2003G55

I am selling my 2004 SL600 when my Bentley GT gets delivered in Mid May. Does anyone have any idea what I should ask for it?? It is silver with charcoal, 2500 miles, illuminated door sills and of course everything is standard. (No sport package)

dgussin1

105K and sell it to me.

blueSL

Enjoy the Volkswagen switch gear, the lack of a convertible plus a limited range of 250 miles because they mis-calculated the gas tank size. Go for an Aston Martin DB9, altogether a better bet.

Bilal

Yes go for an underpowered and glorified Ford.

You have an SL600 widely acknowledge worldwide, as the most accomplished GT of our times. If anythign is lacking in this purchase your not going to find it anywhere else.

dgussin1

The bentley GT is badazz, don't knock him because he wants a more pimp vehicle. It was tested @ 202 MPH stock with the govoner removed.

Bilal

It actually was tested at 206mph by GPS by one magazine.

It has no limiter, and will do 200mph ONCE before its tyres will blow, and this was witnessed by excessive tyre wear on the 206mph tested Bentley (after its tyre pressures were over inflated). So dont think about highway racing unless your tyres are prepped up.

And BTW, did you know 150mph of ANY 55K vehicle is 22-23 seconds, while the Bentley does it in 28.4 seconds.

So if not in top speed, not even in acceleration will a Bentley defeat an AMG 55K car.

shoes

Just out of curiousity, no offense intended, would you care to tell us how old you are, you Bentley buyers? I am trying to develop a profile of who is going to own the Continental GT and wondering if this just appeals to rich old guys.

liveseyd

Bentley Conti GT is a very different proposition to old-style Bentleys (which I would'nt be seen dead in), so I ordered one a year or so ago.
However the spec on paper (c550hp, 4wd, carry 4 adults + luggage) is'nt quite the same as reality (250 miles between refills, small boot, seat adults in the back? Not really! etc). So I've sold on my delivery.
I think my combo of SL and Range Rover is still going to take some beating , but at one time I thought the Bentley might cover both angles.
Still, the Bentley is a lot of car for the money (£110k).

David

blueSL

The real issue now with MB is exclusivity or lack of. MB are moving towards producing 1.8m cars a year abd the three pointed star is being debased in value and quality terms. Compare that with 4k Ferraris or 6 - 8k Aston Martins. I'm keeping my SL55, but am looking forwards to my DB9...

shoes

BlueSL, I am trying to arrange a tour of the Aston factory in June. Anything special I should inquire about regarding the DB9? Do you think they can provide something along the lines of designo?

Also, liveseyd- did you make much on selling the Bentley? Did you drive it? Any impressions?

blueSL

The scale of the Aston operation is a completely different league compared to the SL operation. Aston will produce a few hundred DB9s in the first year, Mercedes produce more than 150 a day. It's a much more hand-made car; they only have one robot, nicknamed James Bonder where Mercedes have two just to put in the windscreen. But it makes the DB9 a much rarer beast and all the more appealing for that.

Bilal

I know you can't let acceleration numbers pick your next car. But AMG has really set a performance benchmark for any class by 0-60 in low 4's and 100mph in 10 or less seconds. The new Gallardo at 120K has 500bhp, 1500kgs and much more torque than an AMG NA V8 motor yet it has slightly disappointing test results. It doesn't drive anything liek a Ferrari and is quite a disappointment considering its specs.The new Ferrari 420M will be the next best sportscar to carry on the legacy of "entry level" Ferraris.

My point is, The DB9 at 103K has 450bhp and does 0-60 slower or as equal than the upcoming SLK55 AMG, and the car tops out at 186mph. I know it'll drive like the daddy of any AMG car, but its performance claims are slightly disappointing.

Compare that to ANY of the V8 Kompressor cars and you can't help but feel slightly ripped off. All these AMG cars weigh 400-500kgs heavier than their competitors yet are as quick or quicker. Now before everyone dismissed it and says "yea forced induction, 700Nm at 2700rpm, what did you expect?" Just take a moment to appreciate the torque characteristics of this engine. It is by no means a small feat.

Now I know, Ferrari's Porsche, Astons have a certain quality that distinguishes them from lesser car makers, for me Ferrari does it best , but ask yourself, could you really go back to a slower car? I understand Mercedes-Benz doesn't carry the same weight of beauty and perforamnce overall than the aforementioned cars, but the AMG cars pull off all that performance at zero sacrifice in comfort for speed. Look at the SLR vs its competitors. It will do the Nring qualling the Zonda, a car which weighs 600kgs, less, it will accelerate as quick or outaccelerate the Porsche CGT, still a car which weighs 400kgs less. Doesn't this say something for the AMG engine?

