The Merc that can be called a sportscar without inviting peals of laughter
Mercs are nothing if not inoffensive. In all their cars, everything has been styled more or less to please all and offend none. Fed up of being labelled as cars for old people, Mercedes is now on a sporty offensive.
The Formula 1 team. Michael Schumacher. The rip-snorting SLS AMG. Even more AMG-ing of the range. The angry face to the new C-Class. And the growing up of the SLK.
What really sets the tone is the startlingly angry exhaust note that greets you when you fire it up. All that noise is courtesy the new engine. Gone is the (cool-sounding) Kompressor 1.8-litre four-cylinder supercharged engine that, along with the lazy 5-speed auto, made the SLK200 more show than go. Enter a new V6 engine — the first Mercedes V6 in India to get petrol direct injection — and that makes for a very healthy 306PS of power and 370 Nm of torque.
(This story appears in the 02 December, 2011 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)