SL/R230: 2009 Sl
01-28-2008, 05:15 PM
#51
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CLS63, GLK350
need to see it in person - everyone hated on the S redesign when it was in pictures only...and that grill is VERY retro SL. Check out a late 50's (1957) SL. You'll see that it has the single bar across the front of the grille - along with the grilles on the front quarter panels and the bumps on the hood.
http://www.ritzsite.net/300SL/1957_M...ardtop_f3q.jpg
http://www.ritzsite.net/300SL/1957_M...ardtop_f3q.jpg
But I do understand the gov't reg's have to be met, but it will cost them sales.
01-31-2008, 11:23 AM
#54
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S, GL, Escalade ESV, my shoes
hey buddy,
I owned a CL500 (w215) and my neighbor bought the new CL, so I speak from first hand experience, and btw, it's my opinion, it's not the gospel that everyone needs to live by.. I personally think the older generation of CL was a more attractive and exclusive looking then the current. Just my 2 cents. I am sure there are tons of who would disagree, so be it..
I owned a CL500 (w215) and my neighbor bought the new CL, so I speak from first hand experience, and btw, it's my opinion, it's not the gospel that everyone needs to live by.. I personally think the older generation of CL was a more attractive and exclusive looking then the current. Just my 2 cents. I am sure there are tons of who would disagree, so be it..
01-31-2008, 06:24 PM
#55
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2003 SL500 2005 G55
I saw the new CL63 and it was gorgous nothing compared with the pervious design.....but i also think the back of the new CL looks just like the acura RL........
02-03-2008, 07:57 PM
#56
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2003 E500
It's odd....from the side in the official "watch my roof open" photo the car still looks good/similar to the current model.
But the front end is a hash. It looks like 4 different vehicles.
Hoodline from one car
Grille from another (almost like a mid-80s Mustang or something)
Lower bumper from a traditional AMG kit
Headlights from god knows where.
The front just does *not* come together.
A shame. The current model really does, and long has, had a rather timeless elegance to it.
But the front end is a hash. It looks like 4 different vehicles.
Hoodline from one car
Grille from another (almost like a mid-80s Mustang or something)
Lower bumper from a traditional AMG kit
Headlights from god knows where.
The front just does *not* come together.
A shame. The current model really does, and long has, had a rather timeless elegance to it.
02-04-2008, 03:04 PM
#57
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SL 600 640bhp/1000Nm
This is how it looks on the Swedish Mercedes website configiraton, "build You own car".
Different rear shown on these pictures compared to what I have seen so far.
Different rear shown on these pictures compared to what I have seen so far.
02-06-2008, 02:56 PM
#58
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SL55AMG, ML420CDI, E320TCDI
need to see it in person - everyone hated on the S redesign when it was in pictures only...and that grill is VERY retro SL. Check out a late 50's (1957) SL. You'll see that it has the single bar across the front of the grille - along with the grilles on the front quarter panels and the bumps on the hood.
http://www.ritzsite.net/300SL/1957_M...ardtop_f3q.jpg
http://www.ritzsite.net/300SL/1957_M...ardtop_f3q.jpg
SHAME ON YOU MB.
02-09-2008, 05:29 PM
#61
Umm lets take one of the BEST looking cars on the road and RUIN it...
Hey we have thousands of these SLK steering wheels, lets stick it in the SL!!
Mercedes SUCKS... the brand is turning into garbage. When you spend 100k you want to stand out, not look like the punk wannabes in the C classes.
I am SOOOO glad I bought a BMW... Cant believe I am saying that.
Hey we have thousands of these SLK steering wheels, lets stick it in the SL!!
Mercedes SUCKS... the brand is turning into garbage. When you spend 100k you want to stand out, not look like the punk wannabes in the C classes.
I am SOOOO glad I bought a BMW... Cant believe I am saying that.
