In terms of driving.. I want to buy a used convertible while waiting for a 997 turbo cab and thought that i would try a MB. I have driven the SL600 and it did not seem that fast, even with the idiot stuff turned off. But if you believe the Car and Driver (March 2004) article on the 600, 0 to 60: 3.6 sec with a 1/4 mile of 11.9, it is a second faster than the SL55. What gives? Is the 55 quick and the 600 faster? i was told that if i chipped the SL55 and changed the exhaust, it would be noticeably faster.. In terms of handling, I assume that i would like the AMG more than the 600's. It boils down to this: Which one is more fun? I would appreciate any input from those of you with experience with these cars. .. thanks, JR

 

Here is a long thread on exactly that subject

https://mbworld.org/forums/sl-class-r230/60870-sl55-sl600-differences.html

 

They are very different driving and sounding cars as well as the interior experience.

1. The SL55 is faster off the line but once the SL600 hits 1800 RPMS, it flies and will leave the SL55 behind.

2. The SL55 has a stiffer suspension so if you like to feel the road and want more of a "racer" feel, the SL55 will meet that need. The SL600 is much smoother and you can not feel the road as much. Also, a lot depends on whether you get 18 inch wheels or 19 inch wheels as the ride with 18's is smoother.

3. You can't compare the sound of the engines. The SL600 is a V12 and therefore is a much better sounding engine.

4. The SL55 is slightly more sportier looking than the SL600 even with the sports package. The SL55 has the quad exhausts while the SL600 only has the dual exhausts. Also, the SL600 has black plastic between the exhausts while the SL55 has the same grates as in the front. The SL55 set up is obviously more sportier looking than the SL600 in the back.

5. The SL600 has a more plush looking leather than the SL55 which is sportier looking. The SL600 has what is called "exclusive" leather which is a very smooth soft leather while the SL55 has the AMG Nappa leather which has much more grain and bumps in the leather and dash. One is plush, one is sportier. The SL55 interior stitching is in contrast to the leather color while in the SL600 there is no contrast.

6. The AMG has sportier gauges than the SL600 in the instrument cluster in addition to an all leather steering wheel as opposed to a leather and wood steering wheel. One is not better than the other, just a matter of preference. With the all leather steering wheel and the black alcantara instrument cover, the SL55 is considered and looks more sportier.

7. The wheels are different and that is preference but then again you can always change to whatever wheels you want.

8. The base price of the SL600 is $6,000 more than the SL55.

9. The SL55 will have a better resale value than the SL600.

10. More people buy SL55's than SL600's.

Bottom line is that they are both great cars. Clearly the SL55 is sportier and the SL600 is plusher. This difference is seen with the interior finishes, the outside elements of the car, the suspension of the cars and the engine. Clearly the SL600 is a V12 so it would be considered the superior sounding engine. It's hard to compare the V12 to any V8 but the SL55 does have a great engine.

Hope this helps.

 

i wanted to thank both of you..

sillydriver: that is a thread and then some.. wow.! great reading.. when will you be selling yours.?
.
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elbimmer: you have noted some good points and i think you hit it on the head. the SL55 is sportier and therefore a better car for me.
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final thoughts: i am spoiled. i have a 500hp porsche turbo tiptronic with all wheel drive. it is almost idiot proof, even with the traction control turned off. i just test drove a new C6 corvette (in competition mode) and as i hit second gear, the back end broke loose and started to come around. If you are not paying attention, you could get into trouble. Luckily, i get to practice driving sideways in the snow and find it quite fun. It is all about traction and wonder if the big hp MB do the same thing when the traction control is turned off. The SL55 or 65 is the car for me. When you have that kind of horsepower, you had better have a very responsive car when you HIT the gas or things could get more than interesting.

Now i need to find the thread to bump up the horsepower for a SL55. (ecu remap, etc.)

 

Why not have the best of both worlds and get the SL65?

BTW, the SL600 or SL65 does not sound better than a SL55. The turbo's on the V12 cut the engine sound quite a bit. You can not beat the muscle car sound of the SL55 exhaust.

I know it has been hotly debated but a STOCK SL600 is a margin quicker than a SL55 in the quarter Mile. That magazine either had a ringer or an ECU tuned SL600.

Schiz

 

One feature of the SL55 that you can't get in the SL600 is the AMG enhanced (SpeedShift) transmission - which, of course, is in keeping with the sporty nature of the car. IMHO, operating in "Manual" mode is as close as you can get to a manual transmission without having a third pedal on the floor. You get total control over upshifts, no kickdown when you floor it, and snappy downshifts that occur automatically during braking. Or, if you're not in the mood to shift, put it back in "D".

