The 2016 Mercedes SLC, the renamed and facelifted SLK, has been unveiled ahead of its world premiere at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2016. The hardtop convertible sportscar receives cosmetic upgrades, and new base and range-topping engines.
The most compact convertible from Mercedes receives a new diamond grille, sportier bumper and optional LED headlamps. The profile stays pretty much the same while the rear fascia sports redesigned bumper and new detailing for the combination lamps. The electrohydraulic roof mechanism can now be operated at speeds up to 40 kmph and gets automatic boot separator if you specify the car with optional Vario-roof and KEYLESS-GO.
The 2016 SLC’s interiors are enhanced by the new steering wheel, revised instrument cluster, bigger centre console display for upgraded COMAND display, and fresh trim and leather options.
The 2016 Mercedes SLC completes the brand’s nomenclature revision.
The sportscar is available with five powertrain options – 3 regular petrol motors, 1 diesel engine and 1 range-topping AMG powerplant. The base SLC 180 is powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine which puts out 156 PS and 250 Nm of torque.
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The SLC 200 and SLC 300 are powered by a 2.0-litre petrol engine but in two different states of tune. The former has 184 PS and 300 Nm of torque on tap while the latter is good for 245 PS and 370 Nm of torque. The lone diesel motor (SLC 250 d) is the 2.2-litre unit which is tuned to deliver 204 PS and 500 Nm of torque. The earlier version’s V8 AMG motor has been replaced by a new 3.0-litre V6 turbo mill. Called as the SLC 43 AMG, the new performance variant boasts of 367 PS and 520 Nm of torque (54 PS less and 19 Nm more than the SLK 55 AMG). All the variants are mated to a 9-speed 9G-Tronic automatic transmission driving the rear wheels.
