russjr

anyone driven the new SL, and if so, any thoughts?

rune solem

You have to ask the people over at:

https://mbworld.org/forums/sl-class-r231-159/

Then you'll hopefully get your answer

I would also like to hear from someone that has actually tried it, how the new sl 63 amg sound stacks up with ours.

Does the turbo take away the nice sound or not?

cal1

I have not, but sure would like to. The R231 AMG is what interests me. That 5.5 bi-turbo is sweet. A tune and exhaust mod would make the thing a rocketship.

erichen

drove the new SL550 R231. My thoughts:
Engine, powerful, sounds good, but there is a turbo lag
Transmission, not bad
suspension/handling, soft...
interior, very much an improvement over the old... the shift stick is a bit... wimpy, short and stumpy, but shiny... like my old stick on the 04' better. knobs and things feel like good quality, not cheapy...
trunk space, excellent for a convertable.
Looks... well, it looks better in person than in the pics. But still... the rear quarter view is not good, the lights make the trunk angle down too much. Front looks good from certain angles but the nose is still too tall for my taste, not a fault of MB, new Euro Pedestrian laws fault...
Overall: engineering wise, it is an improvment over the old SL R230, better chasis and engine... but the handling still is soft (AMG will probably be better)
Turbo Lag is not so great but every other engine is turbo now so... what can you do.
The overall feel and look is what really didn't do it for me... I mean, it's not ugly, in fact, it's not a bad looking car. From the first pics, the AMG looks good... but there is no... "soul" to the car like the old R230 when it first came out... not revolutionary changes in looks and feel... the R230 was "new" in so many ways for it's time. The R231 feels almost like an updated version rather than a brand new model... the aluminum chasis you can't see... you can feel it but if you cut the fron and back out of the car, what do you get... the R230
I am not excited about it, I like it but my R230 is not ready to be "replaced" by the new R231.

cal1

Nice write up. Like you said, the R230 was nearly revolutionary. Maybe some of us expected the same out of the R231. I think what we got instead was some nice improvments and upgrades over the older model. Should they have named it the 230.1?

e500slr

I would have thought turbo lag would be minimal on a moderately large engine and sophisticated turbocharging system as well as the gearbox. I've driven the Nissan GT-R and it has no lag, I just couldn't feel it and that's a 3.8

erichen

the turbo lag is there... the sales kept saying you can't feel it but I did... I am not particularly sensitive but it's there. It's not as bad as some of the other turbo lag's I've seen but it's definitely there. Gotta clarify though, this doesn't bother me that much... my point is that the overall car feel just didn't make my heart skip a beat and say "wow, I want that car!"... It's like that nice looking girl that's good to look at but just doesn't pack the "sex appeal!"

e500slr

I agree they could've made it better, the front for me is pretty good but the rear taillights I would slightly change. The back isn't bad but the taillights I would make a slight change to. The problem for the car is it had massive shoes to fill, the R230 is one of the most popular Mercedes and has it's own signiture look, it's a very beautiful and striking car. Think of it like Aston Martin trying to find a new design to replace the DBS, it's very hard to improve on perfection (By the way I'm not saying the R230 even comes close to the beauty of a DBS but let's face it nothing does and the R230 is also stunning)

erichen

haha! gotta agree with you on the DBS, that car design is a classic AM... the new Vanquish http://www.astonmartin.com/en/cars/vanquish/ is merely newer cooler version of that classic design... but unlike the R231, the Vanquish does make my heart skp a beat!

DigitalKnight

Thanks for making me smile on this 100+ degree day!

crazyfox

For the new SL I still need time to disgust for the headlights.

e500slr

You mean adjust Or maybe you did mean disgust since alot of people are feeling that way about it. I was on the rocks but I like it now, the back I loved from the spy shots but it turned out slighty different. I think it could be fixed to what I thought it would be like with minor adjustments.

erichen

I think he meant "adjust"... I think the AMG version will be much better looking... the tail was my main problem.. that slope downwards... maybe a spoiler or something will fix it... and dark out the lights... Oh, and the New SL has no ABC suspension, can't go up/down with the button anymore... which means, if you go to a dip, drive SLOW...or you will hit the front spoiler. I had the means to raise the car before ( I put Carlsson spoilers on my front) and it has helped me saved many scratches. without the raise option... I am not sure if any front spoiler is safe...

cal1

Wow! I was unaware of this. Is the suspension coil overs? If so, one less potentially massive repair problem to worry about.

AndrewJM

Eh, I prefer the look of the Vantage models.

crazyfox

Oops sorry typo. I means digest? Because I way I see for the headlight is like an owl. Big eye.

sound 8

To change my 63 is going to cost about 60k and what do I get. A similar
looking car which is slightly lighter and a little faster remembering mine has
been re mapped. Also my car looks superb and in new condition with 12k miles
on the clock. I just can't see the point.

cal1

I think it was a classic freudian slip.

e500slr

To each his own I guess but for me the Vantage is way too small to be taken seriously. When I saw it in real life it was tiny and just not impressive at all. The DBS however is just epic and a whole different level. It's such a special car but severely underpowered.

erichen

The new Vanquish is nice!

AndrewJM

See, I think that the DBS is way too big. It also looks just like a DB9...looks are subjective, though.

John_R

The new SL is not photogenic, I've seen a 6.3 AMG in the showroom and what a beauty it was inside and out. The car looks great in person then what you find in pictures.

COBRA63

Your remapping was good for what, 10-20 RWHP?

A stock r231 sl63 outpreforms your R230 SL63. A tune on the new 5.5 bi-turbo would net you at least 100 RWHP and would certainly embarrass your SL63.

cal1

I don't think anyone would argue the awesome power potential of the new 5.5 Bi Turbo. At 557 HP stock and about 300 pounds lighter it will be quick. I would like to run a stock SL63 Bi Turbo to see what he has. With mods, my 55k has nearly 500 WHP and 540 WTQ. I bet I would get him down low. Once he starts modding, all bets are off.

COBRA63

Dont bet on it.