the MB site. Enjoy. I really wanna get my mom this car when it comes out.

The SLK 55 AMG (Quasi-repost)
http://www.mercedes-benz.com/omb/amg...galerie_01.htm

Also, here are some wallpaper-sized pics of the new SLK.
http://www.mb-wallpaper.de/wallpaper.php?modell=r171

And the grand finale... interior and exterior 360 tours plus quite a few wallpapers, official MB site.
http://www.mercedes-benz.com/com/e/h...ass/index.html

 

SLK's AMG makeover: Mercedes’ German consumer website gives peek at '05 performer


By MAC MORRISON


WE RECENTLY GAVE YOU THE FIRST OFFICIAL look at Mercedes’ next-generation 2005 SLK roadster, and now comes our first glimpse of in-house performance arm AMG’s new V8-powered version—courtesy of Mercedes’ own German consumer website.

Expected to arrive in the United States by late 2004, the 2005 SLK55 AMG further accentuates the new SLK’s flowing, Formula One-inspired lines. Externally, the car features aggressive front and rear main spoilers, longitudinal hood fins similar to those found on the SL Class, trunk lid spoiler, side sills and chrome-tipped dual-exhaust outlets.



Power comes courtesy of a 355-hp, 376-lb-ft normally aspirated 5.4-liter V8 (a derivative of the CLK55 AMG engine), which replaces the SLK32’s AMG 349-hp, 332-lb-ft supercharged V6. The engine is coupled to a seven-speed automatic gearbox with steering wheel-mounted shift buttons. Mercedes claims the engine/tranny combo propels the car from 0 to 62 mph in 4.9 seconds, about the same as the SLK32 (4.8 seconds 0 to 60 mph). Expect an electronically limited 155-mph top speed (all specs and performance estimates are based on the European-market car). Other high-performance touches include composite front brake discs, upgraded suspension, and 225/40 front and 245/35 rear tires wrapped around 18-inch alloy wheels.



AMG also performs its usual interior upgrade, giving the SLK55 sport seats and steering wheel, unique gauges and brushed stainless-steel trim.

Mercedes’ U.S. arm has yet to announce pricing for the newest AMG model—or even officially announce the car, for that matter. Look for it at the Paris motor show this September, after the ’05 SLK roadster debuts at the Geneva show in March.

Source: Autoweek

 

What I am hearing is that AMG is shifting away from supercharging (forced feeding in general). Instead they will use a combination of high displacement and high revving to achieve crazy peak HP levels. The next xx55 AMG cars will be likely carrying 6.0 to 6.3 liter engines that scream to 7 or 8 thousand rpm making more than 100 HP per liter.

Now that would be kick ass, if true.

If you think about it, that's what GM has done and will be doing more with the new Vette. The Z06 C6 is expected to make 500+HP at 7000 rpm from a large engine (possibly 6.3 liters).

 

When is AMG going to start producing a manual vehicle for enthusiasts. AMG should offer the auto as standard and an optional 6 speed manual.

 

I think that with a 7 speed auto, the need for a manual is close to zero. I, for one, would prefer the 7 speed auto.

 

A manual is ALWAYS offers better performance than a conventional auto if properly driven. Auto's suffer greater drivetrain loss, which means less hp to the ground. Auto's also are at a great disadvantage on the track also. Auto's tend to hold the wrong gears going into turns and can upshift during turning. Even BMW's steptronic, which IMO is probably one of the most advanced auto trannies out, does this.

 

The new Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class: Celebrating its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show - - Posted by: kak on Friday, February 13, 2004 - 09:31 PM CET

 

Quick photoshop job for what I would pay to have done if I bought one:

 

SLK55 will cost 63974 EUROS?!??! THats $81,000!!!! WTF is MB thinking???

 

isn't that about what it costs now?

 

SLK32 costs $57,000 right now. You can get an E55 for $81,000.

 

That will be the price in Europe. Here they wont get away with charging more than high $50Ks

 

I think that the test engineers put extra junk on the outside of a new design to throw other manufacturers off. Don't want to let anyone see the new years design.

