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any thread on the new R231 SL63? I saw one in Vegas over the weekend, white with red interior... gotta say, gorgeous! Looks way better than the SL550... Wow!
Yeah I am unsure why there isn't already a R231 AMG forum. I thought typically forums for new cars are up and running before the car is even available?
Anybody know how to get a forum created or who needs to be sent a note?
Is it true that these "real" AMG cars have a very sporty, should I say firm ride, that many traditional SL owners would find unsatisfactory?
People in general have very different preferences when driving.
I know many would stay in Comfort or even Curve mode when available but others (myself included) would switch to Sport or Sport+ mode as soon as getting in the car.
AMG buyers expect a sportier car and people will be split paying more for luxury upgrades rather than performance.
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Before I took delivery of my 2019 SL450, I fell in love with the looks of this 2017 SL65 AMG. It was for sale on the east coast and I’m in Southern California. I came close to buying it, but Wolfman convinced me to find a local one to test drive first. So, I went down to San Diego and drove a 2018 that was for sale. I had it set to “comfort” and within two blocks of driving, I absolutely knew that I would hate owning the car. The beast rode very harshly and jarring. In all fairness, I do not know if that car had the optional sport suspension, but it did not have the ceramic brakes, so I doubt it. Anyway, my little SL450 with ABC showed up a few weeks later and I’ve been thrilled with the ride, handling AND the acceleration ever since.
Thanks again Wolf!
Is it true that these "real" AMG cars have a very sporty, should I say firm ride, that many traditional SL owners would find unsatisfactory?
It is commonly said (and I agree with it) that an SL63 in comfort mode is firmer than a 450/550 in sport mode. I had a 2013 SL63 and could only muster one year of driving it before it went up for sale, it was just too jarring for me....
I don’t disagree with any of the previous posts basically stating “different strokes for different folks”. I’ve only briefly driven any R231 SL other than my SL63, which if anything I find a bit on the soft side relative to my other cars and my perception of what a nice ride is. I’m one of those as Wolfman posts who switches the ride to “AMG” a.k.a. Sport pretty much all the time.
I owned a 2013 SL550 for a few years. It had 18" wheels with replacement tires that were not run flats and had a comfortable ride. At the time we also test drove another 2013, also w/o ABC, but with 19" wheels and (I think) run flats. The ride was noticeably less comfortable. We test drove both cars in Comfort mode for comparison.
I now recently purchased a 2014 SL65 AMG, which has 19" front and 20" rear wheels w/o run-flats. The AMG variants all have ABC as standard. I was pleased to note that the ABC does make the ride with larger wheels more tolerable. It's definitely a firmer ride than our old SL550, but perfectly acceptable. The AMG control setup for ABC is different from the base models with that option. The dial changes the mode C, S, S+, etc., but there's a separate button you press to firm up the suspension. I will typically switch to S mode when I start the car (which also disables ECO), but I don't push the suspension button. In that setup the car rides fairly well considering the size of the wheels.
I think wheel size and your choice of tires is a bigger factor for ride comfort. In my view, ABC makes the larger wheels more tolerable in addition to its unique ability to keep the car level in a turn.
There are R231 AMGs and then there are R231 AMGs. The standard AMG ABC SL suspension is a bit firmer than the optional ABC in "lesser" SLs. However, the optional, performance ABC in AMG SLs is a whole different ball game. In this case, "performance" actually translates to "punishing / intended for track use". If your AMG SL had this option, you'd be well aware of it, as even on the softest setting it's been known to rattle fillings loose . Members with this option over on the AMG SL forum have had spouses flat out refuse to ride in cars so equipped. A serious option, indeed. I've always been curious why they even offered such an option. I mean, who buys an SL...even an AMG SL, for a track-only car? If that's what I was going to do with a car in that price range, I'd be looking at 911s or C8s. An SL isn't about crushing lap times, it's about crushing continents. Obviously, JMO / YMMV...
There are R231 AMGs and then there are R231 AMGs. The standard AMG ABC SL suspension is a bit firmer than the optional ABC in "lesser" SLs. However, the optional, performance ABC in AMG SLs is a whole different ball game. In this case, "performance" actually translates to "punishing / intended for track use". If your AMG SL had this option, you'd be well aware of it, as even on the softest setting it's been known to rattle fillings loose . Members with this option over on the AMG SL forum have had spouses flat out refuse to ride in cars so equipped. A serious option, indeed. I've always been curious why they even offered such an option. I mean, who buys an SL...even an AMG SL, for a track-only car? If that's what I was going to do with a car in that price range, I'd be looking at 911s or C8s. An SL isn't about crushing lap times, it's about crushing continents. Obviously, JMO / YMMV...
My SL63 has the P30 AMG performance pack and as I posted previously in this thread, I like and routinely use the Sport setting (on both the throttle and the suspension). But as the link suggests, there is no difference vis-a-vis the suspension with P30.
