In a smugly written manner

I was right - it was his own car, I was right he did not abuse it as badly as the Bentley on the show last week, and I was right the plate was a mock up

A good test with some good comparisons - his Ferrari - Was about as relaxing a being tickled! I could agree with this.

Good time the 'Stig' (will I be right on this one - Damon Hill?) posted in the wet on the track. Roughly equal to the Lambourghini Mucialargo (sp?), and equal to the Noble and NSX.

A good light hearted test.

 

The link for those overseas, or those who did not see the test is:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/prog6/mercamg.shtml

 

At last we got to see Jeremy's SL55!! Nice clips especially with the Stig driving it!

 

Well spotted MoreBHP, right all round and right about Damon Hill, too, methinks.

Stupid question and I should know the answer, but what colour was it? It changed from light green to dark blue in a few seconds!

And its no: 4 gay choice car! Oh, No!!

Think I'll get a Porsche.....

 

I think it was a different car being tested by Stig. The SL55 AMG licence plate was put on to hide JC's actual one in case Renault dispatch a lynch mob to Chipping Norton. The car Stig tested had a regular licence plate.

Amazing figures for the car too, but I did think some of the handling looked a bit untidy, a penalty of the car being so heavy.

I agree about the F355 - it's a very nervous car in the wet, I spun mine on the M1 after hitting 6 inches of standing water and used it as a rather expensive tool to re-shape the crash barrier.

Why is it always raining on Top Gear?

 

Yeah THAT WOULD MAD if one of you technology buffs who live in europe can upload the sl55amg review on top gear! cause in aust we dont get it....if anyone can do it, most appriciated from australia!

 

Aha, you're probably right too. Stig's car looked like Topaz Blue, JC's like Jasper. Couldn't be sure, I think they had two cars and combined the sequences. JC's losing it a bit, after the Sunday Times article about childish people on forums like this (meaning he's tuned in for sure!) and his praise for the Avantime being so cool its frozen....thought Tara P-T did well, for a girl

The handling did look messy in parts- a result of the ABC perhaps, or because of the weight, or are other factors at play. Its a heavy car, for sure, but the Bentley looked more composed, didn't it?

 

I presumed that that was JC's actual reg plate - I thought it was the same as the one that appeared in the Sunday Times when JC was talking about his SL55 - at the time I thought it was strange that the real plate was showing on Clarksons car - but at the end of the day, you'd see a SL55 and say "hey thats a SL55 with JC in it", rather than seeing a SL55 being driven and saying "I think thats JC's number plate" (if you see what I mean)

The plate was a "Milton Keynes" plate, but I guess that JC's SL55 was supplied direct via MK since he managed to skip the queue

Why is it always raining in the UK !

 

Stig had the traction control switched off - the light was flashing all the time the speedo was in view, most drivers would have lost it (me included) and his cornering had a fluidity which JC's lacked. Maybe he had left his switched on and the car was fighting him.

The major benefit of ABC is the neutral cornering stance which gives the car a more go-kart feel to it. Interesting thought that he might be Damon Hill, I like his relaxed laid-back attitude these days.

Have to say I've long since given up Sunday newspapers. It's a liberating experience not to have this mound of paper lying around containing all the unrelenting bad news about pensions, tax, speed cameras, stock market, house prices, threats of terrorism, little girls being murdered, all that stuff.

I prefer to bury my head and open up another bottle of red instead!

 

Seems like you just like getting lost in Berry Red

Aren't the papers depressing! Tend to leave them until after Church - less effective then. It seems the country is about to reap the benefits of Labour in full.

What effect does turning off ABC have? Do you get more or less feel, feedback or is it neutral? Do you get to the point of no return faster without it, or does the traction control limit it ? Does the lack of roll feel disconcerting/unnatural?

And what colour were the car(s)?

 

The ABC button doesn't turn it off, it selects either comfort or sport settings, with sport providing a slightly firmer ride. The difference between them is not night and day though at least in the conditions I'm driving. At the limit, there may be a difference but I'm not close to it.

I find the ride quality and handling almost ideal. Compared to my other cars, it has much more neutral stance in cornering - the F355 will over-steer with minimal provocation, the SL600 understeers and the wet makes these characteristics more pronounced.

Both of the other cars have comfort/sport settings as well and both of them have little effect. The SL55 is a bit harder riding than the SL600 and a couple of friends have commented they think the ride is actually better than the SL600 for being that little bit harder. Getting back into the SL600 after a couple of weeks driving the SL55 was a real shock, I thought there was something seriously wrong with the steering.

The only thing I can point to in the SL55 is a slight lack of feel about what the front wheels are doing where the Ferrari excels. There's a handling sensitivity which makes me want to keep the car, even if the SL55 will out-drag it and is much my preferred choice day to day.

As for the colours, I thought they both looked pretty grubby. JCs I think is Topaz and the other one was Tectite but I may be wrong. What I can say is that were not red, silver, white, black, jasper or travertine which narrows the choices.

 

Interesting.

I seem to remember Clarkson switching out ABC on a test car recently, was it the CL? Or was it the air suspension on the S-Class....anyway, remember he wanted it left off, so guess it wasn't the ABC. Admit to being wary about the complexity of the ABC system, all those pumps, seals, valves and electrics on all four wheels. Older, you see, worry more.

Keen to know if the absence of ABC returns the SL to its understeering tendencies of the past or if its better with the new steel spring set-up and a lighter engine. My 500SL was a real handful at times, the SLK light & neutral & very direct.

The steering (Parameter?) is such an improvement I guess it translates into better response/feel as well.

 

In which case, you probably do not want to hear that an SBC Control Unit, shown here with the 160 bar pressure vessel costs £2000... Maybe you should ask them if they will sell you a car without brakes.

A 15 year old R230 is not going to be worth very much because of the cost of repairing the complex systems if they go wrong. You can live without Sat Nav and the ventilated seats, but not SBC...

 

LOL

Right, £2K off for SBC, thats a delete, how much without the engine management system?

I guess you can take it too far, but £3K of ABC is still exercising my inherent meanness! I should logically have ABC before Pano Roof & even comand, but more a boulevarder these days, except for the occasional moments. I suppose I should get a Westfield for those infrequent urges.

Does the SBC mean the car now has three braking systems, the brake-by-wire and two back-up hydraulic circuits as usual?

No bloody wonder the price goes on going on......