anyone out there have or drive ferrari or aston martin that can give us a comparision? i was wondering what is comparable or better and for what reasons. thanks

 

Which Ferrari,which Aston?

 

I think the SL55 is more of a competitor to AM than Ferrari because of the luxury. The SL55 is more of a cruiser than a track car and Ferraris, well, you can say they're made for the track. I think most AMs are luxury cruisers just like the 55 is.

 

No question the SL55 is the greatest all-rounder though regular readers will know I don't like the brakes and there are some build issues, mainly rattles. It's a comfortable luxury GT which fits its design brief perfectly but it is not a sports car.

I don't have a current Ferrari, but I do know that when the conditions are right, the F355 delivers a more enjoyable drive than the SL55 because it is a true sports car, with much less getting in the way in the crucial man-machine interfaces.

It's always surprised me that so much attention is paid here to the way the car looks (colour, wheeels, add-ons) and to the way it sounds (exhaust changes) but not to the other senses, touch and smell. (I think involving taste in your choice of car must hint at some sort of perversion...).

Of these two, the Ferrari wins, hands down. The smell of the car in the garage and the ticking of the exhaust after a long hard run are just magic. After 8 years, the leather is developing a wonderful patina and fills the car with a scent that just reinforces how special it is every time I drive it.

Coming to touch, this is for me the most important indicator of a true sports car. If I think of the simply engineered interfaces which you use most often, the steering, clutch, brakes, gearshift, throttle, the F355 gives you so much more information about what is going on. By comparison, the SL55 shields you from what is happening - there's no clutch or gear-shift of course but the steering, brakes and throttle combine to deliver an anodyne driving experience. Compare that with changing gear from 2 to 3 in the Ferrari at 8500 rpm, the engine screaming 2 feet behind you, the steering wheel writhing in one hand and the drag of the forks engaging gear as you move through the slotted gate with the other, and it's no contest. Whether or not the car has DVD Sat Nav just doesn't make it onto my radar.

But, and it's a great but, conditions are not always right and then, the Ferrari can be a pain, it can be treacherous and it can be dangerous. When I spun mine into the crash barrier on a very wet and cold October afternoon some years ago, standing stranded on the median looking at the wreckage of my car and realising how lucky I had been to be able to execute a 360 degree spin on a 3 lane highway without hitting another car, life was not so rosy.

The SL55 will, on balance, deliver more driver enjoyment more of the time, but you miss out on that extra-special experience which the Ferrari keeps up its sleeve ready to charm your socks off.

I'd put Aston Martin in the same camp as the SL55; the forthcoming DB9, which looks great in convertible form, will doubtless provide some strong competition. The close-out DB7 GT looks like a cynical marketing exercise though and has been panned by the critics.

 

thank you blue sl, this is the kind of answer i was looking for. keep the disscusion going everyone. now should i buy the dayton to experience of the 12 cylinder ferrari when not driving the sl55?

 

I'd go along with what BlueSL states. I had a 360 F1 prior to the SL55.

In the right conditions - waating a blast you would take the Ferrari every time - it is just so much more rewarding, mind blowingly fast on the roads. The lower weight and single mindedness shows in the rewards when driving hard. And you feel YOU are making the car go this fast, which is not always the case in the SL55.

The above said I did 2000 absolutely stunning miles in my 360 in the year I had it. In comparison I covered over 4000 miles in 8 months of SL55 ownership.

Two reasons - (1) you can do a 400 mile trip in the SL55 without worrying about losing your licence at every bend, or your fillings falling out - which is not the case with the 360, and (2) being considered a GT the SL55 doesn't depreciate by the same ridiculous amount as a Ferrari does with each 1000 miles clocked up.


My 2 cents worth!

 

And if you're in traffic light GP's, then you will never get caught out, with an AMG auto, you're always in the right gear!

 

I am a Ferrari nut, but hey, the SL55 costs a cool 100K less than ANY Ferrari on the market now.

 

Up until about six months ago, I had all three in my garage (I sold the Aston). Here's my take:

2001 Aston Martin Vantage Volante (12 cyl. Convertible) -

Pros: Very beautiful, very elegant, both inside and out and very comfortable. More luxury than either of the other two cars. Some moxy at lower speeds if you go straight.

