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2018 W213 Estate AMG-package, 2017 MX-5 tuned for the track
MB sports car as complement to E-class?
In the past I considered MB being a boring car but my wife convinced me to visit a MB dealer 5 years ago and I was hooked.
Extremely happy with my E-class, and thinking trading my Miata ND (tuned in engine and chassis for the race track) for a fun MB.
For me a very smooth silent E-class and a hard core sports car is a great combo. (together with a tuned CB1000R in the garage)
So...you with Merc and a sports car, do you have a SLK or a more ”traditional sports car” such as Porsche, Lotus etc?
I have an SL and considering an E Class when the lease is up on my X5. I traded a C7 Corvette for the SL and am OK with my decision. Wife hated the Corvette. I do have to admit that the SL is a much nicer car to take road trips but I do miss the power of the Corvette.
2018 W213 Estate AMG-package, 2017 MX-5 tuned for the track
Originally Posted by rmorin49
I have an SL and considering an E Class when the lease is up on my X5. I traded a C7 Corvette for the SL and am OK with my decision. Wife hated the Corvette. I do have to admit that the SL is a much nicer car to take road trips but I do miss the power of the Corvette.
Thanks, which aspects did she dislike? Noise and suspension I guess.
I'm looking for the sport car feeling, not a GT car. Hence my preference towards SLK over SL. (however not tried any of them yet)
You going to just LOVE the E-class. I'm very happy and fyi...I'm super picky.
My wife has a SLK 350 and the car definitely moves. That said if I were looking at a sports car for myself (SLK is a roadster, not so much a sports car) Cayman S comes to mind.
I really liked the Corvette but it attracted a lot of attention, too much for my wife.The ride was OK but a lot of road noise. Power was intoxicating but really over the top and unnecessary. The Mercedes salesperson said I was trading a "redneck sports car" for a "gentleman's roadster". LOL!
2018 W213 Estate AMG-package, 2017 MX-5 tuned for the track
Originally Posted by teksurv
My wife has a SLK 350 and the car definitely moves. That said if I were looking at a sports car for myself (SLK is a roadster, not so much a sports car) Cayman S comes to mind.
Thanks for the insight. Regarding Cayman I prefer the Boxster as I like convertibles.
2018 W213 Estate AMG-package, 2017 MX-5 tuned for the track
Originally Posted by rmorin49
I really liked the Corvette but it attracted a lot of attention, too much for my wife.The ride was OK but a lot of road noise. Power was intoxicating but really over the top and unnecessary. The Mercedes salesperson said I was trading a "redneck sports car" for a "gentleman's roadster". LOL!
Understand.
Never been interested in Corvette due to the low rent interior. MB and Porsche are premium.
05 SL55, 10 C63, 12 SLK3, 20 S560, 08Bentley GT Speed, 16 Aston Martin Vanquish
We have our e450 wagon and it is a great all around car. My wife has her SLK 350 and she loves it. I enjoy driving it as well. I just sold my Aston Martin Vantage and bought a very low mileage (1500) CLK63 Black Series. My all time favorite car is my 2005 SL55 AMG it now has just 10000 miles on it. It replaced a supercharged Corvette. And we still have our Audi ALMS TT that now has 6000 miles on it.
Last edited by Gene Gorman; Aug 12, 2020 at 04:53 PM.
I have a F-Type vert. I like the all performance, no frills simplicity of the thing. SL and definitely SLK are not sports cars. If you want a MB sports car you need to start talking those AMG GT monsters. You can usually get a great deal on a very low mileage used one. My understanding is that most people who buy them start banging their head again the wall after about 30 days. Very difficult cars to live with.
Thanks, which aspects did she dislike? Noise and suspension I guess.
I'm looking for the sport car feeling, not a GT car. Hence my preference towards SLK over SL. (however not tried any of them yet)
You going to just LOVE the E-class. I'm very happy and fyi...I'm super picky.
SL is not really a GT car. It's really a roadster, drive them both (SL and SLK) and see the difference. The SL is true luxury coupled with exhilarating driving dynamics you wont find on an SLK. SLK is cute but not enough car for most. I'd give it to a teenage daughter if I had one.
I have a friend who bought a 2005 CL55 AMG. Quite a fast, 2-door Coupe. In 2005, he paid $145,000 cash for it new. (He's a car insurance company founder, and some of you might know his name.}
Two years later he complained his sports AMG with barely 12,000 miles on it was worth only $65,000. No skin off his nose, as he could afford it, in spite of being very peeved at the depreciation.
This illustrates the fallacy of buying a top-end MB sports car to complement a rather pedestrian E-Class. Gotta have a sporty car for when the itch hits you? Buy a Mazda Miata.
DFW although you are probably in TX you are still correct. The prices on some of these exotics will not stand up to a true market. They reflect marketing hype to an uninformed class. When exposed to a real market the prices drop like a rock because the value isn’t there.
