tyler_durden

Would you say that the SL is as fun to drive as a 911
or offers as good as a performance as a 911 or would you
consider the SL better suited for as a cruiser?

jmf003

The honest answer to your question is wrapped up in what it means for a car to be "fun to drive."

A 911 is quite a bit lighter than an SL and will handle transitions more quickly. As result it will run faster times on a road course, other things being equal. SLs also only come with automatic transmissions. If a person finds fun in manually shifting gears and engaging the clutch, a manny tranny 911 would necessarily be more fun.

However I and others find the SL to be immensely fun to drive. The engines are terrific, from the naturally aspirated V8s to the twin turbo V12s. The drivetrain is bulletproof. Steering is tight and precise. The brakes are also very good if light and subtle (and sometimes incorrectly described as "numb").

On a nice day, on an open road, with the top down, and the engine putting immense power to the wheels, the SL is an incredibly fun car to drive.

FWIW....

Rook3300

Excellent summation jmf003.

When one considers the "fun to drive" part of a car it is a matter of opinion. I, for one, would prefer the SL for daily driving. On a track though, I'd go with the 911.

Rook

chipps

The SL is a GT as opposed to a sports car. The 911 is a sports car equipped and priced like a GT. The main problem with the 911 as a GT is the incredible amount of noise in the interior. Porsche needs to decide whether the 911 is to be a GT or a sports car. If it is to be a sports car, then get rid of the navigation, bluetooth phone interface, and other types of things. If it is to be a GT, then keep the exhaust sound but get rid of the tire and general road noise.

vantage78

I have both, and they are quite different: 05 SL500, and a '06 911 C2s Cabriolet. 911 is more fun to drive as it is more engaging. SL plays the GT role and is my daily; perfect for this role and is better suited for a cruiser. 911 is more harsh on rough roads, and is a true sports car. I love how the Porsche's PASM settings are actually noticeable between Sports and Normal mode. I can't tell a difference at all between the SL's Comfort and Sports modes.

Quickness wise, the SL500 has great torque and "feels" faster off the line, BUT, there is no question that the 911 is the faster car overall. Both are great!! Different cars for different purposes.

YamiFanatic

vantage put it very well

the 911 is a true drivers car and the sl500 is more the cruiser in my opinion

other might tell me the sl500 handles great and is fast....this is true to an extent

the car has good torque but honestly not that fast also it handlse well for a car its size but definitely not the best handling car ive driven by a long shot

really depends what you want out of your car.....i dont drive the crap out of my sl because itll never be a true sports car but that doesnt mean it isnt a great street cruiser

i would not trade my sl for a 911 because the sl does everything i want it to

hope this helps a little

mlandis

+1. The SL won't outperform the Porsche -- it wasn't meant to. It's a 2-metric-ton car. M-B attempts to balance performance and comfort, while Porsche leans heavily to the performance end of the spectrum.

SPIKES

i have had several 911's....the sl suits me better as a "do it all" car but i do miss the back "seats" in the 911.

silberrosa

Great job all of summarizing what the differences really are for these cars. Having spent a good bit of time in both I would say for a daily driver which also mixes in a great deal of fun, the SL is very hard to beat. The hard top is a game changer if you really want to be in the car all the time and it is a more comfortable car. That said, the 911 is a flat out awesome car with visceral appeal which has few equals. Drive them both and let us know what you think. I would recommend the SL550 (MY07 and later) as the engine upgrade with the 5.5 L is in my opinion significant and brings the two cars a bit closer together performance-wise. Good Luck.