SL/R230: SL500, 600 owners.
06-02-2003, 11:48 AM
#1
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SL500, 600 owners.
I have a question did you guys consider the XKR/8 cab. and the DB7 Volante ?
They are all amazing cars and it seems hard to choose.
They are all amazing cars and it seems hard to choose.
06-03-2003, 12:44 AM
#2
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Absolutely not. Compared to the SL, both the XK and the DB7 are old designs and their folding soft-tops are not even as sophisticated as my 129 which is now a 13 year old design. Both are nearing the end of their lives and recent reviews of the close-out DB7 GT have been very mixed, highlighting the poor packaging and interior space, use of switchgear from cars costing a fraction of the price and soggy dynamics.
Personally, I do not like the XK at all - claustrophobic glass-house, high waist-line, huge rear overhang. It is good value for money though. The Aston looks much better but is now only made in V12, no inline 6, so it's more expensive even than an SL55 or SL600. Against such formidable competition, it has to be struggling. The main things the Aston has on its side is exclusivity, Mercedes make many more SLs in a month than Aston do DB7s in a year. Add to that the fact that the DB7 has saved Aston from commercial oblivion.
Mercedes cannot be complacent though because there's plenty on the horizon to give them a few grey hairs - among them the new Bentley (recently seen testing by a friend at the Nurburgring and said to be stunning and hugely powerful) and the new baby Lambo which will send the 360 crying home to mama. Same friend also saw the SL65 on test and says the revised front-end treatment, big vents in front of the wheels is quote brutal.
Personally, I do not like the XK at all - claustrophobic glass-house, high waist-line, huge rear overhang. It is good value for money though. The Aston looks much better but is now only made in V12, no inline 6, so it's more expensive even than an SL55 or SL600. Against such formidable competition, it has to be struggling. The main things the Aston has on its side is exclusivity, Mercedes make many more SLs in a month than Aston do DB7s in a year. Add to that the fact that the DB7 has saved Aston from commercial oblivion.
Mercedes cannot be complacent though because there's plenty on the horizon to give them a few grey hairs - among them the new Bentley (recently seen testing by a friend at the Nurburgring and said to be stunning and hugely powerful) and the new baby Lambo which will send the 360 crying home to mama. Same friend also saw the SL65 on test and says the revised front-end treatment, big vents in front of the wheels is quote brutal.
06-03-2003, 01:45 PM
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2005 SL600, 2011 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite
Originally posted by blueSL
Same friend also saw the SL65 on test and says the revised front-end treatment, big vents in front of the wheels is quote brutal.
Same friend also saw the SL65 on test and says the revised front-end treatment, big vents in front of the wheels is quote brutal.
Please go into a little more detail on "the revised front-end treatment" of the SL65. What did your friend see exactly? I hope it is not the much rumored F1 style nose.
06-03-2003, 04:32 PM
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AMG GTC Roadster, E63s Ed.1, M8 Comp. Coupe
Originally posted by JackStraw
BlueSL,
Please go into a little more detail on "the revised front-end treatment" of the SL65. What did your friend see exactly? I hope it is not the much rumored F1 style nose.
BlueSL,
Please go into a little more detail on "the revised front-end treatment" of the SL65. What did your friend see exactly? I hope it is not the much rumored F1 style nose.
From the pics that I have seen so far, it's "just" the F1 safety car bumper, which is very cool looking
Check it out on the SL55:
http://www.amg-owners-club.org/board...adid=1127&sid=
Wolfman
06-03-2003, 10:15 PM
#5
Originally posted by blueSL
Mercedes cannot be complacent though because there's plenty on the horizon to give them a few grey hairs - among them the new Bentley (recently seen testing by a friend at the Nurburgring and said to be stunning and hugely powerful) and the new baby Lambo which will send the 360 crying home to mama. Same friend also saw the SL65 on test and says the revised front-end treatment, big vents in front of the wheels is quote brutal.
Mercedes cannot be complacent though because there's plenty on the horizon to give them a few grey hairs - among them the new Bentley (recently seen testing by a friend at the Nurburgring and said to be stunning and hugely powerful) and the new baby Lambo which will send the 360 crying home to mama. Same friend also saw the SL65 on test and says the revised front-end treatment, big vents in front of the wheels is quote brutal.
Bentley - You mean the Bentley GT right? That liberal (in terms of previous Bentley designs) look?
Lamboghini - I have no clue, the Murcilago is out (sp?), the Barchetta or the Gallardo?
