2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class Overview Change Vehicle

This 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2012 SLK-Class, and includes Mercedes SLK-Class safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

The Mercedes-Benz SLK is a two-seat roadster, the most affordable of three such models that Mercedes sells. When the original SLK debuted for the 1998 model year, it popularized the power retractable hardtop roof for convertibles, and today this feature is found on many models.

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK is completely redesigned for 2012. Key highlights include a new family of engines, a panoramic retractable hardtop roof with available Magic Sky Control that varies roof transparency, Attention Assist technology, head-protecting airbags mounted in the doors, LED front and rear lighting, Bluetooth audio streaming, bi-Xenon headlights with Active Curve Illumination, Keyless Go locking and ignition, Parktronic, and an AirGuide wind-stop feature.

The most affordable 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK model is the SLK250. Among its many standard features, this model is equipped with brushed aluminum interior trim, a flat-bottomed multi-function sport steering wheel, eight-way power front sport seats wrapped in sun-reflecting leather upholstery, air conditioning with a max-cool function, rain-sensing wipers, and auto-dimming side and rearview mirrors. Bluetooth hands-free calling and music streaming is also included, along with an eight-speaker stereo featuring HD radio, weatherband reports, a CD/MP3 player, a USB port, and an auxiliary audio input jack. The SLK250 is equipped with a set of 17-inch alloy wheels, and it comes standard with a six-speed manual gearbox.

The more powerful and expensive SLK350 model is equipped with LED running lights and 18-inch alloy wheels shod with performance tires, as well as upgraded front brakes and a seven-speed Touch Shift automatic transmission with manual shift paddles. Otherwise, with few exceptions, it is equipped like the SLK250.

A variety of option packages can be added to the SLK250 and SLK350 models. The Premium 1 Package (Harmon/Kardon surround sound audio system with satellite radio and iPod interface, heated front seats, AirScarf), the Multimedia Package (COMAND navigation with voice control and 3-D city map view, real-time weather and traffic reports, CD/DVD changer, SD card reader, 10-gig Music Register hard drive, Gracenote media database, Zagat Survey restaurant guide), and the Sport Package (Solar Red ambient cabin lighting, AMG 18-inch wheels, AMG body styling kit) are popular with buyers. Additional packages include the Trim Package (Burl Walnut wood interior trim), the Lighting Package (bi-Xenon Active Curve Illumination headlights with auto-dimming function and washers, cornering lights), and the Dynamic Handling Package (continuously adjustable suspension, torque vectoring brake control).

Numerous stand-alone options are also available on the new SLK, including dual-zone automatic climate control, a panoramic roof, a panoramic roof with Magic Sky Control, Parktronic with Advanced Parking Guidance, an AirGuide wind-stop, Keyless Go keyless locking and ignition, an analog dashboard clock, and Mbrace telematics. Mercedes also offers its Distronic Plus with Pre-Safe Brakes safety feature as a special-order item.

If you seek optimum performance and handling, the SLK55 AMG is the roadster you want. It includes all SLK350 equipment plus the Premium 1 Package, the Sport Package, Mbrace telematics service, a mesh windscreen, AMG floor mats, and additional aluminum trim. Of course, this model also includes specific AMG design and mechanical upgrades.

Options for the SLK55 AMG model include the Multimedia Package, the Lighting Package, and a special AMG Handling Package (174-mph top speed, performance suspension, differential lock, unique wheels, AMG steering wheel with Alcantara grips). Others extras that can be added to the SLK55 AMG include carbon-fiber interior trim, dual-zone automatic climate control, a panoramic glass roof with or without Magic Sky Control, Parktronic with Advanced Parking Guidance, an AirGuide wind-stop, Keyless Go, and Distronic Plus adaptive cruise control with Pre-Safe Brakes.

Three distinctly different 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK models are available, each equipped with unique powertrains and performance capabilities.

The SLK250 has a turbocharged, direct-injected, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine making 201 horsepower and 229 pound-feet of torque, the latter peaking between 2,000 and 4,300 rpm. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard, and a Touch Shift seven-speed automatic with shift paddles and an ECO mode is optional. Charged with motivating 3,308 pounds, the SLK250’s turbocharged four-cylinder gets the car from zero to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, according to Mercedes, and can reach a 155-mph top speed. Mercedes says the SLK250 will get as many as 23 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway. The EPA had not confirmed these numbers as this review was written.

For more power, the SLK350 has a direct-injected 3.5-liter V6 making 302 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque, with twist peaking between 3,500 and 5,250 rpm. A Touch Shift seven-speed automatic with paddle shifters and an ECO mode comes standard. At 3,397 pounds, the SLK350 accelerates from zero to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds, according to Mercedes. The EPA says the SLK350 gets 20 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway. Premium fuel is required.

