Canuck: waiting to hear about your experience.

--Dan

 

Firstly I am revising my claim of being the first '55 to only the street that I live on Its much better than dropping down the scale on a daily basis!

Being used to wearing XL sized clothes, I find that this car is roomy enough not to be 'clingy' but it is truely a disciple of the form follows function school in that there is no added space in the passenger compartment if there is no role for it.

I opted for the parktronic option what with the long-ish hood and have been the better for it especially in these early days. A point to note is that the parktronic display in the rear is obstructed (or may not even be there as I have not checked it) by the wind deflector be it in use or flat. The audible sensor comes into play handily though.

I was quite sure that the massage function on the seats were an option so I was quite pleased to see it available for both the seats. (note to self to check the invoice) though I don't believe that it came with the ventilating function.

The Bose stereo sounds pretty good although I probably should not have tested an E500's HK set-up while waiting to pick up my car. Nevertheless once you tune the stereo to Driver Optimisation mode, it rocks. The CD changer (standard in Canada) is located in a compartment behind the driver's seat and I have been told that it was not installed locally but came with the car for those purists out there who want a "fully" imported model. It also comes with a first aid kit in the same compartment. Access to the back is good with the seats gliding forward at a click of a switch rather rapidly ala CL. The doors open normally though unlike the specially hinged CLs.

Those that order the Berry red option will be able to appreciate the baseball stiching effect ala Audi TT and I quite like the colour. In fact it is better than Porche's version which has a tinge of orange in it. I did not get my floormats yesterday and I have been told that they are coming next week and that they would be in Berry Red as well though I could opt for plain (albeit AMG badged) black as well.

The car came with P Zero Rossos and the turbines well looked like turbines and even the resident MB service department reminded me not to wait to long between cleanings

I have always thought that superchargers don't generate a lot of heat but those standing around the car have commented that this was one 'hot' ride, literally. Should I be concerned?

I shall end this first edition by mentioning that the headliner is similar to that in the S600/CL600 ie some alacantra-ish material which does not make any difference to me personally. The score on day 1 is as follows:

Looks : 8/10 (Coupe), 9/10 (Convertible).
Stealth mode : 5/10 (simply because regular SLs are still a rarity here).
Power : 8/10 (can understand the slightly slower 0-60 times versus the impressive real world driving times of 50-100).
Brakes : 7/10 (possibly because I am used to the Turbo's).
Finish : 8/10 (better than any MB I have been in).

Cheers.
ps I am negotiating with the gremlins in my camera to allow me its use so my pictures will be a tad delayed.

 

Thanks for your comments. I'll be interested which color floor mats you go for, I like the berry red (I'm having it) but I think the dark grey or black might be better. Red floor mats might just be over cooking things.

I agree it's important to take the greatest care when adjusting to the new dimensions and the parktronic will help you get through those first miles until you know where the extremities are.

The wheels are going to be a nightmare!

 

I would appreciate comments from those of you who have owned a 996tt. I am on my dealer's waiting list for an SL55, which should be available in aprox. 6 mo. (medium sized dealership with two people ahead of me). Besides the obvious advantage of having a hard top convertible, how would you compare the two?.

 

Hello Canuck,

I can't wait to see you drive by around town soon!!

I am on the list for an SL55 in Richmond. (I think I am actually next but I have specified a Summer 2003 delivery so should be spec'ing by the end of the year.)

Without prying too much how close was your pricing to your Turbo? I was days away from spec'ing a Turbo at MCL but I saw an SL500 at the Monterey Historics last year and that had to be the car for me.... plus I have never had a good time dealing with the service dept at MCL and was looking for a change.

All the best with the new ride!

Cheers,
Scott.

 

The '55 and the 'Turbo were priced pretty close base price-wise except that items that would have been standard on the former ie navigation (not available on 'Turbo), parktronic, cd changer, aluminium trim, upgraded stereo, red leather (not too sure) and the paddle shifters ie tiptronic. If you were to add these options up on the 'Turbo, it would not leave much change from $200k. The contrarion view would point out that some premium be attached to the AWD but with the ABC on the '55, I would call that a wash.

Congratulations on your timing as far as the '03 delivery, remember to specify the new DVD based navigation and Command 2 as sadly mine comes with the current setup.

Lastly, you don't have to look for me, use your ears instead

Cheers.

 

What are your thoughts on the RS6? I told my sales person that I would only proceed with my order if the dealership could somehow source me an Avant. I am doing this out of Richmond as well.

 

I was told not to worry about the malfunction notice as it is due to me not subscribing to the tele-aid (SOS) service. This service is optional in Canada.

 

Located in 'chest" behind driver's seat.

 

I did not opt for this but it came as standard anyway. The picture simply shows the location of the switch. I believe there are also controls for lumbar support etc...

 

For those who are concerned about the colour.

 

Canuck,

My RS6 is on order through a friend's dealership in Alberta. I have told them that i would like the Avant as well. However, I don't see it coming to Canada or the USA for that matter. It seems us North Americans are more interested in things like the Cayenne Turbo, X5 4.6 and the ML55 (which I think is a total dog of a car, but that is just my $0.02). The dealers says we will be lucky to get few RS6's as it is, he thinks they will try to keep it very low volume. Of course I am an eternal pessimist too so take my rants with a grain of salt..

Now that you have had a chance to drive the car a bit how does it sound when push the loud pedal. I hear it is nothing short of amazing....!!!!

Scott.

 

Any comments?

 

They all seem to be too large. Any ideas?

 

When you collect your car, find the nearest tunnel and let it rip. I think you will like what you hear...

 

 

 

Have collected my berry red mats and they look great especially with SL55 in silver lettering. I will post new pics soon.

 

WOW!! I am sooooo happy I opted for the red interior. I cannot tell from the photo's if you have the pano roof?

Congratulations!!

 

Nope, it was kind of pricey...

 

But thank you for posting your views, less than 5% of those who checked out the thread contributed, sigh....:o

 

Thanks for posting pics Canuck. The Berry Red/Black interior is awesome. Is this the standard leather or Exclusive Nappa? You may have said somewhere but I cant find it.

 

I believe its standard but I will check. However, my uncultured behind probably would not appreciate the difference anyway...

 

Canuck!!

Your car looks sensational. It is wonderful to see some people making life interesting and selecting that wonderful berry red interior. Right from the instant I saw it I fell in love. I will be honest, the Tectite Grey wouldn't have been my first choice (762 for me) but nonetheless it looks stunning on your vehicle. How are you enjoying the "beast"? For a true auditory orgasm take a spin under the Cassiar Connector, let those superchargers whirl and listen to that rumble reverberate off the concrete. By the way, just to keep you ahead of the game the E/CLK launch will be held at the Plaza of Nations so your car should get some excellent exposure.

 

Alessi, I thought that they would use the Plaza again since they launched the S-Class there too. On the other hand, I have not heard from MB again so maybe they've had a change of heart...