Car Review: 2017 Mercedes-AMG SLC 43
An enjoyable boulevardier that you can be both rational and passionate about
OVERVIEW
2017 Mercedes-Benz
High-end roadster with performance to spare
Pros Sleek looks, cool retractable hardtop, tight handling
Cons Pricey to begin with and pricier with options; firm ride
Value for money Fair
What would I change? Make AirScarf standard
How I would spec it? As is
With apologies to ’70s pop duo the Carpenters, it’s not rainy days and Mondays that always get me down, it’s any rainy day when I’m driving a convertible. Particularly annoying is the fact that central Canada has been experiencing record heat and sunshine this summer, which made this rare torrential downpour that forced the closure of the Mercedes SLC 43’s retractable hardtop — thus postponing my chill-out time — all the more infuriating.
For those who haven’t been paying attention to what the German automaker has been up to recently, the SLC is not a brand-new model — it is the former third-generation SLK hardtop-convertible with a mid-cycle refresh for 2017. That refresh brings with it a new name along with fairly significant upgrades to both its looks and the technology found in it. (The name change, says Mercedes, “acknowledges the traditionally close relationship with the C-Class model line,” from which much of the roadster’s technology is derived.)
Smaller sibling to the snobby SL roadster and its 60-year history of performance, price and ego, the SLK — Sportlich, Leicht, Kurz, or sporty, light and short in English — has a 20-year success story of its own, having achieved sales of more than 670,000 units since its launch in 1996. Still, starting with the first-generation model, it has often been dismissed by the ill-informed as a “chick car.”
It would be presumptuous to label the new SLC as such — at least, the top-of-the-line AMG SLC 43 version I’m driving. For one thing, its roofline always reminds me of one of my favourite 1950s British sports cars: the stunning, if highly flawed, Lotus Elite. The second is that the two-seat SLC 43 packs a formidable 362-horsepower twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 under its hood, which, when one is tired of cruising top down and looking very smug, makes itself known with a serious kick in the pants acceleration-wise. It might not be as hairy-tailed as last year’s SLK 55 AMG and its 415-horsepower 5.5-litre V8, but it feels better balanced. (The 55 AMG as well as the 350 have both been dropped; the SLC 300 is the new base model.)
2017 Mercedes-AMG SLC 43
Said twin-turbo V6 is matched to a very efficient nine-speed automatic transmission, complete with paddle shifters for all the budding Speed Racers out there. Mercedes claims the autobox is the world’s first nine-speed automatic with hydrodynamic torque converter in the premium segment; I don’t know if that’s a big deal or not. I do know that when the Dynamic Select controller is switched to Sport+ (as opposed to Eco, Comfort, Sport or Individual modes), extremely quick downshifts come with very throaty throttle blips from the AMG Sport exhaust system (which uses two adjustable exhaust flaps to adapt the sound to the mode selected).
I’m less thrilled with the Eco start/stop function, which ensures the engine is switched off at traffic lights to reduce fuel consumption; it’s very abrupt and, in stop-and-go traffic, annoyingly efficient. Fortunately, there is a button that switches it off if it becomes too aggravating.
Although the needle swings closer to the latter than the former, the SLC 43 roadster is still more cruiser than out-and-out sports car. To be fair, though, it feels better than the second- and earlier third-generation SLKs. The steering has a solid weight to it; the ride, though, while well damped, is still very firm. And if the pavement is particularly bumpy, it can get unpleasant — look to the roadster’s short 1,854-millimetre wheelbase, low-profile Continental performance rubber and AMG sport suspension as culprits.
2017 Mercedes-AMG SLC 43
The SLC’s electro-hydraulic “vario-roof” does allow for greater year-round utility — either open-top driving pleasure when the sun shines or a snug, comfy environment in poor weather. And, when changing from one to the other, the roof can be opened or stowed up to a speed of almost 40 km/h. The best feature for maximum droptop usability, though, remains AirScarf, the neck-level heating system for the driver and passenger. Disappointingly, it’s not standard, but part of the pricey ($5,600) Premium Package; the AMG 43 starts at $70,900.
One new highlight is the available automatic trunk separator. If it’s in the upper position for increased trunk capacity, it automatically moves down when the roof is opened; if there’s not enough space for this because the trunk is full of luggage, the roof won’t open and the message “close trunk separator” appears in the instrument cluster. (Though Mercedes claims 335 litres of trunk space, don’t plan on any camping trips with the SLC; it’s strictly a car predicated on the idea of weekend getaways with a couple of gym bags.)
2017 Mercedes-AMG SLC 43
The roadster’s cabin is a quiet, cozy and suitably upscale environment for two. As part of the mid-cycle update, the interior is treated to dark aluminum trim bits with a carbon fibre finish. The instrument cluster has been redesigned; the two tubular instrument surrounds now feature black dials with red needles. A multifunctional 4.5-inch TFT screen display is incorporated between the two dials. The centre console display has been upsized to seven inches.
Much more than a boulevardier, yet not the sort of wheels I’d put up against a pure sports car such as the new Porsche 718 Boxster S, the SLC 43 occupies the same sphere as the likes of Audi’s TT Roadster and the BMW Z4 — sporty when it needs to be but happier as a top-down cruiser, particularly on lightly travelled backroads. A gran turismo, in other words.
Design tweaks and various AMG bits give the SLC 43 a more aggressive demeanour, which is backed up by that muscular twin-turbo V6. And, when combined with Mercedes’ copious safety attributes and a full measure of luxury, the car, ultimately, presents itself as an enjoyable toy one can be both rational and passionate about.
2017 Mercedes-AMG SLC 43
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