Cons: Terrible handling. A-M's efforts aimed at giving the car a comfortable ride made it very unstable in the corners. (Rumor has it that the frame originated as the 1996 Jaguar XJR, which would explain a lot.) In corners car shifts around on the suspension; can't hold a line.

Bottom line: for the older set.

2001 Ferrari 550 Barchetta (12 cyl. Roadster):

Pros: Incredible power, cornering (not to) die for and very, very beautiful. Out-performs almost every car on the road. I've never owned a car that was more fun to drive. Retains value.

Cons: No top. "Erector set" top supplied with the car is reminiscent of the Austin-Healy 3000, and is (a) ugly, (b) very hard to put up, and (c) limited to 70 mph.

Bottom line: The ultimate sports car.

2003 MB SL55

Pros: Great power, wonderful top and a million conveniences. And not bad looking, either.

Cons: Weight. This thing is a pig if you have to stop or change directions in an emergency situation, particularly with the top down (moves a lot of weight to the back of the car, like a Porsche).

Bottom line: Perfect daily driver, particularly in California, but don't press your luck in the corners. If something changes, you can be in for a very nasty surprise.

 

blueSL..

just wanted to say how much I enjoyed your comments again; you are a superb writer and could edit any magazine graciously!

anyway; I concur with most of the comments; had two 'Fer's' in the past, and while increasingly refined, nothing that provided a sense of comfort as does the SL55. For instance, something as simple as confidence that the car will run whenever I start it (not a problem with the Ferrari's, but they did have to be babied when cold; especially the earlier one; to wit resisting using first gear or being very gentle in upshifts).

I concur about the brakes on the SL55, but am used to them by now .. and every time I'm in another car, I suddenly realize how much I like this car, and (like anything else in life) start to take it for granted (well almost anything else).

Interestingly, for the first time, tried adding 4 lbs. more air to the rear tires than the front, and if I'm not mistaken, cornering is even better (never felt it could be lost in a corner; actually this is the most secure car as a daily driver I've ever experienced, and that's after probably 15-20 high performance cars over the years)...

And that's my main point, with which I guess most agree; what in the world would I get that has a bit of fun quotient (lots really), and is this reliable and secure? Nothing I can think of. I have yet another one coming in a few days (an '04), and might not take it, as what minor bugs there were are so perfectly ironed-out.

This is a great car; and kudo's to MB for not bumping it fully to the Euro like they did in Mark/Dollar terms for awhile back in the '90's.

happy holidays!

________________________
'03 SL55 black/charcoal
all options but distronic

 

Thank you for your kind comments.

It's difficult to believe anyone being disappointed by an SL55 as an all rounder, able to inspire and sooth in equal measure. Not all cars can, and if you've had a bad day, or the weather is bad, the Ferrari is not your drive of choice. The Ferrari is a great car to own when you can choose not to drive it; the SL55 will step up to whatever you want of it.

Modern Ferraris approach the usability taken for granted in Porsches for years, especially from 348/355 onwards; older Ferraris require nurturing like a temperamental girl-friend and there's still a slight doubt in my mind when I start mine - will she, won't she and I brace myself for a sickening expensive sounding crunch.

Older Ferraris were, as you say, much less usable and needed more fettling; setting the carbs in a 512BB is an art not a science. But even they are better than a Lotus Esprit of the same vintage, for which the name was said to mean - Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious and savvy owners would never drive one without the train fare home.

Unless you use the SL55's performance all the time, the SL55 should last a long time, though there's one owner here (take a bow, Angus) who has managed to cook the brakes and need a new back axle and, last I heard, the gearbox looks shot as well. After 8000 miles. If you unleash the full SL55 power all the time, you're not going to get heroic lifespan, which will make buying used SL55s something of a lottery in the future. The buyer will inherit all the wear-and-tear baggage of the car.

Ferraris which have not been adapted for track use tend not to be driven hard; they may be driven with alacrity but they are not driven very much, a hang-over from the days when a few 10k's was all they could manage. Even well-healed drivers are so alarmed by the maintenance costs that they don't do full power launches for fear of wrecking clutch, drive shafts and the rest. Current Ferraris are better but I did hear of one car which had done more than 90000 miles. Ferrari were so surprised, they wanted it back in Maranello to figure out why it had lasted so long.