Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG: First Drive

There are cars and then there are cars. While some have been crafted to simply take you from Point A to Point B, others too have been bred to do the same, but with a hint of madness. Then there are those that bring the ‘concept’ of efficiency into the picture – a concept that is redundant in performance oriented vehicles. And then somewhere in another parallel universe there are those like the Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG. While there are certain aspects of the car that are truly outstanding, there are certain bits that give it an extremely confused disposition. But we will not jump to any conclusions straight away and take this one step at a time.

Top it up, bring it down

At first glance itself, the SLK 55 AMG looks like the younger sibling of the larger SLS AMG. The long rectangular bonnet, the twin-slated Mercedes family grille and in fact, to a certain extent even the silhouette, all point out that the smaller SLK indeed derives its inspiration from the SLS AMG. The ten-spoke matte black alloys add a lot of character to the profile and compliment the white hue well. After what seems like ages, for the first time the badging actually shows some sort of parallels with the engine displacement. In this case, it stands for the 5.5-litre V8 engine that works force in the SLK 55 AMG, but more on that later. 

On the inside, the red and black combination of the seats and the dashboard merges well with the sporty exteriors. There are a lot of buttons to play around with. I must have spent a considerable time playing with the one that brings the roof down and of course the Magic Sky moonroof. The seats are not just sporty and supportive but also quite comfortable. Ingress and egress is also quite easy. The red seats flows well with the doors while the centre console gets a carbon-fibre finish. The complete the absence of red on dashboard and the fact that the centre console and the gear shifter are pretty much similar to the C doesn’t give the AMG the exclusivity that it ideally should. 

Now, the stock SLK is a good looking car by itself but its small proportions give it a feminine persona but in the AMG trim it does well to evade that personality and go with a rather macho appeal.

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In the heart of things

A quick glance at the specification sheet is good enough to give you an estimate of how fast the 55 AMG really is, or at least I thought so. Thanks to the 5.5-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine producing 427PS of peak power at 6,800 rpm and 539Nm of torque at 4,500rpm, the SLK 55 AMG can blitz to the 100km/h marker in just 4.5 seconds and max out at 250km/h which is electronically limited. To put the numbers in perspective, the 55 AMG takes a few milliseconds less to reach 100km/h than the premium V12 powered Aston Martin Rapide, and that’s really saying something especially considering that there is a Rs 1 crore difference in price between the two. But then again, the numbers just tell half the story.

For a person like me, waking up at 5:00 hours on any given day is a challenge but when you know that doing so will ensure that you get a longer day behind the wheel of the 55 AMG, the task at hand becomes a lot easier. So when I actually got aboard the brute and brought the engine to life, I knew it was going to be a very good morning indeed. I drove out of the parking area at the Mercedes-Benz factory in Chakan and hit the pedal hard the minute I found a clean enough patch of road and before I could take a gasp of breathe I was already past three digit figures on the speedo.

Mated to the AMG Speedshift Plus seven-speed automatic, the car is eager to please no matter what speed you are at. The transmission has three settings, the comfort, the sports and the manual and irrespective of what mode you are in, the shifts are absolutely seamless. In the sports and the comfort mode, the car takes care of all the gear shifts but if you are the kind who likes to be in control and rev the engine right up to the red line, the ‘M’ mode is for you. My only grouse with the M mode is that you have to hit the paddle shifter a little before the needle hits the red line, lest the car over-revs and hampers your momentum.

Beauty of this beast   

The fact that any car with a BIG engine will not return great efficiency has been universally accepted but the 55 AMG puts the unsaid rule to shame. The AMG Cylinder Management technology shuts off four cylinders when cruising on the highway. The deactivation of these cylinders is absolutely seamless, in fact even with four cylinders cut off the engine still delivers more than 200Nm of torque. Add to that the fact that to further increase the efficiency in city driving conditions, it also gets the new start-stop technology. A combination of both these features help Mercedes-Benz proudly claim an efficiency of around 12kmpl.  

Corner craver

For those who love to toss their car around corners, the SLK 55 AMG does not disappoint. The steering feel is good and offers adequate feedback from the tyres in regards to the undulations on the road as well as the grip on offer. The SLK rushes into the corners and eagerly exits them with utmost authority. The stiff suspension and the low profile tyres push barely absorb any of the jerks that the road throws at you and this might just get a little painful while driving around in the city. But on the brighter side, the same attribute is a blessing for an enthusiast like me who loves to go crazy over corners. 

For a car that can really go blitzing around bends, the brakes have to have equal bite. Jam the brakes and the four-piston 360mm discs up front and the single piston 330mm disc at the back bring the car to a standstill before you can say ‘Stop’. Further, the ground clearance is good, which means that one doesn’t have to worry about the under belly scraping due to bad roads. In fact, the small size will also make driving through traffic a comfortable affair. To say in the simplest, the car has all the ingredients that you would not only love to drive around in the city but also take for that occasional long drive through mountain roads with your beloved.

The Last Call

No doubt, at Rs 1.25 crore (ex-showroom Delhi) the car comes freakishly close to the cost of a supercar. In fact, at first I even thought that it aspires to be one too but as I spent more time with it I came to realise instead of being a purpose built supercar with a one ‘track’ mind, the SLK strives to achieve best of both worlds. While it gives you the efficiency of a luxury sedan, it also gives you the engine and performance of the likes of a supercar, which isn’t entirely bad. And then there is the time when you go pedal to the metal and the naturally aspirated 5.5-litre V8 engine comes to life, all hell breaks loose and puts to rest the numbers game that you have been playing all along.