London Lad

Blue,

How did the AMG tech day go ?

Graham.

AMGBENZ

Quoted by White Knight II
"I think what sells the SL55 is exactly what I don’t like about it – it is a kiddie car. It sounds good to a kid (or an aging kid), the buyers are not knowledgeable enough to understand the impact of the weight, and they have little or no experience with true high-end cars."

AMGBENZ
I respect all of your comments except the above, I think calling a SL55 AMG a kiddie car tells me the person knows little about Mercedes-Benz, The SL Class, or AMG!

YOU DO NOT BUY AN SL FOR WEIGHT RATIOS!

AND WEIGHT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH TRUE HIGH END CARS!
Bentley Arnage T for example, Maybe true sports cars would be a better statement.

Sorry I think I getting grumpy waiting for the SL55 to arrive!

AMGBENZ (The Kiddie Car Lover)
2003 SL55 AMG (On a Truck to the Dealer)
2000 ML430

blueSL

Graham - it's tomorrow.

AMGBENZ - don't worry, you will not be disappointed

(47 year old BlueSL, going on 7)

JBrady

AMGBENZ, I think what WKII is saying (please correct me if I am wrong) is that the sound has the raw muscular sound that is universally appealling to the young but is much less universally to aging enthusiasts. I love the V8 sound (aging kid here ) but must admit it can be out of place on certain cars. My recommendation for the use of a Y-pipe to alter the sound may or may not be sufficient to please all owners such as WKII... but, the Y-pipe in conjunction with a different muffling system (possibly from an SL600) could render a pleasing note more in keeping with his expectations. The SL55 is an amazing car but there are differences in visceral preferences. If any SL55 owner in the Houston area would like to review this route I would be happy to assist.

White Knight II

Mustard-

I like the exterior color (Orion Blue) on my car, and I like the interior color (light ash), but the combination borders on the boring. I asked the factory to build the car with the blue paint and the stone interior, but after considering the matter for a week or so they replied with a definite “No”. I also considered having the interior done in “Berry Red,” but I ultimately concluded that the combination with Orion Blue would be off the scale in the other direction – too “loud”.

Blue SL-

I agree with almost everything you say. As to interiors, you will see from the above that I sorely missed the availability of the stone interior. Also, the photos of the SL600 show a steering wheel with wood, which I have to admit I like a lot. And if experience teaches, I would guess there is some Alcantara or Nappa leather spread around the SL600 interior that's not in the SL55. None of these differences are overwhelming, but taken together they can significantly affect the enjoyment of the car.

AMGBENZ-

You are right when you say my remarks apply to high end sports cars, not high end cars in general.

You are wrong when you suggest I know little about Mercedes, at least if experience is a source of knowledge. Following is a list of the Mercedes I have owned:

300SL Gullwing
300SL Roadster
300 SEL 6.3
280 SE 3.5 convertible
600 SEL
CL600
CL600 (yup, two of them)
S600
SL55

In addition, I have advised and assisted friends and family members in purchasing the following cars:

300d (4 door sedan)
280 SEL 4.5
300 SEL 3.5
CL600

At least that’s all I can remember - this covers a span of about 45 years.

JBrady-

The X-pipe solution is intriguing, but it's quite likely to affect the exhaust back pressure the compuer in the car reads, which will affect how it manages the engine. I have an after-market (TUBI) exhaust on my Barchetta, and I am told that the associated reduced back pressure effects a small reduction in HP for this reason. I can't feel the difference, but that's what I'm told. And of couse there is the question of how MB reacts to this modification if the fan belt breaks or the headlights go dim - they can always claim that the problem was caused by the modification, and I am not qualified to argue with such experts, at least according to AMGBENZ.

AMGBENZ

White Knight II you have had some great cars, just not much experiance with AMG cars.

Its safe to say you are not impressed with AMG cars.

It just comes down to what we have all said in the past, its not that SL55 AMG is better or worse than a SL600 its just built for different tastes. I happen to like both but favor the SL55 AMG because of some of the things you do not like.

We must remeber that 600 series cars have always been heavy and not that great at the track its kind of double talk to think the SL600 is going solve the weight problem that you state the SL class has.

