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2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Whenever I drive my SL, I never have a feeling that it is outdated. To me, the car feels very luxurious and “Near Bentley” quality. By comparison, the interior of the current SL’s leave me cold and I am feeling the annoyance of being blinded by the reflection of the touchscreen, just writing this. I hate touchscreens in general, but can accept them in a sedan. In a convertible, they make no sense to me. Don’t even get me started on the ideas of ridiculous rear seats and fabric tops--when retractable hardtops exist.
While driving with the top down, one only has to have their wife say “Honey, my hair is getting mussed, please put up the wind deflector,” to immediately see the difference in the luxuriousness of the two cars. In the 231’s, the driver merely presses a button—YES, a real button, what will they think of next???—and the unit magically appears and moves silently into place. In the new car, the driver says “I’m sorry Honey, but the wind deflector thingamajig is at home—in the garage—all dusty & dirty—and the cat used it as a scratching post—and it looks so unsightly when installed—and I don’t look “sporty” with it—and the other AMG guys will laugh at me.”
I’m sure the 232’s will be good cars when MB gets around to fixing all the glitches, but to me, they are not traditional SL’s, just more AMG rockets with performance capabilities that almost nobody will ever use legally. On the other hand, our wonderful, affordable 231’s—with their marvelous, retractable hardtops—are throwbacks to what I can’t help but feel was a much better time, only a few years back, that seems like a completely different era. Almost no inflation, much lower gas, food & housing prices (many other positives I’d like to mention but doing so will get my post removed) and Mercedes-Benz showrooms full of vehicles I lusted after and wanted to drive. Those were “The Good, Old Days,” and driving my SL450 takes me back there, if only for a brief while.
Last edited by Streamliner; Jun 14, 2024 at 01:31 PM.
Those "powerful electromagnetic fields" you are talking about are transformers and high-voltage power lines that have been possibly linked to adverse effects. Those studies were mostly done in third-world countries where homes are built right under these power lines and people are subject to them for years on end. A heated seat draws very, very little power. With your logic, being nearby a space heater or blender would be deadly.
@MB2timer DC current creates a stationary magnetic field, like a magnet. It does not create an electromagnetic field that propagates. So enjoy your heated seats!
2015 SL400 (M276 Turbo), 2014 C350 Sport (M276 NA), 2004 SL500 (M113), 2004 Audi TT225 (BEA)
Originally Posted by jmattioni
@MB2timer DC current creates a stationary magnetic field, like a magnet. It does not create an electromagnetic field that propagates. So enjoy your heated seats!
Glad my ***** are made of brass. If made of steel, I could be stuck to the seat in the winter.
Last edited by JettaRed; Jun 15, 2024 at 10:17 AM.
Whenever I drive my SL, I never have a feeling that it is outdated. To me, the car feels very luxurious and “Near Bentley” quality. By comparison, the interior of the current SL’s leave me cold and I am feeling the annoyance of being blinded by the reflection of the touchscreen, just writing this. I hate touchscreens in general, but can accept them in a sedan. In a convertible, they make no sense to me. Don’t even get me started on the ideas of ridiculous rear seats and fabric tops--when retractable hardtops exist.
While driving with the top down, one only has to have their wife say “Honey, my hair is getting mussed, please put up the wind deflector,” to immediately see the difference in the luxuriousness of the two cars. In the 231’s, the driver merely presses a button—YES, a real button, what will they think of next???—and the unit magically appears and moves silently into place. In the new car, the driver says “I’m sorry Honey, but the wind deflector thingamajig is at home—in the garage—all dusty & dirty—and the cat used it as a scratching post—and it looks so unsightly when installed—and I don’t look “sporty” with it—and the other AMG guys will laugh at me.”
I’m sure the 232’s will be good cars when MB gets around to fixing all the glitches, but to me, they are not traditional SL’s, just more AMG rockets with performance capabilities that almost nobody will ever use legally. On the other hand, our wonderful, affordable 231’s—with their marvelous, retractable hardtops—are throwbacks to what I can’t help but feel was a much better time, only a few years back, that seems like a completely different era. Almost no inflation, much lower gas, food & housing prices (many other positives I’d like to mention but doing so will get my post removed) and Mercedes-Benz showrooms full of vehicles I lusted after and wanted to drive. Those were “The Good, Old Days,” and driving my SL450 takes me back there, if only for a brief while.
