Driven: 1996 Mercedes Benz R170 SLK230 Kompressor with only 22,000+ miles on the clock

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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Another reason Why the availability of Euro 5 diesel is good for Malaysians

Too tired to write something long today. Just finished dinner, fittung for a sports jacket, driving a Volvo FH Prime Mover, archery, paintball target practice and a ride on a ATV. Not necessarily in that order but you get my point.

This why why Euro 5 diesel will benefit people who like nice cars...the Mercedes Benz CLS250 CDI. In Malaysia CDI or Bluetech diesels brought in via grey import cannot run properly on the Euro 2 grade diesel we used to have prior to this introduction of Euro5. The CLS 250 runs a 2.2 liter twin turbo diesel engine and was never sold here officially. The CLS350 CGI was what we had.

The had a petrol 3.5liter V6 engine. Good performance but the annual road tax was in the RM4,000+ region. The CLS250 is under RM500.

See what we're missing? In Hua Hin Thailand I got to see three...I repeat, three CLS250 at the front of the Hilton hotel. Tax break models that we now can actually run in our country. Running a CLS may be possible without breaking the bank.

Thailand had an early start by implementing better grade petrol and diesel (although the price is higher than in Malaysia but it is waaay cleaner).

This is why their automotive sector is miles ahead of us these days.

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All-New Mercedes Benz C-Class Coupe photos previewed

The official global launch (somewhere in Europe most probably) will be in September 2015.The all-new 2017 (model year) Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe is modern luxury manifested. Its soulful design echoes the agile driving dynamics made possible by advanced lightweight construction and a standard sport suspension.

The top of the range before the launch of the AMG versions (C450 and C63) are the C300 and C300 4MATIC Coupe (according to sources). It will be featuring a 241-hp turbocharged four-cylinder engine. This, like the sedan, features the optional air suspension and will offer levels of luxury never before seen in an entry level luxury coupe. Expect the usual C180, C200, C250 in both petrol and diesel versions too.

The C-Class Coupe hits European and U.S. dealerships by spring of 2016.

So what do I think about it? It's a W205 sedan with a lower roofline and two doors. This means classical styling instead of all out sportiness of the previous C-class Coupe. It will grow on you like how the sedan does. It is now a baby S-class coupe. The C63 version would look pretty good though.

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R170 Mercedes Benz SLK230 Kompressor...

Two pics of the 1990s SLK230 Kompressor. I will eventually write about the drive experience soon. Stay tuned for more updates!

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Modern Classic Driven: 1992 Mercedes Benz 300SL-24

The 1970s and 1980s were a period where automobile development reached a certain peak. It was when manufacturers perfected the basic monocoque chassis based on the technology at that point of time. It was a pinnacle of sorts as we see manufacturers keeping the same model chassis for decades instead of the current practice of a new platform every five to seven years like most do today. We had cars like the Lancia Delta, born in 1979 and carrying on until 1995.

We had various generations of Volkswagen Golf Mk1 and Mk2 going on sale for over ten years concurrently in the 1980s and we had those Mercedes Benz cars like the W124 E-Class, the W126 S-class, the R107 SL-class and the R129 SL-class that came after the R107. These cars were deemed by their makers to be able to be in production for over a decade in terms of chassis design and only with changes to engines and equipment (to keep up with the times and electronic technology basically). It was a period of some stability in terms of automotive technology and it showed in the cars at the time.

Some weren't really good cars in the sense that they had shoddy build quality like the early Lancia Deltas. But this was due to the fact that the company manufacturing them (Fiat) sucked in terms of material quality choices (bad steel used) and temperamental Italian workers assembling the cars. Not entirely their fault but in terms of design, the little Lancia worked. Of course, Lancia was almost always in doldrums during that period.

So we come to something over-engineered and well designed like the cars Mercedes Benz made in the 1970s and 1980s. These were engineering marvels that to this day has lasted in terms of classic modern styling and durability. Built like vaults, the W124 E-class, W126 S-class and the SL-class roadsters were basically so well designed and utilised the correct materials that to this day, many of these cars are still plying the roads globally. The W124 was in production from 1984 to 1997, the W126 from 1979 to 1991, the R107 SL 1972 to 1989 and the W129 from 1989 to 2002. All of these luxury cars were produced for over a decade. Imagine, the same essential chassis being on sale for that long a time with only minor facelifts here and there.

The R129 was first designed way back in 1984 and was based on the chassis of the W124 E-class. When launched in 1989, it had a bucketload of innovative technology and was actually ahead of its time in many aspects. It was one of the few cars in the 1980s and early 1990s to have (optional) electronically controlled damping. It also pioneered the automatic extending roll-over bar that made convertibles even safer than before. It also was one of the first few roadsters that was sold with both a detachable hardtop that was fitted over the folded canvas soft top meaning the owner had the option of beign fully protected from the elements if he wanted to. As it was Mercedes Benz's halo car, it could be bought with every conceivable luxury offered by Mercedes Benz at the time.

