First Impressions of SL500 Test Drive

[Prolix]

I posted a thread 2 weeks ago entitled "G35 to SL500 or SL55?" where I said I was considering purchasing an SL500 or 55 but had not had an opportunity to drive one because my local dealership only got SL55's in if they were ordered by a customer, and the one SL500 they had in stock was on display and not leaving the showroom floor. Well, the dealership called me today and said they had just gotten in an '03 SL500 on consignment so I went over there and gave it a test drive. The car was black, had 10,700 miles, was in very good condition, but the only option it had was the comfort package, and the asking price was $77,000. I knew I didn't want this particular car because of the color and lack of options, but I wanted to finally test drive one anyway. I was very impressed with the ride quality and the quietness of the cabin compared to my G35. The car had no rattles, the top fit snugly with no air leaks, there was less wind buffeting than I expected with the top down and windows up, and the ABC really allowed the car to corner wonderfully with minimal body roll. HOWEVER, I was disappointed with the acceleration - quite disappointed. My 6 cylinder 280 HP G35 has better acceleration than this car, which was quite a surprise to me. I asked the salesman if he had driven this particular car, and did it seem a little sluggish to him, and he said no, it was just like all the other SL500's he has driven. The problem, I assume, is that the SL500 weighs so damn much that its 300 HP V8 is just not enough to give this car the kind of responsiveness it should have. It's not like I am used to big-engine cars - I'm not - my G35 has more HP than any car I have ever owned, and it's not that fast. So I'm not spoiled by any previous experience, and I'm not even looking for a high performance car, but I also don't want my next car to be less responsive than what I am used to now. I loved everything about this car except the acceleration. I will reserve final judgment until I have driven an '04 or '05 with a 7 speed tranny, as I have read several reports that it makes the car quicker off the line. The bottom line for me is if I'm going to spend $100G, I want a car that has at least as much acceleration as my G35, and preferably more. I hope to drive a used SL55 in a few days, this may be the model I need to be focusing on. Surprised, Prolix

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[vantage78]

Originally Posted by Prolix

I posted a thread 2 weeks ago entitled "G35 to SL500 or SL55?" where I said I was considering purchasing an SL500 or 55 but had not had an opportunity to drive one because my local dealership only got SL55's in if they were ordered by a customer, and the one SL500 they had in stock was on display and not leaving the showroom floor. Well, the dealership called me today and said they had just gotten in an '03 SL500 on consignment so I went over there and gave it a test drive. The car was black, had 10,700 miles, was in very good condition, but the only option it had was the comfort package, and the asking price was $77,000. I knew I didn't want this particular car because of the color and lack of options, but I wanted to finally test drive one anyway. I was very impressed with the ride quality and the quietness of the cabin compared to my G35. The car had no rattles, the top fit snugly with no air leaks, there was less wind buffeting than I expected with the top down and windows up, and the ABC really allowed the car to corner wonderfully with minimal body roll. HOWEVER, I was disappointed with the acceleration - quite disappointed. My 6 cylinder 280 HP G35 has better acceleration than this car, which was quite a surprise to me. I asked the salesman if he had driven this particular car, and did it seem a little sluggish to him, and he said no, it was just like all the other SL500's he has driven. The problem, I assume, is that the SL500 weighs so damn much that its 300 HP V8 is just not enough to give this car the kind of responsiveness it should have. It's not like I am used to big-engine cars - I'm not - my G35 has more HP than any car I have ever owned, and it's not that fast. So I'm not spoiled by any previous experience, and I'm not even looking for a high performance car, but I also don't want my next car to be less responsive than what I am used to now. I loved everything about this car except the acceleration. I will reserve final judgment until I have driven an '04 or '05 with a 7 speed tranny, as I have read several reports that it makes the car quicker off the line. The bottom line for me is if I'm going to spend $100G, I want a car that has at least as much acceleration as my G35, and preferably more. I hope to drive a used SL55 in a few days, this may be the model I need to be focusing on.

Surprised,
Prolix

Maybe you can wait until the 4 valve V-8s trickle down to the SLs? it's supposed to produce 388 hp...mated to a 7-speed, I would guess 0-60 in the realm of the SLK350, 5.5 sec..