The face-lifted 2017 SL had the needed tech with CarPlay and undated visuals but people on the forum still complained about it being outdated feeling. That started primarily after the S-Class introduced the dual screens and interior LED light show. Now all this is forgotten after the endless complaints about the now ever-present touchscreens and capacitive buttons...
When it comes to plastic, the old SL had similar types of metallized plastic btw; it's just silver instead of black.
That said, I like the retro analog feel in a roadster. It just feels right. Love the AMG GTC roadster for that reason. I also have come to prefer the sports car feel of the GT vs the cruiser feel of the SL. For that reason I prefer the new SL even though it has its annoyances, namely the stupid windscreen. I can deal with the rear seats and even the soft top. Unlike the prior crappy SL soft tops (R109, R129) which were poor designs with its folding creases and plastic windows that would crack and/or go blind, the new one is fully insulated with a glass window...
Plus, there is nothing like the feel of a wood steering wheel! Leather feels cheap after wood.
Always loved that too especially the older style. The facelift introduced the half-wood approach (only the outer top and the inner bottom was wood).
But wood is out and considered inappropriate for all German manufacturers. One will still see some trim options but you don't even get a wood steering wheel in a Maybach unless selecting it as an option.
The face-lifted 2017 SL had the needed tech with CarPlay and undated visuals but people on the forum still complained about it being outdated feeling. That started primarily after the S-Class introduced the dual screens and interior LED light show. Now all this is forgotten after the endless complaints about the now ever-present touchscreens and capacitive buttons...
When it comes to plastic, the old SL had similar types of metallized plastic btw; it's just silver instead of black.
That said, I like the retro analog feel in a roadster. It just feels right. Love the AMG GTC roadster for that reason. I also have come to prefer the sports car feel of the GT vs the cruiser feel of the SL. For that reason I prefer the new SL even though it has its annoyances, namely the stupid windscreen. I can deal with the rear seats and even the soft top. Unlike the prior crappy SL soft tops (R109, R129) which were poor designs with its folding creases and plastic windows that would crack and/or go blind, the new one is fully insulated with a glass window...
Haters gonna hate I guess, people will complain for the sake of complaining.
Sustainability.
Leather is being phased out on a rapid scale in favor of animal-free or vegan interiors. Using recycled materials, non-use of toxins and no animal cruelty. While not a big consideration in the US, the majority of leather interiors will go away in a short period of time.
Wood is just considered old school and somewhat out of fashion and ideally only ok if reclaimed. At least not glossy
The goal is to have 100% recyclable cars and as such should be designed with those end of life tasks in mind. Germans manufacturers have an obligation to take back and dispose of EOL vehicles of their make, so more pressure there...
I personally love Nappa leather interiors and am old-school here but also found that the latest vegan materials are quite good. Not the rubbery Tesla stuff. BMW replaced their Sensatec with Veganza and it is a huge improvement. Same as Mercedes using Neotex and Artico instead of MB-Tex. Feels quite good and some are at the same price-level these days, even at Porsche.
@MB2timer DC current creates a stationary magnetic field, like a magnet. It does not create an electromagnetic field that propagates. So enjoy your heated seats!
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by Wolfman
Sustainability.
Leather is being phased out on a rapid scale in favor of animal-free or vegan interiors. Using recycled materials, non-use of toxins and no animal cruelty. While not a big consideration in the US, the majority of leather interiors will go away in a short period of time.
Wood is just considered old school and somewhat out of fashion and ideally only ok if reclaimed. At least not glossy
The goal is to have 100% recyclable cars and as such should be designed with those end of life tasks in mind. Germans manufacturers have an obligation to take back and dispose of EOL vehicles of their make, so more pressure there...
I personally love Nappa leather interiors and am old-school here but also found that the latest vegan materials are quite good. Not the rubbery Tesla stuff. BMW replaced their Sensatec with Veganza and it is a huge improvement. Same as Mercedes using Neotex and Artico instead of MB-Tex. Feels quite good and some are at the same price-level these days, even at Porsche.
Well, maybe they’ll develop a synthetic wood that doesn’t look or feel like plastic.
EM fields are created by expanding and contracting fields present with (AC) alternating current. The heated seats use (DC) Direct Current. So your buns and bits are safe.
Those generate a huge stationary magnetic field that's so strong it orients all the water molecules in your body in the same direction. They then scan with a weak RF signal.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
