Merc lifts lid on diesel SLK 19 | 08 | 2011

MERCEDES HAS INTRODUCED a diesel version of its SLK Roadster for the first time. The new SLK 250 CDI, the latest addition to the Stuttgart manufacturer’s sports car range and on sale in a few weeks, is fitted with a 2143cc, 204bhp four-cylinder oilburner.

Externally the car retains all the styling cues of the petrol models in the range, and cleverly it also retains the twin-exhaust system.

And it's no slouch. The diesel SLK will cover the 0-62mph sprint in 6.7sec and, where legal, carry on to a maximum of 151mph. As is that wasn't attractive enough, it will also give you 57mpg.

Oh, and when it comes to CO2 figures, it's an attractive 128g/km; helped, like all SLK models, by having a stop-start system fitted as standard.

Merc has still to confirm what the UK prices will be, but the equivalent in Germany costs 41,828.50 euros; that equates to around £36,770.

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And while a six-speed manual will follow in the second quarter of 2012, the first cars which enter Merc's Scottish showrooms on September 13 will all be fitted with the standard 7G-Tronic Plus automatic transmission.

The diesel SLK is also available with a choice of three suspension versions available: a conventional steel suspension, a sports suspension with a stiffer spring and damper set-up or a suspension with an electronically controlled, fully automatic damping system.

And, of course, similar to the petrol models, the 250 CDI is available with a choice of three versions of the vario-roof.

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Craig James