Not sure if this video is the case.

 

2005 Mercedes-Benz SLK 350 - - - New face, new game - - - by Paul A. Eisenstein - - - Source: The Car Connection

Excerpts of the review:



The new SLK is designed to leave no confusion in your mind. It absolutely, unabashedly screams "serious sports car." And the good news is that it drives like one, as well.

The original SLK broke new ground with its retractable hardtop, the automotive equivalent of origami. The new car's roof is even better: it folds up or down in barely 20 seconds, and has been redesigned to offer more usable trunk space. It also delivers more headroom, while other tweaks to the layout of the new SLK improve legroom, as well.

The SLK350 boasts a new 3.5-liter V-6 that ups output by 50 horsepower compared to the current SLK320. (And that power's delivered through new, 17-inch wheels, by the way.) The 268-hp package will launch from 0-100 km/h (0-62.5 mph) in a scant 5.6 seconds. That's with a six-speed manual gearbox. Mercedes will also offer as an option the world's first seven-speed automatic. It's designed to deliver both fuel economy and performance.

While the SLK350 will be the only U.S. model available at the September 2004 introduction, the lineup will soon grow. For the first time, Mercedes plans to offer a V-8 in the SLK. The 360-hp SLK55 AMG promises to cut the 0-100 km/h times down to a beyond-brisk 4.9 seconds. Company officials also hint a 3.0-liter SLK300 will be added in the not-too-distant future, providing a more affordable version of the roadster.

The engine is impressively reactive, almost intuitively responding to subtle movements of the throttle. The six-speed gearbox is quick and smooth, a major improvement from the previous, sloppy Mercedes manual.

We were a tad bit disappointed with the new seven-speed automatic, however, finding it a little sluggish on its shifts. That may be resolved with a few tweaks of the system's computer controller, and we'll be looking forward to a second chance to test the new gearbox in the near future. We also find the paddle shifter, used for manual mode shifting, a bit odd and difficult to get used to, not always doing what we expect.

 

The SLK blows the Z4 away.

 

That was my first thought when I read this review.

 

DaimlerChrysler AG has registered the name:

SLK 65 for the USA and Germany.

 

here are the baby benz pics... its an slk 350...


http://www.ofoto.com/BrowsePhotos.js...1&sort_order=0

new styling is kinda cool.... i have my eye on the c230 Kompressor... for some reason I just love that car...

holla, kumar

 

As I guessed. The SLK350.

Nice pics but I will move them to the appropriate thread.

 

 

one came in today, the interior is cheesy, the material for the dash, door panels, and console is cheap looking it was a lauch editon, pewter, brown leather, rear lower spoiler looks unfinished (its only in the center between the exhaust tips not around the sides)
rims were nice, nose looks ok, interior looks good except for the material as mentioned above

 

^I don't like the nose. The rest is fine, including the interior materials.

 

This is one nice car. It could use a little more power from the 5.5 liters but it still should do the 60 in 4.7 or so. It's at the top of my list for the CLS' replacement a year or so from now.

 

Not bad but Benz needs to bring back the boost.

 

i like the looks of it. Looks like an SLR

 

Here are the first drive impressions from Edmunds if anyone is interested:

http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/roadt...irstdrive.1g.*

 

That is my biggest problem with it. Same issue I have with the boxter and the 911. Why do some companies feel the need to have their cheap cars (comparativley) look like their flagships. That would piss me the fuck off if I owned and SLR. Not that they will ever be mistaken for eachother but why make them look at all similar



But cool car, needs a manual. Sorry but for me to enjoy a sports car I need to be involved in the driving and that means clutch and stick.

 

 

jigga whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa jigga whoooooooooooooooo

 

No. I prefer a big motor in a roadster instead. No substitute for displacement. I wish it reved higher and made 400 HP at 7000 rpm for example.

The best of both worlds to me is a large NA motor that revs high. That's the ultimate. Like Ferrari engines for example (the latest ones at least). Or the one in the new M5.