[vkapoormd]

Originally Posted by Prolix

I posted a thread 2 weeks ago entitled "G35 to SL500 or SL55?" where I said I was considering purchasing an SL500 or 55 but had not had an opportunity to drive one because my local dealership only got SL55's in if they were ordered by a customer, and the one SL500 they had in stock was on display and not leaving the showroom floor. Well, the dealership called me today and said they had just gotten in an '03 SL500 on consignment so I went over there and gave it a test drive. The car was black, had 10,700 miles, was in very good condition, but the only option it had was the comfort package, and the asking price was $77,000. I knew I didn't want this particular car because of the color and lack of options, but I wanted to finally test drive one anyway. I was very impressed with the ride quality and the quietness of the cabin compared to my G35. The car had no rattles, the top fit snugly with no air leaks, there was less wind buffeting than I expected with the top down and windows up, and the ABC really allowed the car to corner wonderfully with minimal body roll. HOWEVER, I was disappointed with the acceleration - quite disappointed. My 6 cylinder 280 HP G35 has better acceleration than this car, which was quite a surprise to me. I asked the salesman if he had driven this particular car, and did it seem a little sluggish to him, and he said no, it was just like all the other SL500's he has driven. The problem, I assume, is that the SL500 weighs so damn much that its 300 HP V8 is just not enough to give this car the kind of responsiveness it should have. It's not like I am used to big-engine cars - I'm not - my G35 has more HP than any car I have ever owned, and it's not that fast. So I'm not spoiled by any previous experience, and I'm not even looking for a high performance car, but I also don't want my next car to be less responsive than what I am used to now. I loved everything about this car except the acceleration. I will reserve final judgment until I have driven an '04 or '05 with a 7 speed tranny, as I have read several reports that it makes the car quicker off the line. The bottom line for me is if I'm going to spend $100G, I want a car that has at least as much acceleration as my G35, and preferably more. I hope to drive a used SL55 in a few days, this may be the model I need to be focusing on.

Surprised,
Prolix

Prolix,
if you are going to be spending around 100K for the car, it would be good to check out a used SL55 or SL600 (you should be able to get an 04 for around that price). It is a world of difference between that and the 500, and a completely different driving experience. I went through the same thing as you. If i was going to spend that much, i wanted a car with some zip to it. I initially was looking at the 05 SL500 (this was the upper limit of my price range) which i drove with the 7 Speed tranny, and it was quite good (i am comparing this to my wife's 03 E500, which i had been driving at the time). Of course, it wasn't thrilling, so i test drove the 55 which i loved, but it was a little stiff and a little louder than the 500, not to mention 30 K more. So then i was debating SL500 vs 55, when i thought about the SL600. I set my sites on a 600 which i absolutely loved. After much looking around, i found a used 05 Sl600 (1100 miles on it) for 108K (just a little more than the 500), so i went for it. No regrets at all...by far the most fun car i have driven. So look around thoroughly on different sites for used vehicles. I used www.cars.com and www.autotrader.com. They both give great ways to do advanced searches for vehicles.... Inbox me with any questions. Good luck...

[lorinserbenz]

Proflix,
Think about whay you are comparing... a car with a automatic HARD top convertible, and lots of sound deading material..
A G35 is MUCH lighter... yet VERY noisy when driving ( I know I had one), has cheap interior materials and is NOT a convertible.
Imagine how much of a slug the G35 would be if you made it a hard top convertible. A better comparison would be a G35 and a 350z convertible.
The G35 is not even in the same league as a SL500.

[LovinSL600]

Originally Posted by Prolix

I posted a thread 2 weeks ago entitled "G35 to SL500 or SL55?" where I said I was considering purchasing an SL500 or 55 but had not had an opportunity to drive one because my local dealership only got SL55's in if they were ordered by a customer, and the one SL500 they had in stock was on display and not leaving the showroom floor. Well, the dealership called me today and said they had just gotten in an '03 SL500 on consignment so I went over there and gave it a test drive. The car was black, had 10,700 miles, was in very good condition, but the only option it had was the comfort package, and the asking price was $77,000. I knew I didn't want this particular car because of the color and lack of options, but I wanted to finally test drive one anyway. I was very impressed with the ride quality and the quietness of the cabin compared to my G35. The car had no rattles, the top fit snugly with no air leaks, there was less wind buffeting than I expected with the top down and windows up, and the ABC really allowed the car to corner wonderfully with minimal body roll. HOWEVER, I was disappointed with the acceleration - quite disappointed. My 6 cylinder 280 HP G35 has better acceleration than this car, which was quite a surprise to me. I asked the salesman if he had driven this particular car, and did it seem a little sluggish to him, and he said no, it was just like all the other SL500's he has driven. The problem, I assume, is that the SL500 weighs so damn much that its 300 HP V8 is just not enough to give this car the kind of responsiveness it should have. It's not like I am used to big-engine cars - I'm not - my G35 has more HP than any car I have ever owned, and it's not that fast. So I'm not spoiled by any previous experience, and I'm not even looking for a high performance car, but I also don't want my next car to be less responsive than what I am used to now. I loved everything about this car except the acceleration. I will reserve final judgment until I have driven an '04 or '05 with a 7 speed tranny, as I have read several reports that it makes the car quicker off the line. The bottom line for me is if I'm going to spend $100G, I want a car that has at least as much acceleration as my G35, and preferably more. I hope to drive a used SL55 in a few days, this may be the model I need to be focusing on.

