Mercedes Benz SLK200 Kompressor (R170) Review, full road test.

Some cars make an impact when they are first unveiled to the world. One such car was the Mercedes-Benz SLK with its Vario fold back in 1996. Folding hard tops had been seen decades earlier but on larger cars and had not been widely accepted, most manufacturers had stuck with a lighter weight soft top design. The baby Benz kicked off a revolution with many manufacturers today offering a car with a folding hard roof giving the open air experience but with the convenience of a solid roof.
The car in this video is a mid life facelift version of the original SLK designated the R170 and is equipped with a 2 litre, four cylinder supercharged engine.
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Some scenes in this video were filmed on location with permission form The Motorist.
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[@markonmotoring]

Want to see how the next generation of SLK (R171) compares? Check out my 3.5 litre V6 powered SLK 350 review. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oaSsdIaMma9_sNk

[@richcretrogti618]

Excellent road test review Mark. Nice to see a very clean SLK, crazy to think most examples are over 20 years old now. That roof system still amazes me like it did when they were first released.👍🏻

[@markonmotoring]

Thank you. Yes it seems like only yesterday these cars were at the motor show and the roof was a real talking point. Within a few years every manufacturer seemed to have a folding tin top in the range.

[@gerrylachica8567]

The car would look so much better if it had the original front grill from the factory.

[@markonmotoring]

I believe the owner told me the grill is period correct and a genuine mercedes item but is AMG spec. I think it looks a bit like the style of the following generation of the SLK but will be down to personal preference. I actually prefer these R170 style cars over later cars but I think this one having the curvy side skirts and very subtle AMG style bumpers (you really would struggle to tell from the standard bumpers) do lift the styling a touch over the flat black sill cars.

[@Braxton-xk5bi]

And if it was black

[@farkumaxis9064]

agree ....

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Excellent Video and Review Mark and what a great looking Mercedes, cannot believe this was going for scrap until the owner stepped in.

[@markonmotoring]

Thank you. Sadly it is so often the case that a car will get to the point where most people would walk away. This time someone stepped in who was willing to do what was needed and it has clearly been well worth the effort.

[@joannewillacy9510]

I spent about £5k doing it and getting it to that level. Suspension, brakes , wheel bearings, engine faults . A full respray. The list is massive .

[@sleepycatpictures1176]

Mm, nice little motor. Good review Mark!

[@markonmotoring]

Thank you.

[@droge192]

Audio is only in the right channel? Love my '99 SLK230 Kompressor. Super reliable car, never skips a beat depsite it's 23 years. I previously had a facelift 200 Kompressor. Still a nippy little car but the 230K does have a lot more torque. My previous facelift had the blue interior - the paint peels badly. Thankfully, my current pre-facelift has a full black interior. That's a lovely example - apart from that nasty aftermarket grille (the bumper is AMG but that grille is an eBay special). Just that nasty silver huge 'U' shape over the Mercedes logo!

[@markonmotoring]

Good to hear you're are enjoying your SLK too. This one was indeed a very nice example. The audio was courtesy of the Rode Wireless Go 2 which is a 2ch wireless system. It seems to split the audio so that one mic audio is in one side and the second in the other. Fine if using two mics but I've yet to find a way to split the audio from one mic into two channels in editing. I expect people watching on a mobile phone through the speaker for example won't notice but it is probably most apparent if using headphones. So far I think you are the first to pick up on it.

[@unkelartgarf3792]

There's no debate at all about what the "S" and "W" standard for (and "S" and "C" in later Mercedes) - if you have the owners manual, it tells you! In earlier Mercedes (like this one), S = Standard and W = Winter. In later Models of the 722.6 automatic gearbox, the modes were changed to 'S' and 'C'. With these, "S" stood for Sport and "C" stood for Comfort. As I say, owners manuals for all generations clearly state what the mode acronyms stand for.

[@markonmotoring]

Not being my car I didn't have access to the owners manual. I have found that depending who you ask you get a different answers. I did see an early training video clip from Mercedes suggesting this one was indeed Standards and Winter. I suppose if this did change with later cars then that could be where the confusion came from.

[@kevinbuckley6179]

Very good review, Manually changing the gears is easy and fuss free.

[@markonmotoring]

Thank you.

[@freemenofengland2880]

I've got a black one, agree with most of what you say - great review - well done!

[@markonmotoring]

Thank you.

[@badbooks476]

Nice review Mark. The SLK is a credit to its owner, looks like new. Looks very comfy & luxurious, whereas an MX5 wants you to drive it like you stole it.

[@markonmotoring]

Thank you. Yes the car has been brought back to excellent condition. I've yet to try an MX5. I think with the cars are aimed at a slightly different buyer, especially European spec MX-5 being all manual transmission.

[@badbooks476]

@@markonmotoring you are welcome to try mine when we are both at a social / show sometime, but it’s auto, not as powerful as the SLK. I live Lincs / Norfolk border.

[@markonmotoring]

@@badbooks476 Thank you. I may well take you up on it. I would like to try a manual if possible as I'm told that the gear change in those is second to none.

[@badbooks476]

@@markonmotoring Yes, Rifle Bolt on a manual mk1.