02-10-2008, 01:21 AM
#62
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All the makers are looking the cars look like trash now. Even your M6 they wasted because the 650 or 645 look almost identical. The obvious difference is the tailpipes but only the most trained observers would notice the different front and rear bumpers. Sure, the M6 is fast as hell....but they dilute it by making the only real difference the engine. It is the same for the AMG models.
02-10-2008, 01:38 AM
#63
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'08 SL55
02-10-2008, 01:51 AM
#64
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2005 E55 AMG - - 2005 SL55 AMG - - - - - - 2006 SLK55 AMG - - - - - - 2013 Ducati Diavel AMG -
Yeah, I agree with you guys. WTF is up with MB! 
Seeing the new SL just comfirms that I'll never get rid of my '05. I'm so pleased with my '05 SL55 AMG that I believe it will still hold its ground years from now. No Worries and no need to upgrade!
Seeing the new SL just comfirms that I'll never get rid of my '05. I'm so pleased with my '05 SL55 AMG that I believe it will still hold its ground years from now. No Worries and no need to upgrade!
Last edited by Havoc; 02-10-2008 at 01:55 AM.
02-17-2008, 01:32 PM
#65
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SL500
Be Happy
Face it my friends, once you design an almost perfect car like the SL version we have (my is an 05), its hard to top that! The good news is that its better for us. We get to keep our version, which looks hotter, and we don't take on the depreciation involved with buying a newer one!
02-19-2008, 09:19 AM
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What ever happend to model and brand differentiation? All the models and all the brands are morphing into one another. The present SL has nice smooth flowing lines and has enough style to not really look like the rest of the vehicles out on the road today. I almost think that MB wants people to mistaken an SLK for an SL and a C class for an S class. They basically look similar, only different in size. We know the difference, but the general populace?????
02-19-2008, 11:40 AM
#67
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2005 SL600, 2011 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite
Exactly the reason I will buy no more MB cars. They have hurt the Brand greatly. They are only interested in selling more and more cars. Gone is the special distinction you had when you bought a $140K SL. Now people say, nice SLK! Then watch your car dive into a deep depreciation.
The styling of some of the recent models have been driven in part by the new EU pedestrian safety standards. The nose sticks out a little further and the hood line is a little higher, in order to soften the impact when a pedestrian's head comes crashing down onto the hood.
With the S, CL, C, R, ML and GL, designers started with a blank sheet of paper and could incorporate these considerations into the design. Some look good, some do not. The facelifted SL on the other hand seemed to have been drawn up by accountants in the finance department rather than the engineers and designers in the design department. They changed the hood and the nose, but the end result is that the headlights look goofy because they did not change the front quarter panels. As a result, we have half-peanut, half new headlights. I am convinced that this was the least costly way MB could have changed the SL to comply with the new pedestrian impact standard. They changed as little sheetmetal as possible.
The only resemblance between the SL and the SLK is the curved roof line. The marriage between design and engineering and the expense to create the hardtop convertible led to this family resemblance. And it came out pretty good, in my opinion. Consider the other folding hardtops on the market: Lexus, Cadillac, BMW, Chrysler, Volvo... none pulled it off as well as MB.
I think the '09 SL is hideous, AMG models included. I have no problem with MBs sharing a family resemblance, what I do have a problem with is bad design to save money. Here I agree with you wings... I would expect more from MB when it comes to its $140K flagship. They should have had a one or two year hiatus for the SL while they came up with a better looking SL, more in keeping with its heritage. Not a chance of that happening though, shareholders would not have stood for it.
Last edited by JackStraw; 02-19-2008 at 12:51 PM.
02-19-2008, 06:51 PM
#68
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CLS63, GLK350
Couldn't disagree more with you and Steven. For as long as I can remember, going way back into the 60's, styling cues were shared across the MB lineup. Over the years, some of the designs have become classics, some are more forgettable, but there were always similarities across the lineup.
The styling of some of the recent models have been driven in part by the new EU pedestrian safety standards. The nose sticks out a little further and the hood line is a little higher, in order to soften the impact when a pedestrian's head comes crashing down onto the hood.