I think you like the 600 series cars because they are smooth, understated looks, and liquid smooth acceleration, not weight, or saftey.

AMGBENZ
2003 SL55 AMG ( ON a Truck to Dealer)
2000 ML430
1996 SL320 great track car Sold
1997 C36 AMG sold
1998 C43 AMG sold
1999 SL 500 Sport sold
2000 S500 Sold
2000 E55 AMG sold

AMGBENZ

White Knight II Quote:
"I am not qualified to argue with such experts, at least according to AMGBENZ."

I hope I did not offend you, I ment no disrespect White Knight II

It just seemed you walked into debate with this statement:

White Knignt II Quote:
"it is a kiddie car. It sounds good to a kid (or an aging kid), the buyers are not knowledgeable enough to understand the impact of the weight, and they have little or no experience with true high-end cars."

Sorry,
AMGBENZ
2003 SL55 AMG (Should be at dealer Saturday)
2000 ML430

Mustard

Well, with the same, I very much respect both your choice of colour combination ( I, too, would like a stone interior but not berry red) and I respect your background experience of MB cars - the SL600 would be my choice in the USA where petrol is still half the price of the UK, and MB, with highly paid marketing advisors, know exactly in which order to launch models appealing to the various factions to which the cars are aimed.

Blue SL, as always, is correct in assuming that we all have different requirements and needs. I'm one who thinks the SL55 is perhaps too brutal - reminds me of my childhood desires for big cranes, bully-boy 4-wheel drives, masochistic type computer games.

But older and into a new frame of mind - but still manpausal - the SL600 presses all my buttons.

Slick, quiet power, subtle - I'd be very happy with a debadged SL600.

White Knight II

Mustard-

Here's a photo of my car showing the Orion Blue with light ash. The only thing I can say in its defense is that it's not silver or black, and it's not bad.

White Knight II

Mustard-

This is what I was trying to emulate when I ordered my SL55, but I couldn't when MB refused to build an SL55 with a stone interior. The exterior colors of the two cars are fairly similar (the Aston-Martin, oddly is a Ferrari color - Tour de France), but, as you can see, the light ash of the SL55 does not measure up to the cream and butterscotch of the Aston.

AMGBENZ

My neighbor has that exact color combo on his SL55 it looks stunning on a sunny day.

You can imagine what a SL55 in Orian Blue looks like in Cleveland Ohio , its like aliens driving a space ship. We got many thumbs up driving it around. Looks almost like a show car that has a special paint job. I really think it looks great!


AMGBENZ
2003 SL55 (should be in on Saturday)
2000 ML430

JBrady

Fair concerns. Any mod I do on my Lexus is designed to be either easily returned to stock or transparent to the dealer. A warranty issue on an SL55 could be astoundingly expensive. The concensous is that the manufacturer must PROVE that your aftermarket part was at fault for a given failure in order to deny your warranty. Of course the application of law can be anything but an exact science. Therefore, the above steps that I take I am in process of designing a replacement system that will bolt in place and be easily removable if a warranty issue arose. This is an option you may wish to consider but requires more engineering than just an X pipe installation.

Regarding backpressure: exhaust physics is a complex subject so I will try to keep things brief. You could think of an exhaust system as a series of knuematic springs. Change one spring rate and the others are affected. Backpressure at the exhaust port should be zero or even a vacuum. Reducing backpressure in one section MAY increase or decrease the backpressure at the port. A well designed X or Y will decrease it. This increases flow from the port and improves efficiency. A gain in torque and mileage is common. This will not confuse the ECU. The science behind all this is confusing and many tuners even mistake cause and effect. Often, when larger diameter pipes are installed or the stock system is modified a loss in low speed power results. This is NOT due to a loss in backpressure at the port. In fact the result is due to a decrease in velocity and this actually increases the backpressure at the port resulting in the power loss. Think about it, why on earth would a port flow more into resistance?

AMGBENZ

Iam suprised MB would not except your request for Stone interior, even if they had to charge a small fee. For a long time customer they should have granted the Stone Leather request.