Surprised,
Prolix

If you drove an 2003 SL500 it did not have the 7-speed transmission.

Sometime in 2004 they changed from the 5-speed to the 7-speed.

The 7-speed transmission has SUBSTANTIALLY more get up and go power than the 5-speed. I'd try one of those first.

[Prolix]

Originally Posted by LovinSL600

If you drove an 2003 SL500 it did not have the 7-speed transmission.

Sometime in 2004 they changed from the 5-speed to the 7-speed.

The 7-speed transmission has SUBSTANTIALLY more get up and go power than the 5-speed. I'd try one of those first.

You must have missed the following statement in my post - "I will reserve final judgment until I have driven an '04 or '05 with a 7 speed tranny, as I have read several reports that it makes the car quicker off the line."

Prolix

[ToonArmy]

As an owner of a 2003 SL500, my two cents is that my subjective perception of the acceleration is very variable. I think this is a combination of the adaptive throttle response and the transmission shift patterns.

If I hammer the gas from a standing start, it feels quite lively indeed. Rolling along at 20 mph or so and then flooring it doesn't seem to do much, however, even if I feel the kickdown switch engage.

On the freeway, I find that holding the shift lever to the left for a second (which downshfts to "optimum" gear, usually 2or 3), and then hitting the gas, has a much more satisfying effect than just flooring it and using the kickdown to shift.

That said, I have driven a BMW M5, which is clearly in a different league, and an SL55, which is a different planet altogether, as much for the snappy shifting and overall toghter feel of the transmission as for the 490-to-300 HP difference. The SL55 feels much more like a manual transmission, while the SL500 has a lot of slop in the torque converter (i.e. RPM only vaguely related to speed).

I have not driven an SL600 to compare, nor have I driven the 7-speed.

Your other comments agree with my experience,although I will caution that, on mine at least, wind noise is much reduced when I open and re-close the windows with the roof up, ascompared to closing the roof onto the windows.

[Prolix]

Originally Posted by lorinserbenz

Proflix,
Think about whay you are comparing... a car with a automatic HARD top convertible, and lots of sound deading material..
A G35 is MUCH lighter... yet VERY noisy when driving ( I know I had one), has cheap interior materials and is NOT a convertible.
Imagine how much of a slug the G35 would be if you made it a hard top convertible. A better comparison would be a G35 and a 350z convertible.
The G35 is not even in the same league as a SL500.

I totally agree, the ONLY comparison I meant to draw between the two cars was in acceleration. Every car has a power to weight ratio, the G35 seems to have this ratio about right, but I do not think the SL500 does. If you added 600 lbs to a G35 to bring it up to the weight of an SL500, it would indeed be a slug, but I don't think designers would do this without increasing the HP - and by more than the 20 HP that separates the cars now.

I never meant to imply that the two cars have equal build quality - they absolutely do not. The G35 received a lot of criticism for the use of cheap interior materials, and for scrimping on sound deadening materials. I just expected the SL500 to deliver the same acceleration and low-end torque that the G35 does, and this car I test drove did not. Is the SL500 a far superior vehicle? Absolutely............in every way but acceleration. I certainly don't feel like I need the 496 HP of the SL55, I'm not looking for mega-performance and have NO experience with cars that powerful, but based on my test drive yesterday, the 5 speed SL500's are underpowered and would not give me a satisfying driving experience.

I need to drive a 7 speed SL500 and a SL55 and report back on my impressions.

