2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK Aims for Mini-Me Effect

By JONATHAN SCHULTZ

 

The 2012 SLK 350 will arrive in American dealer showrooms this summer.

Mercedes-Benz unveiled a lightly refreshed C-Class sedan and a retina-searing SLS AMG E-Cell during the recently concluded Detroit auto show press previews, but the German automaker held one last card in its pocket.
The 2012 SLK Roadster was revealed online on Thursday, wearing a reworked nose and contemporary bodywork effects on its all-aluminum front flanks. The sports car will arrive at American dealerships this summer in its higher-power SLK 350 trim, while the smaller-displacement SLK 250 will ship later in the year.

An upright grille distinguishes the new model from the outgoing gen-2 SLK, whose front fascia swept dramatically backward into the hood and fenders. This new grille treatment is becoming something of a family trait among Mercedes products, first with the brand’s 2008 refresh of its SL sports car and later with its SLS AMG super car — to which the SLK owes much of its overt masculinity. The nose is also evident on the recently redesigned R-Class wagon and CLS sedan. Despite its wind-catcher appearance, Mercedes claims that the SLK’s grille lowers the car’s drag coefficient versus the outgoing car, from .32 to .30.
The first-generation SLK, which bowed in 1996, was among the first mass-produced contemporary convertibles to offer a folding hardtop, which Mercedes called a vario-roof. For 2012, three roof configurations are offered: a standard, body-color-matching roof; another with optional tinted-glass; and in a first for the automaker, a roof with so-called Magic Sky Control. This feature allows the driver to permit sunlight into the cabin or to darken the roof glass with the touch of a button.
The SLK 350’s 3.5-liter V-6, shared with the new C-Class, produces 302 horsepower and offers direct fuel injection. A 1.8-liter turbo 4-cylinder returns to the range as well to motivate the SLK 250, which produces 201 horsepower. Fuel economy estimates have yet to be announced.
Mercedes did not divulge whether a high-performance AMG variant of the SLK is imminent, but with Audi having dropped its S4 Cabriolet, the German competitive field currently consists of just one model: the BMW M3 convertible.
According to a brand spokeswoman, pricing for the two SLK trim levels will be announced in July or August.