• From £54,950 on the road
• 421bhp 5.5-litre V8 engine
• Available to order now

Prices for the Mercedes SLK55 AMG roadster have been announced.

Starting at £54,950 and sitting at the very top of the SLK model range, the SLK55 is a product of Mercedes’ in-house tuner AMG. It is denoted from lesser versions by an AMG body kit, which includes unique alloy wheels, and uprated performance brakes and AMG specific sports suspension.

As with most current AMG models, it is endowed with an abnormally large 5.5-litre V8 engine, which is enough to see this compact convertible reach 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 155mph.

The engine is mated to a seven-speed automatic gearbox, which has three settings: ‘controlled efficiency’ for economical gear changes, sport, and manual, which allows drivers to take full control of gearshifts via paddles behind the steering wheel.

Despite the huge engine, Mercedes claims fuel efficiency has been improved 30 per cent over the previous V8 model, boasting a combined fuel economy figure of 33.6mpg and CO2 emissions of 195g/km.

This has been achieved through the addition of AMG’s cylinder management system, which can shut-off selected cylinders when not needed, effectively halving the size of the engine and reducing the amount of fuel consumed.

The Mercedes roadster SLK55 also features automatic stop and start, which aids fuel economy and emissions further.

Enthusiasts will be pleased to hear AMG hasn’t forgotten its roots. A performance package, including bigger brakes and re-tuned suspension is available as an optional extra for £4,105, as is a ‘driver’s package’ (£2,755) which raises the car’s top speed and allows the owner attendance at an AMG driver event.

By Daljinder Nagra