Does anyone else think this is a valuable attribute, or does everyone run their '55s in "D" mode all the time?

 

I was going to say the same thing about the sound... no comparison between the two... the SL55 is a beast in a suit... by far a lower and gnarlier growl.

~ Ian

 

You can modify the SL55 w/Kleemann K2 (over 600HP/650Torque) and have a car that is close to the SL65 numbers for a fraction of the cost. All those 65's are so overpriced. I have seen used Cl65's in the $150K range already.

My local dealer has a S65 just sitting on the show floor.

 

I don't use it much... the buttons are a little bit odd (not bad, but I'd prefer paddles) and the "left and right" center gearshift in speedshift mode is quite odd v. the natural "up and down".

~ Ian

 

04E55 AMG

You get what you pay for. If you think that all you get when you buy a SL65 is an extra 100 HP you are sadly mistaken. It is a complete package. If all I wanted was the extra 100 HP I could just put Nitrous on the car and do it for a whole lot less than Kleemann or RennTech.

If you spent the money to change the trans, differential, brakes, interior, added a V12 and all the associated parts that make up the complete package, you would spend more in total on a SL55 than the SL65 costs.

Also take a look at all of the major mags and explain to me why the Kleeman tuned cars and the Renntech cars that were tested by Road and Track in their SuperCar Showdown ran slower than a stock SL65. All with reported higher dyno results.

Oh yea, and then for 5K or so I can have Kleemann tune my SL65 and have a reported 700HP.

I had a SL55 and loved the car but it is a whole different game from the SL65.

If your argument comes from the cost of the SL65 and all the 65 cars, why does it matter. You can make that claim for any car over 100K, it is just one in the stable.

You are certainly entitled to your opinion but the SL65 has been the most fun AMG I have owned and worth every penny.

Schiz

 

doltmo,

as i have a Porsche turbo with tiptronic, i fully understand the "manual" mode and i believe, the best transmission offered today and is the transmission of the future. In "automatic" the car starts off in 2nd gear. In "manual", i sometimes use first to launch and the acceleration is much faster. Also, in manual, i have found for my driving style, that: A. if i floor it, the car will upshift at redline for every gear. B. on the expressway, i can quickly tap my steering wheel mounted paddle shifters twice, downshifting two gears and i am gone. no muss, no fuss. C. if i get lazy or less instant gratification oriented, i can leave it in auto mode. This transmission is the only way to go! If the SL55 has this type of trans with some buttons/paddles on the steering wheel, it is the car for me..

 

JR.

I'm not familiar with the Porsche tiptronic, but it sounds like the same basic animal. Here's the sum total of my knowledge of the AMG SpeedShift (senior members correct me if I err):

The transmission has three modes - C(comfort), S(sport), and M(manual). In "C" mode the transmission starts off in 2nd gear and otherwise behaves as a run-of-the-mill automatic. In "S" mode, it starts off in 1st gear and I believe the shift points are elevated, so it shifts at a higher RPM when urged on by a heavy right foot.

In both of these modes (D and C) you can force a down shift (and essentially lock out higher gears) by tapping the shift knob to the left, or pressing the left hand steering wheel button. So if you're cruising along in 5th and want to pass, tap the shifter to the left once (or twice) to drop down to 4th (or 3rd). You will then have to tap the shifter to the right (or use the right button on the steering wheel) to get back up to 5th after the fun is over. This is identical to way the Steptronic automatic works in BMW's, so I'm sure this is nothing new.

In "M" (manual) mode the transmission will start off in 1st, but will not upshift until you tap the shift lever (or steering wheel button) or when the engine hits red line. Personally, I prefer using the buttons and/or shift lever instead of the rev limiter. Once you are in a gear, it will not downshift until you do the button/lever thing. So if you're crusing along in 3rd and mash the throttle, the car stays in 3rd - kinda like a manual. Now, when the rev's drop below about 1500 RPM, the transmission automatically will downshift - with an abrupt kick that you do not get in D or C. Since the torque converter locks up in all forward gears, you get a very noticable manual-like compression braking effect when coming to a stop. A rolling stop will only get you down to 2nd. It doesn't drop into 1st until a second or so after you come to a complete halt. Again - like you would do in a manual. You will use the brakes a lot less in Manual mode.

When I run the car in "M", all I do is the upshifts - I let the transmission manage the downshifts. They seem to occur at just at the right RPM so you get some nice sounding blips in exhaust note as it drops in the next lower gear.

If the Porsche tiptronic works the same way in manual, I understand why you like it.

The only downside that I've noticed is that the left and right steering wheel buttons are easily confused in turns when the wheel is rotated past 90 degrees. I can see where the column-mounted paddles are nicer. You also have to learn where not to place your fingers when gripping the wheel so as to not accidentally activate one of the shift buttons.

