The Mercedes Benz you see above is the 1996 Mercedes Benz R170 SLK230 Kompressor. It is a roadster by definition and is the first of the small compact Mercedes Benz designed to capitalise on the emergence of the compact luxury car market. The car in some ways was to compete with the more affordable Mazda MX5 roadster as well as ending up going head to head with other compact coupes like the BMW Z3 and the Porsche Boxster.
The designation "SLK" derives from the company's design mission to create a roadster that was sporty, light and short - sportlich, leicht und kurz. It was also one of the first retractable hard top roadsters. Prior to this most came with a canvas soft top with the option of a removable hard top which you stowed away at home. The folding metal roof made it very practical and also added a level of security you don't find in normal soft tops. Thieves with knives would find the knife useless as there was no canvas top to cut through.
Anyway, I got to drive this roadster recently. 22,000 plus miles on the clock and quite a vehicle. It was a company director's car that was hardly used throughout its life. The new owner (only the third) of this car had treated it to a respray after he sourced a facelifted (post 2000 cars) front and rear bumpers and side skirts. AMG 17 inch wheels with the correct offset and tyre size were also sourced. It was given a full checkup at a Mercedes Benz specialist too. So to my eyes this car from the mid 1990s looked pretty up to date. You actually wouldn't have thought that this car came from 1996. It is quite up to date actually.
So whilst the R170 SLK230 Kompressor still looks pretty current it does not drive like a car from 2015. It does feel like something from 1995. It may be a small and compact looking roadster, but when you start driving, it feels like a Mercedes Benz from an age gone by. The recirculating ball steering rack is so detatched from the road that when you turn the wheel hard it actually takes a split second or two before the car actually makes that direction change. You turn the wheel and then straighten it out immediately it would actually feel like the car just started to turn when you have already straightened out the wheel. It isn't direct at all. When you press the accelerator pedal you wait a while before the engine reacts. This is supposedly a very healthy low mileage supercharged roadster. You are cruising at around 2,000rpm. You press full throttle, wait, and then you hear the wail of the supercharged engine reacting. Then you wait till it gets to about 3,500rpm before it explodes. Then the fun begins.
This car is all about mid range pull and above. It is just about the building up of speed instead of instantaneous power. It does feel in some ways like the C36 AMG I drove a while ago. You press the throttle, speed builds up and suddenly you feel a rapid surge at mid-range and above. This would basically mean that if you leave it to its 5 speed automatic gearbox, you will feel nothing rapid happening below 3,000rpm and suddenly at around 3,750rpm the revs climb harder and higher faster. The engine had just woken up and suddenly found some legs. I don't think there is a hole in the gearing of the car. For a supercharged engine this car is very cammy in feel with power coming in later in the rev range. Like a rolling stone. It starts of slowly and then halfway down the hill it becomes unstoppable. That sudden rush makes the drive thrilling to some aspects.
Official specifications say that the R170 SLK 230 does the 0-100kmh time in about 7.6seconds for a 1996 model. I have no doubt this car would manage the same time but is from a standing start. Driving it on the roads requires some work on you part. Whilst specs say that its 280Nm torque comes in at 2,500rpm I doubt this is so. This car had 22,000 genuine miles on the clock. A low miler with a healthy engine. Everything only comes into play above 3,500rpm. At least I get to enjoy the whine of the supercharger. It does add some character that the stock exhaust does not add to the drive experience - the exhaust is tinny in sound. Needs one of those Remus or Brabus backboxes to bring out some bass.
Now handling of the SLK230. So you basically if you're gunning it, you HAVE TO turn in early to corner, then you also have to plan ahead on when and where you'd like the power to come in too. This is actually a car that you would need to do some planning and managing if you want to drive really fast. There is grip in the chassis and the larger 225/45/17 and 245/40/17 tyres (set on AMG alloy wheels). But being a mid-1990s Mercedes Benz, the traction control plays it safe and if you exited a junction in the wet, it would be flashing away whilst you are flooring it. It isn't super intrusive but you know its there if you really start pushing it. The traction control also does not fully go away even if you turn it off. The brakes are quite reasonable with sufficient (for something so old) bite. It does have a bit of travel but it isn't as bad as if it were a W124 Mercedes Benz sedan.
So a Porsche Boxster from the same era would run rings around this SLK. But it still brings you a sense of occasion when you drive this. Maybe this is what it is all about with the SLK230. I still like the car even though I would have to actually work hard to drive properly fast in it. Maybe this is because trying to drive fast in a modern car isn't as challenging as driving this. It is quite easy to drive fast in a Volkswagen Passat 1.8TSI compared to this. Maybe it is the thrill of driving a brute or a challenge that makes this drive in the SLK230 a drive to remember more than even if you go faster in a more modern car.
However, once you are pottering around in the suburbs things are sedate and serene. As its a Mercedes Benz, this roadster does wafting and open top motoring very well. Everything at low speeds is perfect. The steering weight, the throttle, the steering and everything you touch feels good. It is a little brittle according to the owner. This was the time when Mercedes Benz decided that their cars were overbuilt and they decided to cut costs. Big mistake. It cost them and it was only after 2004-2005 that things were nearly as normal as before. The only non-build quality issue that is irritating is the noise the folding hardtop makes when it is up. It squeaks and rattles a fair bit. It needs frequent lubrication of the rubber seals and joints but that is a chore that hasn't been done yet. The owner has to frequently utilise the folding roof often so that the motor is exercised too. Lack of use would also jam it up. Convertible ownership has its ups and downs.
Now that was a nice pun, wasn't it. And yes. I loved this car. I loved its characteristics and its flaws. Not the sharpest tool in the shed. Most old Mercedes Benz aren't. But that sense of occasion they give is something I always treasure.
The 17 inch AMG alloy wheels make the car look better than on its standard 16 inches.
The lucky owner with the top down...
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