Mercedes-Benz is preparing a facelift for the SLK, which will become known as the SLC and will bring a revised front fascia with a redesigned grille, a new bumper and slightly updated headlights.
The rear end of the roadster will be adding a new bumper as well, along with redesigned taillight graphics. The cabin should be slightly tweaked too.
The most important changes, however, will be found under the hood where the top-of-the-line variant of the hard-top convertible, known as the SLK 55 AMG, will be dropping the 421 PS (415 HP) 5.5-liter V8, killing it off its entire range for good.
According to Motoring, which had a chat with the AMG boss, Tobias Moers, this will be a 3.0-liter V6 which will get the twin-turbocharged treatment and will be similar to the one currently used in the AMG Sport Line models, such as the GLE 450. However, it’s expected to produce more than the current 362 HP (367 PS) and 520 Nm (384 lb-ft) of torque.
“It’s not a dedicated engine,” Moers said of the performance variant’s new engine. “It’s more part of the AMG family than the sport models as of today are. So we are going to change something, let’s wait and see.”
Dropping its naturally-aspirated V8 engine has an upside too, which is its price, as the new SLC AMG will be cheaper than the current version. The facelifted roadster will likely be unveiled in Detroit, at the 2016 NAIAS event, next January.
“It’s close, it’s not far away, I think we show up with the car in Detroit,” Moers said. “It’s the sportiest and – regarding driving dynamics – agile SLK we ever made. It’s a nice car.”
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