Mercedes SLK 55 AMG (R171) | The Brave Pill
Pocket sized, rocket powered
Journalists tend to treat cars in very different ways to those who actually spend money on them, but we are also often have equally divergent expectations to those of real-life buyers.
The Mercedes SLK 55 AMG is a fine example of this dichotomy. When it was newly launched I was involved in a photoshoot with one that had been charged with getting an exciting action shot for a magazine cover. And that's 'action' as in 'massively sideways', the art director having ordered both a rakish yaw angle and a volume of tyre smoke that would indicate the potency of the baby Benz's V8.
But the SLK wouldn't play. Our gun driver quickly discovered that, even with the AMG's ESP switched off, a residual choke-chain was preventing more than small amounts of power oversteer. This led to some impromptu fuse-pulling by the side of the test track as we tried to work out which controlled the electronic sentinels. Eventually we found one that turned the dashboard into a Christmas tree, reporting the failure of both the ABS and traction control. Our helmsman went back out and five minutes of screeching and squealing followed until the photographer was satisfied he had the shot. With the job apparently jobbed we put the fuse back in - only to discover the warning lights didn't go out. The car had to be returned to Mercedes for extensive therapy, much to the displeasure of the press office.
This rubber-shredding immaturity would have had very little relevance to paying customers, although some might have wondered why they couldn't replicate the same level of hoonery on a quiet roundabout. But it does serve to illustrated the car's split personality: we'd hoped for a junior AMG capable of matching the thuggery of the more senior members of the clan. What we'd got was a very fast SLK with a V8 soundtrack.
By then the model had already proved itself to be a high fashion item. There had been a waiting list for the first-generation R170 car when it launched in 1996 with its magical folding hardtop in place of a conventional fabric roof. Marketing claims this made the SLK both a coupe and a roadster were wide of the mark; the roof was heavy and complex and added nothing to structural rigidity. But demand was high enough that some early SLK buyers were able to flip their cars for handsome profits.
Yet behind the hype the original SLK's supercharged four-cylinder engine was always short on both horses and refinement when compared to the Porsche Boxster or the six-cylinder versions of the BMW Z3. Mindful of the criticism Mercedes managed to cram in a V6, which launched in 2000, with AMG even producing a supercharged '32' version of this. But even in its brawniest form the R170 always felt more suited to boulevard than racetrack.
For the successor R171, launched in 2004, Mercedes pushed the boat out further. AMG was already working on what would become the legendary M156 6.2-litre V8, but rather than attempt the likely impossible task of fitting this into the SLK's dinky engine bay, the tuning division opted to squeeze in the earlier M133 5.5-litre V8 instead. Clearances were still tighter than a Chippendale's jockstrap, but it did fit - and so the SLK 55 AMG was born.
The V8 was the star feature, no question. The new engine sounded great, particularly when exhaust harmonics bounced back with the roof lowered. Nor was there any disparity between the quantities of mouth and trousers. Anyone who drew up next to an SLK 55 AMG at a set of traffic lights muttering hairdresser jibes would be equally surprised by the roadster's NASCAR soundtrack and - if provoked - the way it launched. Mercedes claimed a 4.3-second 0-62mph time, confirmed by road testers, with that thanks in significant part to the snappy responses of the then-new seven-speed auto.
The rest of the experience struggled to keep up. The SLK 55 always felt dynamically aloof, especially when compared to either the mind-reading Porsche Boxster or the impressively resolved BMW Z4M. The AMG variant had been given lowered, stiffened suspension, which worked well on smooth surfaces but really struggled with bumps. Tackling a typically three-dimensional British road at speed would often put the chassis and engine into a state of war, the conflict fought through the rear axle's battle for traction. It was better at lower speeds and lesser loadings, and an impressively plush-feeling cruiser with the roof up, but these were qualities that the regular SLK already possessed. The AMG sounded better and went much faster, but it was never a particularly rewarding car to push hard.
The SLK 55's biggest problem was the one suffered by the rest of the SLK clan - the fickle force of fashion. Like a must-have handbag, or the breed of the designer dog sitting in it, the roadster moved from 'hot' to 'not' as modish buyers moved on. As the R171's star faded Mercedes freshened it with a try-hard facelift in 2008, one that seemingly tried to make it look like a deflated version of the Mercedes-McLaren SLR. Sales declined steadily as the car aged, and used values slid quickly once it went off sale.
Although much rarer than the four- and six-cylinder versions, the AMG 55 was carried downwards by the same trend. Examples have been offered for less than our Pill, but it is the cheapest currently in the classifieds and its £14,980 asking price looks like fair in the current market. This is a 2005 car, so pre-facelift, and has an unscary 66,000 miles recorded. It also has the desirable options of 'Airscarf' seat heaters and the upgraded Harmon Kardon audio system.
The trader selling it promises a full Mercedes main dealer service history, which means the book has been filled with official stamps by no fewer than five owners. A glance at the MOT history behind the hidden plates reveals a fail in July for cords exposed on one front tyre (and a near-illegal one on the other side), but these were rectified on the same day. Beyond that there are only semi-frequent advisories for brake and tyre wear which can be taken as proof the previous keepers have been making full use of the performance.
