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Bathed In A Yellow Glow
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: NSW Central Coast
Posts: 2,530
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Mercedes-Benz SLC first drive review
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Quote:
Mercedes-Benz SLC first drive review
New name and new engines, but otherwise there's plenty of SLK in the most affordable Mercedes-Benz convertible on the market.
Toby Hagon
11 April, 2016
The Mercedes-Benz SLC replaces the outgoing SLK. Photo: Daimler AG
From the outset the new SLC might seem like a new addition to the Mercedes-Benz family. After all, it's a new nameplate complete with new engines.
A second glance, though, reveals something very familiar to drivers of the three-pointed star. That's because the SLC is little more than a tweak to the SLK, a nameplate that's existed since 1996 as the most affordable sports car in the Benz lineup.
So, why the name change? It's been done to shoehorn the two-seat roadster into Mercedes-Benz's new naming policy, confusing for now but ultimately conceived to make it easier to figure out where something fits within the vast model range, which currently includes more than 30 body styles and is growing by another 10 or so by 2020.
The "C" links it to the popular C-Class with which the SLC shares some basic underbody components.
Other than the change in letter, though, there's more that hasn't been touched in the transition from SLK to SLC. The basic shape is the same, although new wheels, bumpers, headlights and grille freshen the look, while maintaining the trademark long-bonnet signature.
The interior, too, has a familiar layout that's starting to age, even with the mild tweaks as part of this update. The silvery plastics surrounding the smallish colour control screen don't live up to the luxury feel, and many of the buttons have returned for service.
Space, though, is as generous as ever, with surprisingly good head room for what is a compact two-seater. The seats, too, are comfortable, although they're prone to creaking as they rub against something behind them when you encounter corners and bumps.
The SLC does bring a fresh injection of value, though. The entry level SLC180 model (with a 115kW 1.6-litre turbo) drops its asking price by some $15,000 to about $73,000. It places the SLC closer to its prime competitors, including Audi's great little TT and the elegant BMW Z4.
And for the money there's leather trim, Apple CarPlay connectivity, digital radio tuning, seat heaters, auto emergency braking and a nine-speed automatic.
At the other end of the scale, too, value has been ramped up with the flagship SLC43 AMG, a car with ambitions of taking on Porsche's fantastic Boxster. While the SLC AMG has dropped the V8 engine that characterised the performance hero – in turn dropping power and performance slightly, with the claimed 0-100km/h down 0.1 seconds to 4.7 seconds – the SLC43 AMG will be priced from about $135,000, almost $30k less than the SLK55 it replaces.
The 43 picks up adjustable dampers as part of the Dynamic Select system, a larger centre screen, Harman Kardon sound system, bigger cross-drilled brakes, smart key entry, shift paddles on the steering wheel and Airscarf, which blows hot air around your neck to make it more palatable to keep the roof down on chilly days.
In the middle is a pair of 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo models, the SLC200 (135kW) and the SLC300 (180kW).
At the media launch in the south of France there were only two variants on hand - and they were the most powerful of the breed.
First up was the SLC300, a car that once would have used a V6 but now makes do with a turbocharged four-cylinder. The 2.0-litre engine lacks little, though, with a full 180kW to play with. It makes for a feisty unit, albeit one that lacks the aural accompaniment some may expect of a sports car; instead there's more of a deep drone than the zinginess sports cars are often engineered with.
And it's in the middle engine revs where performance is more forthcoming, thanks to a generous and broad 370Nm of torque.
Combined with the nine-speed automatic it makes for respectable acceleration, to the point it'll test the traction of the rear tyres on slippery surfaces when punching out of hairpin bends, of which there were plenty in the hills north of Monaco.
In terms of its driving manners the SLC treads some interesting ground. Steering is faithful but lacks the attentiveness of a Porsche. The suspension is comfortable enough but slightly too soft to give it genuine sports car alacrity.
That's amped up with the SLC43, which gets a stiffer AMG suspension tune that ensures the SLC better live up to its sporty looks. But, again, it doesn't have the seat-of-your-pants sports car sensation some two-seat roadsters imbue.
The SLC43 AMG's 3.0-litre twin turbo V6 (with 270kW and 520Nm) is a performance step down on the V8-powered SLK55 it replaces.
But Benz argues the lower weight of the V6 engine – at 1520kg the car is 90kg lighter than the SLK55 – brings a better weight balance and faster point-to-point motoring (including a better Nurburgring lap time).
Indeed it feels brisk through the bends and few could whinge about the performance on offer. The sound? That's another story, and while the SLC43 makes some purposeful pops and barks when hard on the throttle, you need to have the Dynamic Select set in Sport+, at which point you've got firmer suspension and more aggressive gear changes. In any of its softer settings the V6 engine sounds flat, bordering on uninspiring.
It's the roof that is the big sales pitch with the SLC, and not much has changed there. The hard-top panels fold neatly into the boot, in turn significantly reducing luggage space. Yet it's a clever boot setup that allows for plenty of gear with the roof up, and a still-reasonable cavity with it down.
Less impressive is the need to stop the car to operate the roof. Mercedes-Benz has made it so you can drive off once the roof operation has commenced and it will continue to open or close up to 40km/h, yet it begs the question of why it can't always be operated at these speeds.
It's indicative of a car that's got muted strengths – its roof design and newfound value, as well as engines that deliver on torquey performance – but one with as many curiosities. Its biggest problem, though, is one of identity and age. Despite the new name, the SLC is showing its SLK age, and it can't seem to decide whether it wants to be a sports car or a competent cruiser.
2017 Mercedes-Benz SLC specifications
On sale: September, 2016
Price: From $73,000 (estimated), plus on-road costs
Engines: 1.6-litre 4-cylinder turbo (SLC180); 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo (SLC200); 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo (SLC300); 3.0-litre V6 turbo (SLC43 AMG)
Power: 115kW; 135kW; 180kW; 270kW
Torque: 250Nm; 300Nm; 370Nm; 520Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic; rear-wheel drive
Fuel use: 6.2L/100km; 6.2L/100km; 6.3L/100km; 7.9L/100km
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http://www.drive.com.au/new-car-revi...11-go3ly3.html
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12-04-2016, 05:06 AM
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