I'm in the market for a SL600 and have been trying to find info on model year changes. Did the steering mounted shift start in '05? Engine bump from 5.5 to 6.0? What comes with the sport package?

'04's are going for quite a bit less than '05's, so I'm wondering if the price difference is worth it?

 

I have an 05 SL600 and I can tell you that I do have the paddle shifters on the steering wheel. I also know that the navigation system was DVD based in 05, and CD based in 04. The engine (5.5, 493 hp) was the same in both years. I would say that the 04 may be cheaper, but you really want something that is still under warranty, and that you can buy an extended warranty for. Seems stupid to say about a $130,000 car (and don't take this wrong, I love my SL more than any other car I have ever owned, and I have owned a bunch, including an earlier SL500), but the darn thing breaks and it is expensive to fix.

 

The biggest obvious change from '04 to '05 is the COMAND. Most consider the trunk mounted DVD navigation (as opposed to the in-dash CD based navigation found in the '04) an improvement. On the downside, I understand that the audio quality is not as good in the '05. Also the AUX port in the glove compartment was removed in '05 making it impossible to plug in an iPod. This is mitigated somewhat by the ability to play a DVD loaded with mp3s in the dash, which is not possible in the '04. The COMAND screen is larger in the '05, as a consequence there is more plastic and less wood in the '05.

If your '05 has the sport package then you will get the steering wheel mounted shifter buttons, but then you lose the ability to get the heated steering wheel. The buttons were not an option in '04. The sport package came with the 5-hole starfish-turbine-like wheels. I prefer the standard wheels, but that is a matter of personal preference. I am pretty sure that the AMG body kit (but not the smoked taillights) were part of the sport package.

Engine and tranny are the same. In later years ('07+), hp was bumped from 493 to 517. I don't know how big a deal this is. If you want a 6.0 liter V12 you have to step up to the SL65.

If I am not mistaken, black leather became available in the '05, prior to that charcoal was as dark as you could go.

The complaints discussed most about the '03 R230 are the overly sensitive brakes, a rattle coming from the gas tank and water getting into the trunk. These issues were resolved in the '05; if you get an '04 that was made very early on, you may have to contend with them. There was a change in the software for the brakes, so if the car was properly maintained this should have already been addressed by the service department.