[@joannewillacy9510]

Great video thanks for the review

[@markonmotoring]

Thank you. You are most welcome, it was an absolute pleasure and a privilege to have the car entrusted to me for review.

[@joannewillacy9510]

@@markonmotoring I new it would be in safe hands with you been such a good driver

[@markonmotoring]

@@joannewillacy9510 Thank you. I was very fortunate to have been trained by the right people before going on to provide training myself many years ago.

[@kevinbuckley6179]

By the way Mark, the S/W button stands for summer and winter. In winter mode the car starts in second gear.

[@markonmotoring]

Thank you.

[@markfairhurst6186]

i got a 230 i love it most in 55 years of driving

[@markonmotoring]

I suspect that the 230 with a Kompressor is probably the sweet spot of the range offer a little more performance than the 200 but without the cost of the larger 6 cylinder engine.

[@mick0905]

Amazing effect due to the frame rate at the 00:39 second mark. It looks like the car is driving down the road with all 4 wheels locked.

[@markonmotoring]

😅 So it does. I just had to check that as I'd not noticed before.

[@strangeknight3751]

I've got the manual 6speed great for B road blasting👍

[@markonmotoring]

That's great to know. The gearbox can transform the character of a car.

[@Braxton-xk5bi]

David O' Dowd 😂

[@davy-downtheroad]

This is a good little video. 👍

[@markonmotoring]

Thank you. I've done a few similar videos since and hopefully more to come.

[@davy-downtheroad]

@@markonmotoring yes. It's not easy getting started and finding the time to film and edit. You did well memorizing some of the info for it.

[@markonmotoring]

I'm still learning as I go.

[@c0ldcity]

Great job, subbed

[@markonmotoring]

Thank you.

[@helmhurst]

Nice review. 6 speed gearbox is actually very good and preferable to the auto.

[@markonmotoring]

Thank you. I've not had the opportunity to try a manual but a few reviewers at the time didn't like it. I think other models in the range akso came were criticised in manual form. Good to hear you have had a positive experience with one though. I imagine that it livens the car up.a little bit as with the Auto it definitely feels more of a cruiser than a sports car.

[@arrowgunt]

great video

[@markonmotoring]

Thank you.

[@Lot76CARS]

Hi Mark, good review. So innovative and a perfect practical open air car. However, the tin worm is a big problem (also affecting the Mazda MX5). Just checking on the Bay of E, the cheapest one is just £1200, surely the Mk1 cars should appreciate eventually.. the SLK 55 is a monster but sadly a lot more expensive.

[@markonmotoring]

Yes I hear the front wings rot from behind. I'm sure values will rise in time.

[@ericwright8498]

Good review. Is the 200K engine reliable?

[@markonmotoring]

Thank you. I believe so, the owner was until recently using the car daily without any major issues to report. If you are interested I've recently reviewed the following generation of this car but with the 350 engine. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oaSsdIaMma9_sNk

[@ericwright8498]

Nice car does it feel quick or a little underpowered?

[@markonmotoring]

That would all depend in what you are comparing it to. Personally I think.woth 160hp in a car of this weight it feels quick enough, especially as that Kompressor acts swiftly from low engine speeds.. Once the automatic gearbox kicks down the car seems to accelerate pretty swiftly but I still felt that it was more enjoyable as a cruiser than an all out sports car.

[@ericwright8498]

@@markonmotoring makes sense yes I would agree 160hp would seem decent. Same as a 924S I used to own and I think that was pretty much the same weight too

[@markonmotoring]

BHP comes into play more at higher speeds, it's torque that makes a car feel quicker most of the time. I really wouldn't get too hung up on the stats though. My weekend car is a 1997 Mégane coupe and it's only got the base spec 1.6 8v engine with a mere 90hp. As you would expect steep hills when fully loaded it does struggle a bit but at motorway speeds it's right in its peak torque band so actually goes pretty well. It doesn't weigh much either (kerb weight is 1050kg). On my own in the car on a twisty B road it feels surprisingly brisk and the body is pretty rigid but the suspension supple so it gives a sporty drive but without the harshness of modern cars but you would have a hard time convincing many younger drivers that a car with less than 200hp can be fun. 😂

[@seiyo2965]

私も、R170slk230を所有しています。 28万kmになりました。 最近、メーカーにない部品が出てきました。 ラジエーターなどは、早めに変えたほうが良いでしょう。

[@montazownianr1]

Right side steering wheel and right speaker sound…

[@markonmotoring]

I have been made aware of an issue with audio on this video and one other being mono. Not so obvious on a loudspeaker but more so on headphones. Car is RHD.

[@nuntiusuk3345]

Beautiful timeless classic blighted by Mercedes crap quality leading to corrosion

[@markonmotoring]

There is one I see regularly with the crusty front wings. Thankfully this particular example was in excellent condition.

[@nuntiusuk3345]

@@markonmotoring Exactly , they go on the arches all around and the trouble is , it’s not just limited to this model. Newer ones are blighted as well . I saw a much newer blue efficiency SLK being advertised recently and when I zoomed the pics I could see low level corrosion on the arches