Now while it lacked from traditional styling of the outgoing R107 SL, the new R129 was well received and like the R107, was a favourite amongst royalty, movie stars, corporate moguls, the jet-setters and a whole lot of racing drivers too. Instead of all upright and traditional, it had styling by Bruno Sacco and featured a design that actually still looks darn good to this day. It was low, sharp and wide. It had the proportions which were quite close to perfect in terms of modern roadster styling – a long bonnet, a low chiseled look to it and seamless styling. In some aspects, I think the design of the R129 is future proof as it still looks modern to this day.

So, a few months ago I drove a 1992 R129 Mercedes Benz 300SL-24 that belonged to a friend of mine. The 300SL-24 was one of the first Mercedes Benz cars of the 1980s that had multi-valve cylinder heads and this explains the '24' badging. It had a M104 3.0 liter 6 cylinder in line engine that had 24 valves instead of the base 300SL sold alongside it. The extra valves ensured it had 231hp instead of 190hp and 265Nm torque at a heady 4,600rpm (the 2 valve per cylinder M103 made 5nm less but at 4,400rpm). The power was transmitted to the rear wheels via a 4 speed automatic gearbox. This spaced out 4 speeder basically ensured leisurely acceleration for this 1,692kg roadster. 0-100kmh was in the region of 8.6 seconds and it would nudge 220kmh on a good day.

So I get to drive this SL-24 a good twenty over years since it left the factory. How does the old girl feel? Bombproof. You open the door, slide in to its leather seats and close the door. And you close the door of a bank's vault door. It's no joke. You may have heard the same line being written or blurted out by millions of auto journalists about how solid Mercedes Benz cars from this era are and you are not going to hear any different from me. The car is like a rock, a vault, a battleship in terms of construction. How the door closes, how the switchgear feels is all solid and weighted. The high quality plastics in the dashboard look like they'll last forever. In short, it's old, but but put any new Japanese car beside it and it still shines in terms of build quality.

The way it drives is another thing to admire. Nothing feels light. Everything has some heft in it. From the throttle pedal to the brakes and the handbrake lever has weight that you have to overcome. Once on the move, it feels like rolling thunder, as it gathers speed. Plant your foot down, the longish nose slightly rears up and you're off. And unsurprisingly, not a squeak from the interior.

The in-line six purrs smoothly and is pretty torquey even though initial road testers claim it to be a little down on torque. I suppose it may only put most of its power above 4,500rpm, but it is adequate most of the time. Anything under 9 seconds to 10kmh is adequate by today's standard. Of course, you get that (almost) big engined feel with the 3.0liter engine. And a decent enough soundtrack too. The gear change in the SL-24 are typically old school automatic, this means it changes gears with a gentle thud instead of quietly slurring in the background. And the acceleration is quite leisurely with the gears spread far and wide in order to cover acceleration and cruising at the same time.

The steering however, a recirculating ball type steering system, whilst is great at filtering out the road imperfections is also good at filtering out almost all feeling (but good at keeping fatigue levels down if you do actually go on a very long drive). Super numb and slightly slow compared to a rack and pinion steering system but at least it is nicely weighted and accurate once you actually tell your brain that when you do turn the steering wheel, the wheels eventually turn too. No, it isn't that bad. Maybe as bad as some electrically assisted power steering these days. Actually, it could be as bad. Or worse, depending on how you look at it.

But whatever it is, I managed to take it through a series of bends in the dry and the SL-24 actually surprisingly rewarded me when doing so. Great front-end grip after you've put faith into the car, ignoring the vague steering, and a very obedient rear. Outside line at about 100kmh, tap the brakes into a right hander at about 85-90kmh, apply more steering lock as the turn gets tighter whilst balancing the throttle (yes, being rear drive it is throttle adjustable) putting in more power to try loosen the tail and then back adjusting the throttle for the immediate left hander before powering on right after the apex. 90-110kmh was then done after that in a just a few seconds.

The old girl basically handled a reducing radius right hand corner and then a slightly wider left hander with a poise that defies its age. The car was equipped with its standard 225/55/16 sized tyres which did not protest at all. 231hp basically isn't really enough to trouble the chassis which was made to handle the over 326hp that the 500SL made. Being typical Mercedes, the same chassis could fit them all. Including the later in lift (1992 onwards V12 600SL with over 400hp on tap).

So yes, the Mercedes Benz 300SL-24 was and still is a brilliant car to drive. It was a technological tour-de-force of its time and still looks good to this day. Good ones can be bought in Malaysia for between RM55,000-RM70,000. If you are looking for a reliable modern classic. I would recommend this.

Specification
Engine, 2962cc 6cylinder, Straight

Power:  231 bhp @ 6300 rpm

Torque: 273 Nm / 201 ft.lb / 27.8 kgm @ 4600 rpm

0-100 kmh: 8.6 s

220 km/h

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