victoryroad

Yesterday I drove a launch edition (Designo with LE 18" Wheels) for about an hour. For a 4000 lb car the SL is quite responsive to cornering inputs, where the ABC is truly awesome, even more so than in my '02 CL 500 Sport. The car feels at least 500 lbs lighter than it is. Acceleration seems a bit faster than the CL, which weighs about 70 lbs more. Of course, the 4000 lbs. and the strength of the SL structure is comforting, but one does not feel that the weight is an impediment, except if one wants quicker acceleration, but then get in line for the SL 55. As the owner of an '02 Carrera 4 S, my preference for a sports car is Porsche, although my CL and the incoming SL are the preferred GT cars in our household. I did not install the windscreen when driving with the top down, but believe that one would definitely want it in place for top down driving at speed. The systems and controls are quite similar to those in the CL, but have been modified to fit the sportier interior of the SL.
My dealer had two SL's awaiting delivery, as the LE SL is a dedicated demonstration car for those who have placed deposits on SL's. They told me that we could have an SL sooner than July, when ours is expceted to be built if we were flexible on colors and options, which we are not. All of the talk about the premium pricing just does not seem to apply in the Northeast.