I have what I feel is the perfect combination for me. I consider my E450 Wagon a sports car, it has the dinan on it giving it much better low end torque so it's pulls very well and feels much faster than it really is, so it gives the illusion of being in a sports car and with the custom wheels and the good Michelin run flats which are really stiff it handles the corners very firm too when I drive fast. Then my luxury car is my S550, it's a 2017 but like new with low miles, in reality it is actually faster than my E450 with it's nearly 500 hp TT 4.7l motor. But the E wagon drives more like a sports car and the S550 more like a luxury liner which is the way I like it in that car. Then when I want to hear a nice normally aspirated V8 in a american muscle machine I have my 2009 chevy colorado pickup truck with the beefed up 5.3 liter and custom exhaust and lowered suspension, painted in inferno orange metallic that truck really turns some heads.
DFW although you are probably in TX you are still correct. The prices on some of these exotics will not stand up to a true market. They reflect marketing hype to an uninformed class. When exposed to a real market the prices drop like a rock because the value isn’t there.
Although I reside in Texas, I'm not a Texan. I know how to close my mouth when I look up in a rainstorm.
Originally Posted by 2012 merc amg
I have what I feel is the perfect combination for me. I consider my E450 Wagon a sports car, it has the dinan on it giving it much better low end torque so it's pulls very well and feels much faster than it really is, so it gives the illusion of being in a sports car and with the custom wheels and the good Michelin run flats which are really stiff it handles the corners very firm too when I drive fast. Then my luxury car is my S550, it's a 2017 but like new with low miles, in reality it is actually faster than my E450 with it's nearly 500 hp TT 4.7l motor. But the E wagon drives more like a sports car and the S550 more like a luxury liner which is the way I like it in that car.
I like this philosophy... The E is the sporty car (although a wagon less so), and a nice plush S-Class is the luxury component.
How does one define a sportscar? If its fast - then its not a Miata, if its nimble its not a E450 wagon(no matter how stiff the run flats are)
My definition of a sportscar
sporty looks
2 seats
500 hp
preferbly a convertible
and set up from factory so you can do a day at the racetrack and not be a joke:-)
so:
Corvette
Viper
Audi R8
Lambo Huracan
Ferrari 488
Porsche 911 turbo/gt3 etc.
Mercedes GT-R
How does one define a sportscar? If its fast - then its not a Miata, if its nimble its not a E450 wagon(no matter how stiff the run flats are)
"Sports" is nothing more than a word. There is no "Sports" whatsoever in a "Sports Utility Vehicle." So by this standard, a Mazda Miata or a mini Cooper S are miniature Ferraris.
Sport is in the mind of the beholder. That said the origin of the term "sports car" came from a car with 2 seats and a soft top that could be used in competition. Engine power was not really a factor though in the early days 100 hp was a high end goal. IIRC the Austin Healy 6 was one of the first cars to exceed 100 hp in the late 1950's. My first sports car was an MG TD with ~50 hp. At that time it could out outmaneuver anything Detroit was producing. I competed every summer in weekend in local gymkhana events usually setup in large parking lots.
Sport is in the mind of the beholder. That said the origin of the term "sports car" came from a car with 2 seats and a soft top that could be used in competition. Engine power was not really a factor though in the early days 100 hp was a high end goal. IIRC the Austin Healy 6 was one of the first cars to exceed 100 hp in the late 1950's. My first sports car was an MG TD with ~50 hp. At that time it could out outmaneuver anything Detroit was producing. I competed every summer in weekend in local gymkhana events usually setup in large parking lots.
Buy the last of the SL550's that have the hard top that stows in the trunk. I 'think' this is the last year for them. Could be wrong.
I've had two in the past but the road noise from the tires after driving over fifteen hours at a time made me switch to CL550's due to their acoustic laminated glass making them have much less road noise on the interstate hwys. CL's and S550 Coupes are like sitting in your mamma lap driving across country.
Honestly, MB or AMG don't make sports cars. Most cars people call sports cars these days are really GTs. A sports car is a no frills car that gives you backache after about an hour or so. Doesn't really exist anymore these days. Pretty much all cars have a bunch of creature comfort these days, and most can be taken on longer distances. That's the hallmark of a GT. A GT is essentially a sports car that offers enough comfort to cross a continent and arrive not completely beat up at the other end. The SL is no sports car. It has become a luxury roadster and is partly why it hasn't been selling very well and it is about to be discontinued, at least in its current form.
These days I guess what goes for a sports car are light cars, that are tossable and agile and preferably have a manual transmission. Nothing in the MB lineup really fits that bill. Even the AMG GT, which BTW has GT right in its name, is pretty heavy. The reason I DD an AMG is because it combines a somewhat comfortable everyday car with the fun of a sports car all in one package, so I never find myself in the wrong car. It's equally at home on a long road trip with DISTRONIC engaged, as it is running my daily errands and on weekends getting my fix ripping up my favorite canyon roads. Yes, it compromises on both ends. It's not a silent, cushy daily ride, and it's not a light and tossable sports car, either, but most of the time it's the right car for every occasion and its personality can be changed from docile daily to beastly canyon carver by simply changing the drive mode.
I think you have to look elsewhere if you want something more akin to a sports car that you only take out for special occasions.
Last edited by superswiss; Aug 14, 2020 at 04:41 PM.
So the MB GT-R Pro is not a sportscar? I would say its darn close to what is known as a supercar
Nope, it's a track focused GT. The AMG GT3 was specifically built for the Group GT3 series. Those are Cup Grand Touring Cars. They are racing versions of GT cars at various degrees.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
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