Great Machines: Driver's Notebook: Nip and Tuck
06/01/2008
How does someone decide when it’s time for cosmetic surgery? Sometimes it’s more than simply a matter of looking in the mirror for signs of aging."It wasn’t necessary to do a face-lift," design director Karlheinz Bauer says as he leads the way around the Mercedes-Benz SLK, freshly retouched just four years after the launch in its latest form. Bauer says the question isn’t so much about the vehicle as it is about the market.
The competition never quits, after all. So, to maintain the SLK’s healthy 30 percent market share among $50,000 roadsters, Mercedes-Benz knew it was time for its compact retractable hardtop to be freshened with what Bauer calls "some interesting details."
The nose job, for example, lends a sportier—yet somehow more elegant—appearance, and the rear end is more taut. Subtle elements, such as new wheels and turn indicators on the mirrors, were also revised. Inside, there’s a new steering wheel, instrument panel, dark-wood trim, "Gullwing Red" and "Natural Beige" leather seating, chrome for the cup holders, and an updated audio system with hard-drive music storage, an iPod interface, Bluetooth, voice-activated navigation, and a Harman/Kardon Logic 7 sound system.
But the transformation would not be complete without a trip to the gym for some muscle toning—or what one Mercedes-Benz product manager described as "more driving pleasure" for the SLK and SL roadsters.
The 2009 SLK arrived in North America last spring in three versions: SLK300, SLK350, and SLK55 AMG. Each ’09 SLK has been face-lifted, refurnished, and fitted with Mercedes-Benz’s newly developed direct-steer system. By varying the steering ratio for specific dynamic conditions—especially winding roads or tight parking spaces—driving is easier, more effortless, with the steering wheel requiring only two full turns from lock to lock, compared to nearly three in previous years.
While other automakers achieve variable steering ratios through
electronic actuators and networked sensors, Mercedes-Benz’s engineers have done
it with a seemingly
simple mechanical method that dates back to 1950’s American aircraft technology: giving the middle teeth in the gear rack
different size and pitch. Think incisors in the middle and molars at the ends.
Much more than cosmetic dental surgery, it really enhances vehicle dynamics.
After debuting in the SLK, the direct-steer system will be added to the all-new
Mercedes-Benz SL and then their other sporty vehicles.
Besides the changes it shares with the SLK300 and SLK55 AMG, the SLK350 gets special attention in the form of an upgraded engine. Still displacing 3.5 liters, the V-6 now develops 300 hp, and is more fuel efficient. It achieves 60 mph in only 5.3 seconds—two-tenths faster than a year ago—but also squeezes a few more miles out of each while cruising along, top up or down.
Mercedes-Benz, www.mbusa.com