With the S, CL, C, R, ML and GL, designers started with a blank sheet of paper and could incorporate these considerations into the design. Some look good, some do not. The facelifted SL on the other hand seemed to have been drawn up by accountants in the finance department rather than the engineers and designers in the design department. They changed the hood and the nose, but the end result is that the headlights look goofy because they did not change the front quarter panels. As a result, we have half-peanut, half new headlights. I am convinced that this was the least costly way MB could have changed the SL to comply with the new pedestrian impact standard. They changed as little sheetmetal as possible.
The only resemblance between the SL and the SLK is the curved roof line. The marriage between design and engineering and the expense to create the hardtop convertible led to this family resemblance. And it came out pretty good, in my opinion. Consider the other folding hardtops on the market: Lexus, Cadillac, BMW, Chrysler, Volvo... none pulled it off as well as MB.
I think the '09 SL is hideous, AMG models included. I have no problem with MBs sharing a family resemblance, what I do have a problem with is bad design to save money. Here I agree with you wings... I would expect more from MB when it comes to its $140K flagship. They should have had a one or two year hiatus for the SL while they came up with a better looking SL, more in keeping with its heritage. Not a chance of that happening though, shareholders would not have stood for it.
The styling of some of the recent models have been driven in part by the new EU pedestrian safety standards. The nose sticks out a little further and the hood line is a little higher, in order to soften the impact when a pedestrian's head comes crashing down onto the hood.
With the S, CL, C, R, ML and GL, designers started with a blank sheet of paper and could incorporate these considerations into the design. Some look good, some do not. The facelifted SL on the other hand seemed to have been drawn up by accountants in the finance department rather than the engineers and designers in the design department. They changed the hood and the nose, but the end result is that the headlights look goofy because they did not change the front quarter panels. As a result, we have half-peanut, half new headlights. I am convinced that this was the least costly way MB could have changed the SL to comply with the new pedestrian impact standard. They changed as little sheetmetal as possible.
The only resemblance between the SL and the SLK is the curved roof line. The marriage between design and engineering and the expense to create the hardtop convertible led to this family resemblance. And it came out pretty good, in my opinion. Consider the other folding hardtops on the market: Lexus, Cadillac, BMW, Chrysler, Volvo... none pulled it off as well as MB.
I think the '09 SL is hideous, AMG models included. I have no problem with MBs sharing a family resemblance, what I do have a problem with is bad design to save money. Here I agree with you wings... I would expect more from MB when it comes to its $140K flagship. They should have had a one or two year hiatus for the SL while they came up with a better looking SL, more in keeping with its heritage. Not a chance of that happening though, shareholders would not have stood for it.
02-19-2008, 09:35 PM
#69
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'08 SL550 Sport, '11 BMW 550ix M sport
I have to agree with the majority. I've been lurking here for a while. I'm looking to add an SL to my stable as soon as my last kid moves out and I gain some more garage space. I guess I'll be looking to pick up a 2007 model SL550. It's too bad...
Sorry MB... you dropped the ball on this one.
Sorry MB... you dropped the ball on this one.
02-20-2008, 08:43 AM
#70
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2004 SL500
I like the new grill....... that's about it. Oh yeah, the new NAV is nice, too.
The new front end looks like a BMW Saturn SLK Crossfire of some sort. The back end looks like a Tokyo Drift styled riced up Mercedes. (Seriously, rear air diffuser?) The side gills look like some aftermarket job.
I am trying to be impartial here but the new SL (esp front end) is seriously messed up.
I am sure most EU pedestrians would rather crack their skull on a beautiful SL than an uglified version.
The new front end looks like a BMW Saturn SLK Crossfire of some sort. The back end looks like a Tokyo Drift styled riced up Mercedes. (Seriously, rear air diffuser?) The side gills look like some aftermarket job.
I am trying to be impartial here but the new SL (esp front end) is seriously messed up.
I am sure most EU pedestrians would rather crack their skull on a beautiful SL than an uglified version.
