Mercedes released today the full specs list of the 2012 SLK55 AMG and confirmed that the new performance model will debut at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt/Main in September. Mercedes did not announce the date when the 2012 SLK55 AMG will go on sale, nor its price. As we mentioned yesterday, the 2012 Mercedes SLK55 AMG will be powered by the new AMG M152 5.5-litre V8 biturbo engine which has been tuned to output 310 kW (422 hp) at 6800 rpm and 540 Nm of torque at 4500 rpm. Merc's official specifications list say that the new engine of the SLK AMG weighs 187 kg, has 5461 cc of displacement, a 98.0 x 90.5 mm bore x stroke and a 12.6 : 1 compression ratio. With this engine the 2012 SLK55 AMG has a 0.44 kg/hp power to weight ratio.
Mercedes equipped the 2012 SLK55 with a cylinder shut-off system developed by AMG, which is a new technology, inspired by Formula 1 racing. AMG's Cylinder Management system automatically shuts off four of the engine's eight cylinders under partial load. This considerably reduces the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The specs list says that the 2012 SLK55 AMG has a 8.5 liters per 100 km fuel consumption and a 199 grams per kilometer NDEC CO2 emissions in the combined cycle.
Also for lowering the fuel consumption, Mercedes equips the 2012 SLK 55 AMG with the Controlled
Efficiency stop/start function, which switches off the engine when, for example, the driver stops at a red light. The engine is started again when the driver releases its brake pedal. This new system of the 2012 Mercedes SLK55 AMG is used when the car is in either the ECO4 mode (4-cylinder operation) or the ECO8 mode (8-cylinder operation). The Start / Stop system is not available when the AMG SLK-Class is in the "S" (Sport) or "M" (Manual) modes.
The new engine of the 2012 Mercedes SLK55 AMG has an all-aluminum crankcase with Silitec cylinder liners and features several technologies meant to
improve efficiency. These include weight-optimized cast aluminum pistons with special piston skirt coating, special ventilation holes in the crankcase, an oil pump with electrically controlled pressure stage, a separate oil pump for cylinder shut-off as a controllable, low-friction vane cell pump, cross-flow engine cooling and electronically controlled fuel pressure which is fully variable and demand-related between 100 and 200 bar.
To reduce the fuel consumption of the 2012 SLK55 AMG, Mercedes also fitted it with a generator
management system, which uses the kinetic energy released during braking for recharging the battery.
For a better soundtrack, Mercedes equips the 2012 SLK55 AMG with a new sports exhaust system with integrated exhaust flaps and two chromed twin tailpipes on each side.
