Review: the four-cylinder turbo Mercedes SLC 300

What’s this, then?

It’s the new Mercedes SLC. If you think it looks a lot like an SLK, then that’s because, well, it is one. It’s been given a facelift just as Merc rejigs the names of all its cars. This one has a new number at the end, too; it’s an SLC 300, which pops in in between the sensible diesel and the SLC43 AMG.

So that name means it’s got a nice 3.0-litre in it?

Nope, sorry. ‘Downsizing’ is etched on the white boards of carmakers everywhere right now, and like its Porsche Boxster and Jaguar F-Type rivals, the SLC is embracing four cylinders. So this model no longer has a nice, sonorous six-cylinder, instead getting a 2.0-litre turbo four like you’ll find in an A-Class.

That’s not very glamorous.

It doesn’t sound it at idle or low speed, either, with a brutal edge to its tone that passengers might mistake for a turbodiesel. But it gets better: find space to build speed, and it gets raspier and actually sounds pretty good, and quite purposeful.

Which it is. Its 241bhp and 273lb ft outputs are plenty in a squat, compact car like this, and its 5.8-second 0-62mph time is on par with the most raucous hot hatches. It also comes with the standard, German 155mph top speed.

Does it drive well?

Well enough. It is not an out-and-out sports car, this, but it has nicely weighted steering, and demonstrates how enjoyable small, narrow cars are on our tight, twisty roads. And while it may have the classic front-engine, rear-wheel-drive roadster layout, it’s not a car that feels likely to bite if your operations are a bit ham-fisted. There’s abundant grip.

How’s the roof?

The SLK pioneered the folding metal roof back in the 1990s, and the SLC sticks firmly to the recipe. Driving nerds will always geek out on the lower centre-of-gravity a soft-top like the Boxster brings, but for everyone else this setup is great. Roof up, you’re insulated well from cold and noise. Roof down, and you have an open-top car with no clumsily folded roof on display.

But there are downsides. The roof eats into too much of the bootspace – you’d have to pack carefully for a proper road trip with two people, something that’s simply not a consideration in the two-boot Boxster. And while the roof mechanism operates on the move, you have to start the process with your initial button prod while standing still.

It means you can pop the roof up when rain strikes in traffic, but if the heavens open while you’re on the move, you’ll have to find somewhere to pull over. It’s not a deal breaker, but rivals with less complex roof setups sidestep this.

It doesn’t look like much of a facelift.

Nope, and that means it’s getting on a bit inside too. It’s all very nicely appointed, don’t get us wrong. The materials, fit and finish are all what you’d hope for from a £40,000 car with a four-cylinder engine, and the infotainment system is strong.

But those compact proportions that lend themselves so well to British back roads mean the interior can feel cramped (even for a five-foot-niner like me). Lack of competition in the roadster market, though, mean it’s not enough to majorly hamstring the SLC.

So should I buy the SLC 300?

Probably not. Find an extra £7,000 and you can have the SLC43 AMG. Alright, so that’s a considerable sum of money to add, but it’s one you can get close to spending on options anyway. We’d rather have the 43’s more enthusiastic powertrain than the pointless ‘Magic Sky’ roof. Ultimately, though, we’d probably have a 718 Boxster or a TT Roadster over both SLCs.