Yeah, these cars are deceptively quick. A lot of it comes down to how effortlessly they carry speed, and how few indicators of that speed translate into the cabin area. I had the same issue after I got my E320, it didn't matter how fast you were actually going, the car carried itself like it was going 65mph until you broke 110 and the front end started getting light!

 

You need to use Waze whenever you take the R230 out, i have 600hp under my foot and it's hard not to slam it all the time. Waze has saved me from potential tickets/imprisonment plenty of times. Just know your area and where cops like to hide/patrol.

 

Waze + Escort (belt and suspenders).

 

 

Waze is fantastic. It crowd-sources road conditions. Travel speeds are automatically "harvested" through users of Google Maps and Waze (Waze is a Google product). In fact, most maps and modern NAV systems that display traffic speeds get their data from Google. Then, users (called "Wazers") can report road hazards like cops, disabled vehicles, construction, pot holes, etc. As other Wazers drive by these hazards, they can "vote" on them by giving thanks, or saying "not there". That way, the cop reported two hours ago that has since moved on won't continue to be reported. Years ago, the cops got "smart to Waze and used it themselves. They would issue erroneous cop sightings, and then would delete themselves when Wazers marked them. Waze fixed that by monitoring user activity and only letting authentic users delete hazards. The algorithm is secret, of course, but I think it has to do with user reputation in terms of how many reports you post and how many thanks you get for those posts.

Another great thing about Waze is its navigation system. It will automatically re-route you to avoid congestion, construction, etc. MBZ's NTG2.5 and later COMAND units (the ones with hard drives and SD slots) have the ability to get Sirius traffic and do this, but they are a bit slower to react than Waze. Also, Waze reports traffic flow on all streets, as long as there has been enough activity "harvested" from drivers there. Most NAV systems only report traffic on freeways and major highways. I know the SL does not have this, but for cars with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, Waze can be projected onto their screens and used easily that way. My wife's Cadillac XT5 has that and we use Waze instead of the car's NAV system.

As for radar detectors, I just upgraded from the Escort 9500i to the Max 360. The 9500i was great until all these radar-based Blind Spot Monitoring systems started showing up on modern cars. Then it started going off "load and clear" every time one was nearby. The Max 360 has circuitry to recognize and silence about 95% of those systems. It seems that the Honda/Acura implementation has been a challenge for them, and also I still get the occasional false alert in heavy traffic when a car with BSM is not in direct view. Regardless, it's MUCH quieter than the 9500i. I realy have only two complaints about it. One is that, like all Escort detectors, it's just not loud enough to use with the top down. Also, it is HUGE. It's probably double the size of the 9500i, but it does still fit on my perma-mount abouve the rearview mirror.

I don't want to jinx myself, but my record of not getting pulled over on the open highway is pretty much flawless. My problem is that the local city cops around here need the revenue. Birmingham is actually made up of about 30-odd little municipal fiefdoms who fund their police budget with traffic citations. Just going a few miles down the road to the grocery store or Costco, I drive through four different "cities". Apparently, the SL is a cop magnet. I get pulled over about once a month for doing nothing wrong. I think they just like to harass people in "expensive" cars (somebosy needs to tell them that R230's are no longer expensive). Just the other day I was pulled over for failure to stop at a red light. The problem is, I was in a dedicated, delineated right-turn lane with a yield sign, entering a highway with no traffic, so i did not have to stop. I argued with the cop about it for ten minutes until he gave up. Like I said, crap like this happens about once a month and rarely do I get ticketed since the cop is usually just being a bully. The few times over the years where I have been ticketed, I go to "court" and fight it. Of course our municipal traffic courts are a joke. Everyone there is a city employee (the "judges" are employees, not elected officials). They have no court reporters and it's all very informal. As long as the citing officer appears, you are found guilty, so you have to them appeal to "real" court at the county level. Our county courts are so backed up with real crimes, they will dismiss the case before it goes to trial. Even if not, the citing officer almost never shows at district court because his municipality makes no money on that.

 

 

Luckily, I work for a town (Planner/Conservation Agent) and know many of those road hazards. Only received one ticket a bunch of yrs ago for failure to stop at a stop sign. Unfortunately (for me), I was guilty of said action so I took the hit semi-gracefully. Rodney - You are absolutely on point regarding being followed due to having an expensive (perceived) car. Most of the Boyz-N-Blue around here own $60k pickups and $40K bass boats so there's that idiocracy...

 

i have been blessed (cursed?) with young looks - I have a full head of hair and almost no gray. So I think a lot of times, I look like a punk kid instead of a guy closing in on 60. I once got pulled over and when the cop actually saw my face and my DOB on my license, he shook his head and said he had "bigger fish to fry".

 

I don't share your curse... I look all + my tender age of 53. I haven't been carded since my military days (1980's), not that I really drink anymore anyway.