AMG's pint-sized hot rod is a wonderfully overengined throwback - here's what to look for
5.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol V8, rear-wheel driveSmall and wieldy but not the most rigid car on bumpy roadsAlways fancied a proper Mercedes-AMG V8 but frightened by the prices? Fear not: there’s a naturally aspirated V8 AMG that you can buy for under £7,500. That would be the 2004-on R171 model SLK 55 with the 5.4-litre M113 V8 – but we’re not concentrating on that car in this buying guide. Instead we’re investigating its successor, the short-lived 2012-15 R172 with the 5.
The final revision for the standard R171 SLK 55 came in 2008 with a Euro-emissions-friendly remap, faster software for the 7-speed auto gearbox and an updated interior with a new steering wheel and a new centre display with lap timing. It still weighed too much though and it still drank too much petrol at 23.4mpg combined.
The last V8 SLK 55 was finally overthrown in 2015 by the equally fast 3.0 twin-turbo V6 SLC 43, which was itself discontinued after the 2020 model year. There’s no likelihood of any more Kurz convertibles coming out with big non-turbo V8s, or any V8s come to that, so the R172 is your last chance to grab yourself a slice of AMG thunder.
The only manual gearbox available in the SLK range was attached to the slightly less exciting 184hp SLK 200 engine. To some, the R172’s Speedshift Plus 7G-Tronic torque converter seemed a bit slow compared to more modern twin-clutch transmissions, but it was smooth and well-matched to the engine and it did give you a nice blip on downshifts. That didn’t happen on the R171.
On servicing, it’s not as bad as you might think. An independent specialist like Piper Performance will charge you £255 for an A service and £398 for a B. The R172’s platform was an evolution of the R171’s rather than an all-new setup. Even with the weight-balancing effects of rear-wheel drive there was no getting away from the fact that there was a lot of bulk above the 55’s front wheels.
On pre-2013 model year cars you could have the Vario Roof in full metal. After that they were built with panoramic glass roof panels as standard, a headlining depriving you of the sky-viewing experience unless you paid the appropriate sum to have it removed. It appears however that M-B noticed owners were removing the headlining themselves to get a sunroof without paying for the privilege because at some point in 2014 or thereabouts they went back to solid roofs.
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