Isn't the Ferrari 360 being upped to the Ferrari 420?
SL65, man, i can't wait
06-04-2003, 03:08 AM
#6
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Wolfman, I think you're correct, the front end of the SL65 being tested at the Nurburgring looks like the front end of the F1 safety car, with vents just in front of the wheels. It may not be the final design of course but my friend thought it detracted from the look of the car, everyone to his own taste of course.
June issue of Car magazine here in the UK had some interesting stuff about AMG, talking about how AMG needs a new engineering direction and they claim AMG will move away from superchargers to normally aspirated V8s and turbo V12s. The current AMG engine in the CLK55 (367bhp) is going to be their new entry level in the new SLK...
'AMG insiders admit there are penalties in terms of excessive high load fuel consumption, weight and emissions. 'If you want instant torque and plenty of it, the supercharger is the perfect tool' says one senior engineer at AMG. 'But it has its limitations, and these called for a fundamental rethink'
The SL55 is said to be replaced for the 06 model year (aligning probably with the mid-life make-over - my comment) with a 6.3 litre V8, developing 600 bhp with a hotter version for the S, SL and CL developing 650bhp.
The top of the range is said to be an SL with an updated V12 and higher turbo boost developing 700 bhp...
Interesting issue, if you can get it. There's a write up on t he Bentley GT and a drive of the 360 Stradale by Georg Kacher who, IMHO, is one of the best car writers around. There's also a review of the new BMW 5, it's clear BMW have still some work to do...
vraa, yes I meant the Bentley Continental GT, about $180k here and a real CL600 basher. Also the Lambo Gallardo which apparently looks great.
June issue of Car magazine here in the UK had some interesting stuff about AMG, talking about how AMG needs a new engineering direction and they claim AMG will move away from superchargers to normally aspirated V8s and turbo V12s. The current AMG engine in the CLK55 (367bhp) is going to be their new entry level in the new SLK...
'AMG insiders admit there are penalties in terms of excessive high load fuel consumption, weight and emissions. 'If you want instant torque and plenty of it, the supercharger is the perfect tool' says one senior engineer at AMG. 'But it has its limitations, and these called for a fundamental rethink'
The SL55 is said to be replaced for the 06 model year (aligning probably with the mid-life make-over - my comment) with a 6.3 litre V8, developing 600 bhp with a hotter version for the S, SL and CL developing 650bhp.
The top of the range is said to be an SL with an updated V12 and higher turbo boost developing 700 bhp...
Interesting issue, if you can get it. There's a write up on t he Bentley GT and a drive of the 360 Stradale by Georg Kacher who, IMHO, is one of the best car writers around. There's also a review of the new BMW 5, it's clear BMW have still some work to do...
vraa, yes I meant the Bentley Continental GT, about $180k here and a real CL600 basher. Also the Lambo Gallardo which apparently looks great.
06-05-2003, 04:17 PM
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2005 SL600, 2011 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite
from benzworld.org
Supercharged AMG V8 power unit roars to victory in prestigious international engine awards
Published on Wednesday, June 04, 2003
Stuttgart/ Affalterbach, Jun 04, 2003
The supercharged AMG V8 engine is celebrating a crushing victory in the International Engine of the Year Awards after gaining a clear majority of votes from the 50-strong jury in the newly created Best Performance Engine category. This conclusive result in the face of competition from its rivals in Europe, Japan and the USA underlines once again the expertise of Mercedes-AMG in the development of high-performance engines and cars.
Every year, the leading passenger-car engine concepts are nominated for awards in twelve different categories as part of a competition organised by British motoring publication Engine Technology International Magazine. The jury is made up of 50 recognised motoring journalists representing leading media organisations from 22 countries. Many of the jurors are also members of the Car of the Year committee.
“It’s very powerful, and completely without temperament – the exact opposite of most frenetic high-performance engines,” was the verdict of Jake Venter from the South African trade magazine “Car” when it came to the supercharged AMG V8 engine. Graham Johnson, Chairman of the International Engine of the Year Awards, was equally impressed. His assessment: “Blistering performance delivered by a brilliantly smooth and charismatic V8.”
“This award for our supercharged AMG V8 power unit is not only confirmation of the positive results from tests carried out by press and media around the world, it also reflects the delight of our customers with our product,” enthused Ulrich Bruhnke, Managing Director of Mercedes-AMG GmbH, at today’s presentation ceremony at Engine Expo 2003. This globally recognised exhibition for the engine industry is taking place from June 3 to 5, 2003 at the Stuttgart trade fair centre.
