The R172 represents the third generation of Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...

 SLK

Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class

The SLK is a compact roadster manufactured by Mercedes-Benz in three generations; R170 launched in 1996, the R171 in 2004 and R172 in 2011....

, and was launched in January 2011 with international sales starting spring 2011. Replacing the R171

Mercedes-Benz R171

R171 represents the second generation of Mercedes-Benz SLK and is slightly larger than its predecessor the R170. The Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class is a luxury roadster built by the German manufacturer Mercedes-Benz since 1997...

, the R172 continues the small luxury roadster concept that was initiated by the first SLK launched in 1996. The design follows the themes of both the first and second generation, but shares a new front look that is similar to the Mercedes-Benz SLS.

The third generation continues with the two-piece metal folding roof known as a Vario Roof, and also comes with the option of "Magic Sky Control" which turns a glass panel in the roof from transparent to opaque.

Model range

The launch range includes two 1.8 L engines in two states of tune, the SLK 200 with 184 PS and the SLK 250 with 204 PS. The SLK 350 features a new Mercedes 3.5 L V6 direct-injection engine producing 306 PS with seven-speed automatic and a stop-start feature. An AMG version has been announced using a detuned, naturally aspirated version of the M157 called the M152. The engine produces 422 PS and can propel the SLK 55 AMG to 62mph in 4.6 seconds.

Performance

Model	Years	acceleration (second)	Top speed
SLK 200	2011–	7.0	240 km/h (149.1 mph)
SLK 200 automatic	2011–	7.0	237 km/h (147.3 mph)
SLK 250 automatic	2011–	6.6	243 km/h (151 mph)
SLK 350 automatic	2011–	5.6	250 km/h (155.3 mph)
SLK 55 AMG automatic	2012-	4.6	250 km/h (155.3 mph)