While routine maintenance is obviously pricier than the regular SLK - the AMG has 16 spark plugs for starters - the 55 is generally regarded as being tough. Like all SLKs the folding roof can give problems, water can find its way into the boot and harder use will consume consumables at a prodigious rate - the two-part front brake discs being unique and therefore expensive. 2006-on cars also get hit with full-clobber VED.
In short, nothing too scary for the sort of bold adventurers who congregate here. And you don't need much imagination to see interest in the V8-powered SLK increasing as we head into the green future where the very idea of putting so much motor into so little car will look as outlandish as an aero-engined 1920s special does to us. The SLK 55 definitely isn't the best AMG, but it's almost certainly the best SLK.
Some cars dynamically are brilliant, cars like the boxster have a lovely gearshift, nice steering, well resolved handling etc. As the article picks up on the slk quite frankly can be a bit of a pig when pushing on and although good good enough to feature in Evo magazines ecoty, is clearly no where near as honed the boxster.
However, what many car reviews fail to address (top gear excluded) is how exciting the car is and how it makes you feel, because for all the finesse in the world if a car doesn't get your heart pounding it's not worth having. It's in this way the Slk55 trumps the competition.
The way the torque from the 5.4 V8 rotates the car out of every junction (chassis is very playful), while playing a NASCAR soundtrack with the roof down never ever gets old, The engine absolutely DOMINATES the experience.
I've also never had so many positive comments from strangers either, seems to attract the right sort of attention which took me by suprise.
The simple fact is mercedes have shoved a huge V8 engine in a tiny car. This doesn't happen often in the motoring world. If you wanted a sports car with a n/a V8 now what are your options? Tvr chimera (more like a classic car now), V8 vantage (much more expensive with running costs to match), R8 V8 (ditto). I will enjoy mine for a long time yet!
Looks a good buy for the money.
The one he tested was silver but the one he used after was black. I think he replaced the SLK with the CLK Black series.
If anything prices seemed to have softened, £15k for a 66k mile example would have been a very good price 3 years ago... with the current madness it's a bargain
Some cars dynamically are brilliant, cars like the boxster have a lovely gearshift, nice steering, well resolved handling etc. As the article picks up on the slk quite frankly can be a bit of a pig when pushing on and although good good enough to feature in Evo magazines ecoty, is clearly no where near as honed the boxster.
However, what many car reviews fail to address (top gear excluded) is how exciting the car is and how it makes you feel, because for all the finesse in the world if a car doesn't get your heart pounding it's not worth having. It's in this way the Slk55 trumps the competition.
The way the torque from the 5.4 V8 rotates the car out of every junction (chassis is very playful), while playing a NASCAR soundtrack with the roof down never ever gets old, The engine absolutely DOMINATES the experience.
I've also never had so many positive comments from strangers either, seems to attract the right sort of attention which took me by suprise.
The simple fact is mercedes have shoved a huge V8 engine in a tiny car. This doesn't happen often in the motoring world. If you wanted a sports car with a n/a V8 now what are your options? Tvr chimera (more like a classic car now), V8 vantage (much more expensive with running costs to match), R8 V8 (ditto). I will enjoy mine for a long time yet!
Didn’t Clarkson have a SLK Black series….very different beast with a CF fixed roof.
If anything prices seemed to have softened, £15k for a 66k mile example would have been a very good price 3 years ago... with the current madness it's a bargain
I’ve never really been a huge fan of the SLK, but these do appeal due to having that sodding great V8 shoehorned into the front. Merc V8’s make a cracking noise too.
The R171 SLK of course has the ubiquitous M113 engine, 5.4L V8, with three-valve twin-spark heads, as AMG put into almost everything Merc made in the noughties.
They're not at all bork proof though, mine's had the usual suspects done : Rocker cover leak, Sump Leak, CPS Sensor, Front Control Arms (Heavy engine takes its toll), Gearbox Valve Body & Conductor plate, Boot Seal, Spark plug change
The gearbox is pretty crap to be honest and in manual mode, well lets just say it's no DSG ! Sometimes it will just say no to a down change lol.
Obligatory pic
Looks a good buy for the money.
I've always wondered what they would be like with a manual gearbox too(a manual would be my preference). I'd imagine that the auto suits them very well in many ways though. There is a chap I know who swapped his Cerbera for one of these and he was very happy with it.
Anyhoo, saw her at the gym one day and she had a new one of these, fitted with hand controls.
Long story short, she took me for a drive, and I mean a drive. At lainlf sounding like I’m stereotyping, I never thought for one minute she would have trying to slip sideways at every opportunity, electrical intervention notwithstanding, and had it up to the red line in every gear.
And she took it and it’s successors on track days...
Just to prove it wasn’t a one-off, when she changed it, she polled up in an Aston Martin V8 Vantage, followed a couple of years later by an XKR
She did tell me that the AMG had the best soundtrack of any cars she had ever owned, including the above.
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