► New Mercedes SLC 180 announced
► 1.6-litre turbo with 154bhp
► Priced from £32k
Set on a German roadster but a bit cash-strapped? Mercedes-Benz is here to help ease the financial burden a little, with the announcement of the new entry-level Mercedes SLC 180.
The new SLC-lite model has a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 154bhp and 184lb ft of torque. It’s good for a 0-62mph launch time of 7.9 seconds, which is 0.9sec slower than the SLC 200 model, and manages to hit 140mph before running out of puff.
Economy figures are rated at 48.7mpg and 134g/km of CO2.
Mercedes SLC 180: what do I get for my £32k?
The entire SLC range’s trim options have been streamlined to just AMG Line spec, so even this boggo entry model comes with 18-inch AMG alloys, sports suspension, Merc’s artificial Artico leather seats, cruise control and air-con.
As standard, the 180 has a six-speed manual gearbox, but you can stump up an extra £1600 for Merc’s nine-speed automatic.
The trend for offering smaller, cheaper options in the roadster market seems to be growing, as Mercedes isn’t the first brand to offer a new entry-level drop top: Jaguar recently announced that four-cylinder engines are joining its F-type range at the 2017 New York motor show.
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