Its not like your asking them for an exotic material.

AMGBENZ

White Knight II

AMGBENZ-

I was surprised myself when MB refused the request for the interior color. As to the fee, I offered them an extra $5,000 to do it. But the answer was just "no."

As I think about it, if I had asked Ferrari, they would have said "yes", then sent something that wasn't what I ordered.

If I had asked Porsche, they would have said "yes, but it will take six months longer".

If I had asked GM, they would have said "yes" and then cancelled my order.

If I has asked Lexus, they would have said "yes, but you must also order the roof rack and the tow package."

If you think I'm joking, I'm not. All of the above have happened to me, except the special request I made to Lexus didn't relate to a color. But it didn't matter - they (accidentally!) didn't charge me for the extra stuff they insisted on adding.

Finally, I'm delighted to hear that your friend ordered the same color scheme I did. It means either I'm not nuts or there's two of us crazies. Either one is an acceptable outcome as far as I'm concerned.

vraa

White Knight ||.. I LOVE THOSE JOKES!! HAHA

man i love comparisons like that.. :P

Mustard

That looks great and its the exact same as I have coming in a few weeks - pondered over the wood, but it looks fine IMO.

Is stone the same as the European sand, or lighter?

I have a BMW in almost exactly the same blue with a sand interior and wood, and it really is a nice combo. My 300TE had grey interior and it looked a bit dull. I'm going back to my SL dealer (in France) to have another go. I think an off-white/beige leather would still be better than the ash, which we call alpaca grey.

White Knight II

I don't have any familiarity with the European MB colors. I can tell you that in the US, "Stone" is a fairly light beige. You might be able to get a sense of it at www.mbusa.com.

And the "Pebble Beige" at this website

http://www.mercedes-benz.com/e/cars/...es_polster.htm

looks pretty close to "Stone" to me. Note that it is not available for the SL55.

Mustard

Ted - EU Sand is the same as US Stone.

Apparently I can have it with Jasper, but a few guys here, including several MB salesmen, have advised against sand with Orion Blue purely because its not a common combo and may face a lot of resistance for resale. They say while its fine as an interior colour, the open car does look a little too "warm" and tarty with the sand.

Personally, I think thats c**p, I really like it and I'm definitely changing....

I've seen a Jag with it, I have it on my BMW, and it always looks good to me.

White Knight II

Mustard-
Curious that MB won't let us have that combination in the US, but in the UK it's available.

I would very much like to see some photos when you get it. What's the ETA?

blueSL

Mustard isn't getting an SL55 so he has a wider choice. Here, the only three interior colours are light grey (ash/alpaca), dark grey (graphite) and berry, plus of course designo.

Bilal

Unless you choose Designo, or for SL55's tell AMG exactly what you want and they'll do it for you, in ANY colour or trim whatever


NOW thats what I call service!

Mustard

Erm, yes, sorry if I confused you Ted, its a very humble SL350 I have coming in a few weeks. (See sig) Nonetheless, have been agonising over colour/spec for weeks.

blueSL

No need to be apologetic Mustard, you'll enjoy it very much too(especially since you have ABC ). What have you settled on - Jasper/Alpaca? It's a great combination and if I was buying again, that's what I'd go for.

Incidentally, I realise the CLK55 AMG which I saw at the Technical Day is about the same price as the SL350. Seems to me the SL350 is a much more attractive ownership proposition.

Mustard

Yes, I think so too, blueSL, (both alpaca and a good proposition) the 350 is still a fine sports car, especially with ABC, and with limited resources (relatively speaking) I have enough left over for the 320Cdi or a BMW 330d Touring, which is what SHMBO has decided she might want instead.....

White Knight II

Mustard-

Seems to me there's nothing humble about any of the current SL's, except the noise the SL55 makes (couldn't resist that). Ten days after I bought it, I now have 2,100 miles on my SL55. I guess I'm getting used to the noise. It's certainly not stopping me from driving it, is it?

But I admit to be totally baffled by the acronym "SHMBO". A wild guess suggests that the S is "significant" and the O is "other"; I can't figure out the rest.