SL/R230: SL Series
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Aug 2023
Posts: 230
Likes: 21
2007 MBZ SL550
SL Series
Okay, I need to address the elephant in the room. I understand why the first SL production cars had this title. But today, on the current SL series, I need to ask the question: Why? SL means Supper Light, and there's nothing super light on the 230s and upwards. Yes, I understand that the "SL" is associated with upper-tier cars and that it's meant to link its heritage back to the concept of the SL series, but presently, the meaning of the SL is lost. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 22
Likes: 2
From: gold canyon, arizona
sl500
Okay, I need to address the elephant in the room. I understand why the first SL production cars had this title. But today, on the current SL series, I need to ask the question: Why? SL means Supper Light, and there's nothing super light on the 230s and upwards. Yes, I understand that the "SL" is associated with upper-tier cars and that it's meant to link its heritage back to the concept of the SL series, but presently, the meaning of the SL is lost. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Super Member
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 624
Likes: 213
From: My house
SL55AMG, GL450, SLK, S550, Maserati Coupe
Originally considered "sport, light", 1955-1957 300SL's weighed 3,300 to 3,400 Pounds. Even the Pagoda style, 1967-1971, weighed 2,950-3,124 Pounds. After those, the cars weighed more. Once they had the brand nomenclature established, why not keep it going, the cars were certainly successful. A guy I knew who was a taxi driver in Germany driving Benz cars, said his impression of Mercedes cars in general, was like you're driving a bowling ball and you could "drive thru a bank vault". Definitely sturdy built cars. The R230s with Kompressor engines, and the ones with TT V12s, certainly don't seem to know that they are heavy, when you step on the gas pedal! I've owned (among a slew of other Benzos), a 1991 500SL (R129), a 2007 SL550, a 2004 SL600, and a 2003 SL55 AMG, and my favorites, of course, are the ones with all the extra power. LoL. My good friend owned a 2002 Jaguar XK-R convertible with a supercharged V8, and while the car was fantastic, I felt it was too light, and the suspension, to me seemed inferior to the R230's ABC! Even a Maserati with its Skyhook suspension, is quite inferior to ABC. I do think that, for crash protection, an R230 is very good, even the first R230s.
Last edited by tonylinc; Apr 11, 2025 at 02:48 PM.