 

To be honest, I'm terrified of "mod'ing" my $125K+ SL55 less I run into warranty issues... and I'm of the opinion that anyone willing to bolt on another $20-40K to get the car to where the SL65 is... could probably afford to simply buy it... We're not talking about rice rockets here, where the actual mods end up costing more thanh the stock car itself.

~ Ian

 

doltmo and others,

that's what i love about these forums, the sharing of information and experiences. we live in a great time and are all very fortunate.. i drove a 2003 SL55 today and loved it. reminded me of my Porsche turbo. the car sounded great and when i figured out how to get it into manual trans mode and turned off the esp, i had a friggin blast. loved the car. .. anyway, do i understand correctly that the SL600's don't have the same transmission capabilities as the SL55? if so, the SL55 is the car for me. .. thanks to all..!!

wonder what a little more power would do. did someone say remap ecu and trans? sorry Schiz, the 65 might be little over the top for me. the first year that i had my first suzuki hayabusa, i was stopped by the police 5 times.

 

Ian,

I felt that way many years ago before I started doing basic mods that my dealer always approved. It all started with my 0 911 TT. Going with a basic ECU/Pulley/Header mod will allow our cars to run better. Those stock headers are so restricitve. When my car was shipped back to the dealer with my Kleemann mods, I took both my MB service manager and the regional MB rep out for a drive and they loved it. Kleemann does offer a complete warranty for those doing more aggressive mods.

Hope this helps.

 

Let's be clear hear, I have nothing against modding cars and have done it for years including my AMG cars. I am also considering some tweaks for my SL65.

But, don't think for a minute that MB is going to warranty your car for engine trans or differntial failures caused by your increased HP no matter how many people think the work you have done is cool.

Kleemann and Renntech warranty their parts for defects and may cover you for parts damaged BECAUSE of a defect in their part that causes damage to a MB part. Other than that you are on your own.

It is the price we pay for tuning MB cars. Just don't be lulled into thinking because your MB dealer does a Kleemann mod that MB cares.

Risks I am willing to take, be informed.

Enjoy!

 

I'm inclined to agree - in the end the dealerships run a business... the sales guys are TRAINED to say what people want to hear but it's management that will make the decisions in the end... and I believe most will quickly void the warranty given the opportunity.

That said, like Schiznick, I'm not against tuners or aftermarket manufacturers (I love a lot of what Kleemann, Renntech, and Brabus put out), but I'm VERY cautious. I know here in soCal you can buy Kleemann, Brabus, and Lorinser cars directly from MB dealerships that are under full warranty, however you but them at a serious premium to what you can get v. having the same mods done aftermarket.

~ Ian

 

Kleemann just started offering complete bumper to bumper coverage on all work up to 7 years. They created a partnership with a outside source

Give Cory or Brandon a call for more details. I declined to get coverage since the K2 (ECU/Pulley/Header) is not that much of a risk. For those who have non SC cars and want to transform it into a SC car it will give them a better comfort zone since those mods are more aggressive.

Great Marketing strategy if you ask me.

 

Are they covering their work or the entire car itself? Renntech covers their work 100% but not the rest of the car. It's the rest of the car that's covered by the MB warranty I'm worried about...

~ Ian

 

Ian,

Basic Kleemann coverage is just like Renntech. My understanding is that if you want the rest of the car covered like the MB warranty, that is available now with this outside partnership.

 

More to think about then... as the standard warranty cost when you buy a new car is figured into the price you actually pay. I don't know what that number actually is, however whatever it amounts to is a "hidden cost" of having Kleemann or another tuner modify your sled...

I think I'd be more open to having mods done if the car was 2-3 years old and reaching the end of the manufacturers warranty. As it is, it's this EXACT issue that would have me buying the SL65 over a Kleemann or Renntech SL if I wanted performance over and above what my SL55 puts out.

How are you liking that E55? I'm close to buying one this week.

~ Ian

 

AWESOME 4 door sedan. I have little ones, so what a functional rocket this car is. Now that I have the Kleemann K2, the car is perfect and sounds great. As far a performance, it makes the stock E55 look slow (scary idea). Having driven my car for about 16 months as stock, I am so impressed with how the car has changed but still a daily driver.

If you pick one up, you will love it. This has to be the ultimate sleeper in the AMG stable and the best value for your $$$$.

 

Ian,

you bring up a good point, regarding warranty etc. i've read about the problems that you all have written about and it concerns me. i am not sure that i want to own a MB product after the warranty runs out. the more electronics and computers that are built into cars, the more problems we can expect to have. what are the terms of the warranty on a SL55?