Prolix

[joec1101]

Originally Posted by Prolix

I need to drive a 7 speed SL500 and a SL55 and report back on my impressions.

Prolix

Yes, I agree here. My '04 SL500 has very decent acceleration - I've raced a few times from a dead stop my Cousin's '04 automatic Corvette Coupe. I beat him every time.

I don't think you'll be disappointed with a new 7-speed SL500.

For me, I couldn't justify spending another $30K for a 55, especially when traffic conditions here in So Cal prevent the use of that extra power. I can think of better ways to allocate that $30k

Anyway, good luck either way.

[vkapoormd]

Originally Posted by joec1101

Yes, I agree here. My '04 SL500 has very decent acceleration - I've raced a few times from a dead stop my Cousin's '04 automatic Corvette Coupe. I beat him every time.

I don't think you'll be disappointed with a new 7-speed SL500.

For me, I couldn't justify spending another $30K for a 55, especially when traffic conditions here in So Cal prevent the use of that extra power. I can think of better ways to allocate that $30k

Anyway, good luck either way.

i agree also; i couldn't justify spending the extra 30K for the 55 or 600 (plus my wife would have killed me....). But if you look around, i'll bet you can get a used 55 or 600 for close to 100K. Good luck....

[mikeblah]

Ya, I would have to agree across the board. My '03 500 sometimes seems pretty peppy (either off the line or when you hit the shifting just right) and other times seems slower than my S430.

I haven't played with the 'optimum shift' at all yet, but I'm guessing it would give it a little more punch. Sometimes off of a corner, if I completely floor it, it seems to take a while to wind up and go, but I'm sure it's just where I am in the gear. But I'm just cruising around on PCH mostly.

For me the speed/power was not a concern at all, (I used the extra $40k to buy another investment property), but if it had been I would have HAAAAD to step up and get one of the big boys (55/600). There's really no comparison and there's nothing worse than buying down, wishing you hadn't then buying the one you wanted later. Waste of time AND money.

Good luck though! You deserve to have what you want - Enjoy!

[lkirchner]

Originally Posted by joec1101

Yes, I agree here. My '04 SL500 has very decent acceleration - I've raced a few times from a dead stop my Cousin's '04 automatic Corvette Coupe. I beat him every time.

I don't think you'll be disappointed with a new 7-speed SL500.

For me, I couldn't justify spending another $30K for a 55, especially when traffic conditions here in So Cal prevent the use of that extra power. I can think of better ways to allocate that $30k

Anyway, good luck either way.

:v I know that the traffic in So Cal is much worse than here in Sacramento but you only need a few hundred yards to really have fun with the 55. Just for the he** of it, at least once a day I can't resist putting my foot into it; worth at least $30K. As "they" say "Boys will be boys" or as my wife likes to remind me "You have more cents than sense"

[WIldcat465]

Originally Posted by vkapoormd

i agree also; i couldn't justify spending the extra 30K for the 55 or 600 (plus my wife would have killed me....). But if you look around, i'll bet you can get a used 55 or 600 for close to 100K. Good luck....

I had an '03 SL500 for 3 months. Wonderful car, but the 12 cyl is in a different league so I traded my 500 for the new 600. It's not so much about the power as it is about the the substantial smoothness. I would not pay the upgrade for the 55 new as it lacks the torque and is it's too noisy for me, but I'd certainly look at a CPO 55 over a new 500.

[MBStar]

Originally Posted by joec1101

I don't think you'll be disappointed with a new 7-speed SL500.

Prolix,
just be sure to test the 7 speed SL under various city conditions. In this "MB Lovin' forum" it is hard to find a critic,
but I can tell you this: although the new 7 speed tranny, has better acceleration and fuel economy,
it sounds more like a lawn mower, or a boat engine, thanks to its impreceptible shifting. It has a "new concept" shifting program too,
which was designed to deal with the legendary MB lack of throttle response from low speed (see TroonArmy above ),
but it produced some unpleasant "sideeffects" (see some of my posts). I don't find it as much fun as my 2003 SL.
Oterwise it is a fabulous car...in need of major engineering, both soft and hard: leaky trunk, unreliable electronics,
bad software, over intrusion in driver choices etc. Having said this, no other comapny has mass implemented as many innovations
and sfety features as MB, over my drivnig lifetime....

[mikeblah]

OK, been using that optimal shift option all day today, HUGE difference. It's one of those things I'll use about once a month, but just wanted to follow up on my previous post above.