Mercedes’ baby roadster gets a facelift
One of the world’s great roads, the Col de Braus is 40 kilometres of stacked hairpins and 180-degree turns, zigzagging across the Provencal Alps to a height of 1,002 metres before finally descending into the village of Sospel.
Considering the fortified, medieval stone walls on one side and sheer drop-offs on the other, one gains a new appreciation for those legendary Monte Carlo rally drivers who came this way at breakneck speed, en route to the famous Col de Turini.
Formerly known as the SLK, Mercedes’ roadster is the latest recipient of the automaker’s nomenclature overhaul and is now included within the C-Class lineup. Despite the new badging, the SLC is little more than a mild refresh of the third-generation SLK launched five years ago.
Most of the changes are in a subtle exterior refresh, with a more steeply raked front fascia with larger cooling air ducts, new headlights with LED daytime running lights, and a sharper rear profile with LED tail lamps and rear diffuser with integrated exhaust tips.
The cabin has been tweaked to offer more refinement, with revised instrumentation, a new three-spoke sport steering wheel, a new seven-inch TFT display and Mercedes’ on-board communication services. By comparison, the centre stack’s button-heavy design looks a bit dated.
The power-retractable hardtop can be deployed or stowed while the car is moving at speeds up to 40 km/h, and is available with Mercedes’ Magic Sky Control glass roof that is light-adjustable at the touch of a button. There’s decent storage space for this segment: 335 litres in the trunk with the roof up or 225 with it stowed.
There’s a host of new standard safety equipment, including active brake collision-prevention assist, Attention Assist (which warns of driver fatigue), automatic headlights and a hood that raises to protect the pedestrian in a collision.
The SLC is well sorted enough to handle the switchbacks with suitable composure, but doesn’t quite match the agility of the Porsche 718 Boxster we recently drove, or even the considerably less expensive Mazda MX-5 Miata. While there are five variations of SLC in the global lineup, including a diesel for Europe, our drive was limited to the SLC300 and Mercedes-AMG SLC43, the two models that will be available in Canada. It’s a fine little car to tour the French countryside.
The SLC’s tiny proportions are well suited to the narrow alpine roads, and stowing the top lets drivers soak in the warm Mediterranean sunshine.
In SLC300 guise, it’s a great way to enjoy the splendid French Riviera coastline.
With 245 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque, the turbocharged four-cylinder engine is a creamy smooth power plant that’s well matched to the new nine-speed automatic transmission. The Dynamic Select feature allows the driver to adjust throttle, shift and steering response in five modes: Comfort, Sport, Sport+, Eco and Individual.
The Dynamic Handling Package features a 10-millimetre lower chassis and adds dynamic adjustable dampers to the drive modes, individually adjusting the shock firmness at each wheel, according to the driving conditions.
At this trim level, there are twin-tube gas shock absorbers, struts and wishbone suspension up front, with multi-link and coil springs behind.
Essentially a cruiser at heart, the SLC300 was happiest in Sport mode and left to shift on its own, without using the wheel-mounted paddle shifters.
For the most part, the cabin was well insulated from the wind, although the SLC300 lacks the turbulence-preventing Aircap feature of Mercedes’ upper-level cabriolets. The optional Airscarf sounds rather silly, but the warm air emanating from the headrests feels delightful. There’s little sound disruption within the cabin, which makes conversation fairly effortless. Enthusiasts may wish for a throatier engine note, in which case, they’d be better off opting for the new SLC43 that replaces the SLK55 AMG. Under the hood is Mercedes’ new twin-turbo 3.0-L V6 engine that debuted with the C450 last year.
While it may not be as dramatic as the raucous and hand-built 5.5-L V8 it replaces, it delivers similar performance and also drops the AMG’s price point significantly.
Pricing won’t be available until closer to its arrival date, but according to the director of S-Class development, Dr. Hermann-Joseph Storp, the SLC43 could be between $14,000 to $21,000 Canadian less than the SLK55.
Those who dismiss it as ersatz AMG should consider that the SLC43 can sprint from a standstill to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds, only one-tenth of a second more than the SLK55’s 4.6. However, there’s a power sacrifice; the SLC43’s engine produces 367 h.p. and 384 lb-ft of torque, while the SLK55’s V8 was rated at 415 h.p. and 398 lb-ft.
But in addition to the monetary savings, fuel-efficiency ratings based on European test cycles for the SLC43 are 10.7 L/100 kilometres in the city and 6.2 on the highway, as opposed to the SLK55’s 12.4 city and 8.5 highway estimates.
The SLC43 is noticeably stiffer, riding on a sport suspension consisting of a three-link front axle with coil springs and a multi-link rear with coil springs and single gas-filled shock absorbers.
Instead of the electro-hydraulic rack-and-pinion steering system in the SLC300, there’s an electromechanical speed-sensitive rack setup that feels sharp and accurate, but could stand to deliver more feedback and heft.
It might not deliver the kind of hardcore performance of a true sports car, but the 2017 Mercedes Benz SLC is nonetheless a rather delightful little roadster with plenty of character.