The SLK55 AMG is equipped with a direct-injected 5.5-liter V8 making 415 horsepower and 398 lb-ft of torque. Mercedes estimates that this engine is 30-percent more fuel efficient thanks to AMG Cylinder Management, which allows the car to operate in four-cylinder mode on the highway, and ECO Stop/Start functionality, which conserves fuel while idling. An AMG SpeedShift Plus seven-speed automatic with paddle shifters gets power to the rear wheels. At 3,527 pounds, the SLK55 AMG rockets to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and, with the optional AMG Handling Package, can achieve a top speed of 174 mph. Fuel economy estimates are yet to be made, but if you apply Mercedes’s claim of a 30-percent improvement over the previous SLK55 AMG, which got 14-city/22-highway, it looks like the new model might be capable of 17 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway. We’ll see.

Mercedes-Benz takes safety seriously. Therefore, it comes as no surprise to find that the new 2012 SLK is loaded with standard safety features. It comes with eight airbags, including frontal- and side-impact airbags, dual knee airbags, and a new head airbag system that deploys upward from the door panels.

New Neck-Pro crash-responsive head restraints better reduce whiplash, and the SLK is also equipped with standard Attention Assist (drowsiness detection) and Adaptive Brake technology. Adaptive Brake offers hill-hold assistance, a brake hold function for idling at stoplights, panic braking preparation when the driver suddenly releases the accelerator pedal, and a brake disc drying function when driving in rain. Available as a special-order item, Distronic Plus with Pre-Safe Brakes is a radar-based adaptive cruise control system that can sense when the SLK is about to collide with another vehicle or object and automatically apply braking power to slow or stop the vehicle.

Because the redesigned 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK is so new, safety ratings and reliability predictions are unavailable as this review is written.

New magnesium frame elements reduce the weight of the new SLK’s roof by 13 pounds, lowering the car’s center of gravity for better handling. The top also completely stows or rises in less than 20 seconds.

Another benefit of this new roof design is increased trunk space. Top up, the SLK holds 10.1 cubic feet of cargo in its trunk. This drops to 6.4 cubes with the roof stowed, but given that this is a power retractable hardtop model, that’s an impressive feat of conservation.

The SLK is equipped with sun-reflecting leather upholstery, which can reduce the temperature of the seats by as much as 18 degrees Fahrenheit. The optional Magic Sky Control roof also significantly reduces the cabin’s thermal load in direct sunlight, lowering the temperature of interior parts by up to 18 degrees Fahrenheit when the roof glass is darkened. The roof automatically darkens when the SLK is parked and turned off.

On cold days, occupants can enjoy the open-air feel of driving a convertible thanks to the roof’s light-tint transparent mode. If it’s not too frosty outside, the top can be dropped and occupants can enjoy the optional AirScarf system. AirScarf provides heat vents at the base of the head restraints, generating a flow of warm air around the driver’s and front passenger’s necks for comfortable top-down motoring in chilly weather.

If the SLK is equipped with the optional COMAND navigation and entertainment system, the Music Search feature can be used to scan the Music Register hard drive, an SD card, a USB stick, or a CD/DVD by album, category, or composer to find specific data.

Finally, to combat the “bleat” that typically accompanies a four-cylinder engine, the SLK250 employs a “sound generator” in front of the engine’s throttle flap, enhancing the exhaust note by mixing it with intake noise, filtering unwanted frequencies and piping the result into the cabin to make the powertrain sound more appealing to the driver.

Any day spent facing the 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK’s gorgeous dashboard is a good one. Our choice between the two models would be the SLK350, which is the version we test drove, mainly because we like the powerful 3.5-liter V6 installed under the SLK’s long, blunt nose. Around town it sounds too much like a four-cylinder engine, but otherwise the SLK350’s engine is a powerful if not particularly fuel-efficient source of motive force.

The V6 is paired with a seven-speed automatic transmission with Eco, Sport, and Manual modes, and is occasionally confused about what it ought to be doing at any given time. We kept the car is Sport mode the majority of the time, which might be why we averaged 19.7 mpg during a week of driving. But even so, Sport programming did the car no favors when the driver alternated between loafing in and squirting through traffic.

The Sport mode does not extend to the SLK350’s steering or suspension. After completing half of our usual test loop, we pulled over to see if there was a way to eliminate the SLK’s light on-center steering feel and occasionally excessive lateral body motions. There wasn’t.

As such, we would call the SLK a sporting car rather than a sports car. It’s a little bit too soft for the latter designation, a grand touring car more at home cruising up the Pacific Coast Highway at 65 mph, its effective AirScarf neck heating system keeping you warm on a foggy day.

Alternatively, there’s nothing wrong with raising the roof, adjusting the Magic Sky Control glass to let as much of the outside world in, and stuffing the SLK’s trunk full for a cross-country trip with your favorite person.

That’s what we would do with the SLK.

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK goes head-to-head with a long list of accomplished two-seat roadsters, from the bargain sports car that is the Mazda MX-5 Miata to the brilliant sports car that is the 2012 Porsche Boxster. Toss in the four-season all-wheel-drive Audi TT and the thundering V8-powered Corvette Convertible, and it’s easy to understand why, despite the fact that there’s nothing wrong with the Mercedes SLK and there is, in fact, plenty that’s right about it, we strongly encourage you to cross-shop this Benz with other roadsters.

By Christian Wardlaw