Developing output figures of 350 kW/476 hp to 368 kW/500 hp and peak torque of 700 Newtonmetres, the supercharged AMG V8 engine delivers a seriously im-pressive driving experience. The 5.5-litre eight-cylinder power unit made its debut in 2001 under the bonnet of the SL 55 AMG and since the autumn of 2002 has also been available for the E 55 AMG and S 55 AMG Saloons, as well as the CL 55 AMG Coupé.
Published on Wednesday, June 04, 2003
Stuttgart/ Affalterbach, Jun 04, 2003
The supercharged AMG V8 engine is celebrating a crushing victory in the International Engine of the Year Awards after gaining a clear majority of votes from the 50-strong jury in the newly created Best Performance Engine category. This conclusive result in the face of competition from its rivals in Europe, Japan and the USA underlines once again the expertise of Mercedes-AMG in the development of high-performance engines and cars.
Every year, the leading passenger-car engine concepts are nominated for awards in twelve different categories as part of a competition organised by British motoring publication Engine Technology International Magazine. The jury is made up of 50 recognised motoring journalists representing leading media organisations from 22 countries. Many of the jurors are also members of the Car of the Year committee.
“It’s very powerful, and completely without temperament – the exact opposite of most frenetic high-performance engines,” was the verdict of Jake Venter from the South African trade magazine “Car” when it came to the supercharged AMG V8 engine. Graham Johnson, Chairman of the International Engine of the Year Awards, was equally impressed. His assessment: “Blistering performance delivered by a brilliantly smooth and charismatic V8.”
“This award for our supercharged AMG V8 power unit is not only confirmation of the positive results from tests carried out by press and media around the world, it also reflects the delight of our customers with our product,” enthused Ulrich Bruhnke, Managing Director of Mercedes-AMG GmbH, at today’s presentation ceremony at Engine Expo 2003. This globally recognised exhibition for the engine industry is taking place from June 3 to 5, 2003 at the Stuttgart trade fair centre.
Developing output figures of 350 kW/476 hp to 368 kW/500 hp and peak torque of 700 Newtonmetres, the supercharged AMG V8 engine delivers a seriously im-pressive driving experience. The 5.5-litre eight-cylinder power unit made its debut in 2001 under the bonnet of the SL 55 AMG and since the autumn of 2002 has also been available for the E 55 AMG and S 55 AMG Saloons, as well as the CL 55 AMG Coupé.
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06-05-2003, 06:29 PM
#8
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The same issue of car I referred to above also has a comparative test between the SL500, the Jaguar XK8, Maserati and Porsche 911. The SL500 wins, even though this particular example has a particularly vile interior (sand/cherry wood).
Elsewhere in EVO magazine, a test of the CL55 AMG by John Barker who knows his cars concludes that the '55 treatment does not have the same positive effect on the CL as it does on the SL; it does seem that if you are in the market for an S or CL, the '600 is the preferred choice over the the '55.
Elsewhere in EVO magazine, a test of the CL55 AMG by John Barker who knows his cars concludes that the '55 treatment does not have the same positive effect on the CL as it does on the SL; it does seem that if you are in the market for an S or CL, the '600 is the preferred choice over the the '55.
06-06-2003, 12:54 AM
#9
Originally posted by blueSL
vraa, yes I meant the Bentley Continental GT, about $180k here and a real CL600 basher. Also the Lambo Gallardo which apparently looks great.
vraa, yes I meant the Bentley Continental GT, about $180k here and a real CL600 basher. Also the Lambo Gallardo which apparently looks great.
For those who are interested, here you go
Bentley discussed here.
Lamboghini discussed here
06-15-2003, 03:36 AM
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996tt, E55, X3 and a few others not worthy of mentioning here...
Spring '04 for the GT and Winter '03 for the Gallardo but everytime I see a CL55, I ask myself what if......hmm?
06-15-2003, 10:41 AM
#11
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Everyone has their own opinion of course, but in the same way that the new Rolls Royce has comprehensively trashed the Maybach, the Bentley is going to be the first serious competition for the CL. The S class shrugs off the competition from BMW, Jaguar, Audi, especially the larger engined models and the SL has little serious competition from anyone. The CL on the other hand will not have it all its own way once the Bentley arrives, maybe that's the reasoning behind the CL65.
