Mercedes Is Gunning For The MX-5 RF With A New Entry-Level SLC

Mercedes is about to release an SLC that will be cheaper to put on your drive than the Mazda MX-5 RF – in monthly payments, at least.

The company is planning a four-cylinder SLC 180 that will offer cheaper finance than that of the hard-top Mazda, with ballpark performance, too. Longer gearing means fewer gear changes on the way to the benchmark sprint time.

It’s six tenths slower to 62mph than the RF, but it’s a whisker better on fuel, claiming to return 1.6mpg more. For CO2 it’s worlds better, with 134g/km versus the MX-5’s 161g/km, but both will cost the same to tax after the first year.

The SLC is a hell of a lot heavier than the RF, though, leading us to suspect that the performance and economy figures might not be telling the whole story. Although the SLC 180 will be the lightest version in the range, at 1435kg, the heaviest RF is almost 400kg lighter than that.

Despite being over £8600 more expensive than the cheapest RF, though, the SLC 180 will have much better residual values, says Mercedes. That means the buyer is paying for less depreciation and has lower monthly payments.

Which one would you have? The lightweight, short-geared but small MX-5 RF or the larger, more spacious SLC 180 with lower payments but a sacrifice in driving fun?

Via: Autocar