I have to say I'm surprised. Went to a car clinic yesterday which was inviting comments on the SL and competing models. What really suprised me (realising that I've only ever sat in an SL with the roof down up to now) was how cramped the car feels with the roof up and how close the top rail of the windscreen is to your head.

I'm 5 11 tall, but slightly odd shaped in that my inside leg measurement is 29 inches which means I have a long body. I found getting into the SL quite difficult without banging my head against the roof and when inside it felt quite claustrophobic in there.

Also didn't like all the visible working bits of the roof behind the C pillars or the plain roof lining.

And I'm having the berry red/black interior and solid roof which will not make things better. Too late for me now because my car is being made in the next couple of weeks, but if I was doing this again, I'd definitely go for a lighter interior.

How it must be for a 6 8 basketball player, I have no idea.

 

Did you have time to play around with the various seat adjustments? I suspect that when you do you will be pleasantly surprised to find a setting that you find to be a lot more comfortable than you first encountered. As far as getting in, one nice thing about the smart key is that you can open the top even before you get into the car which means that except for days when it is raining you can enter with the sky as your roof! Once seated you can decide whether to close the top or not.

By the way, you will not regret the berry red interior. If anything it makes the interior feel more spacious and it looks 100% better than all the greys and blacks out there.

 

how do u open the top with the key? lol

also i find it nice and comfy.. but then agian, i'm only about 5'4 .. but i find lots of room..

btw.. congrats on the car! lol

 

No problem once I was in there, the driving position is good, it was just getting in and out, I had to bend my head down much more than I expected, much more so than my Ferrari.

Thanks for the encouragement about the berry red. It's a bit of a gamble compared to the "safe" options of grey but I think it will be fine.

 

I'm only 5'6" and have no problem--I do have friends who are much taller--I find if the seat is lowered BEFORE they enter--it does not seem to be a problem--There is a significant vertical movement adjustment in the seating system---try adjusting it. GIFF Albright

 

I am 6' and have no problem. But I think it is the "proportions" that get you to 5'11" that makes the "cramped feeling for you. With 29" below, that makes it likely that you tilt the seat back more than I do to make headroom. That would also put your head closer to the windscreen. I understand that there are sometimes ways MB dealers can lower the lowest setting of the seat bottom of adjustable seats. You might try that at your dealer. It would allow you to keep the seatback more upright without crowding the headliner or the windscreen.