They may be as reliable as a Lada, but AMG's V8 kompressor cars were never or are "cars of the moment" in my opinion, they have STILL not been outdone completely in the performance department. If you guys don't agree, just wait for that sinking feeling inside,when you can't keep up with that AMG on the motorway in your "Aston Martin".

Twinturbo

Performance is not the only aspect considered Bilal, when purchasing a new car, or sports car for that matter.

While an AMG may have quicker acceleration, a Ferrari or Lamborghini will feel much faster, and hence is more enjoyable. That is why you buy a sports car, for enjoyment. You are a fool of you buy a car just because it can "keep up with that AMG on the motorway". This just bragging. A real sports car can also corner extremely well, as a Ferrari does, and an AMG does not entirely fulfill. Ferrari and the like sacrifice outright power so that their cars can corner and feel fast, which is lost by adding weight and forced induction.

You may think I do not like AMG's, on the contrary i love them, the SL55 being my favourite car for a long time running. And although AMG should be praised by managing super acceleration in a heavy car, they would not have had to do this if their cars were not heavy in the first place. However, AMG choose to do so as they manage to combine comfort, safety and luxury in a car that does an excellent job in being as close as possible to a true and raw sports car. This makes them unique and hence i too love most AMG's.

JohnH

In my view part of the problem AMG have is that they are far too pre-occupied with how fast their cars are on the motorway when driven in a straight line. This means that to overcome the weight then all I need to do is up the power even more. Of course what then happens is that the handling goes out of the window as to be able to cope with all that weight and power loads of electronic aids need to be employed which diminishes the drivers control and enjoyment. I do love my SL55 but would like AMG to improve the handling by doing something about the weight.

blueSL

I agree completely. This pre-occupation with tenths of a second here, a few mph there is academic in the real world, however the feel of the car tells you whether it's a true sports car. The SL55 is a superb luxury GT with sporting pretensions but a true sports car it is not. The DB9 has the promise of a better, less interfered with driving experience.

Mercedes need to learn that, actually, less can be more.

shoes

I guess this is the reason that true enthusiasts aren't lining up for the Bentley Continental GT- it is like AMG but worse- even more weight with a really big motor. The Bentley will have more luxury features and even worse trouble muscling the weight around corners and being extremely thirsty in the process.

Bentley GT is a car for poseurs!

I always debadge my AMG cars because I feel so cool to cruise below the radar of the teenagers in hot cars, then enjoy dusting them in my conservative looking ride. Can't pull this trick with a Bentley GT.

Twinturbo

I do not know what you are trying to say by "Bentley GT is a car for poseurs!", you can't exactly say an SL does not attract attention.

The Bentley Continental isn't trying to be a true sports car. It is rather are more sporty Bentley that is more affordable and can be fun to to drive, at least on the Autobahn.

The Bentley GT does this very well and manages to be similar to an SL, not convertible, but seats four in comfort, and has a superb interior, providing it is not in yellow and purple as in some photo's I have seen. It would be an amazing car to drive across countries, being the tourer it is.

I admire the Continental GT, and apart from the SL, would be much better to travel long distances in if you want to provide transport for up to four people than the other Bentley's and Rolls available if you really enjoy driving. It is more a luxury car with a sports touch, similar to the SL, although the SL is lighter and has an edge over performance. Perhaps the closest car to it would be the CL600.

Wolfman

I think all cars mentioned simply possess different qualities and most importantly, it depends on where you live.

I spent a fair amount of time in the UK and always had a blast on these english country roads, but the Mercedes wasn't really that well suited for it (too soft) plus it was just too plain big.
On the other hand there is nothing more boring than driving on british highways. This has probably something to do with steep fines and **** policemen
In Germany on the other hand, a Mercedes is absolutely at home, in the city and on the highway, even in heavy traffic. Comfortable and quiet with good acceleration on the low end; just not a nervous car. When the traffic clears on the highway, the fun begins.

This is somewhat the same in the US with the exception of being able of going really fast. What is interesting is that going for a quick law-breaking sprint feels a whole lot faster than it actually is. Must be the added adrenaline...

I love the SL55, we had an old SL and a CL but we sold the CL because it just looked too similar to the new SL; kind of like the big brother. I think this is a problem Mercedes has in general. Too many shared parts and design features in cars that are a $100k apart is just not cool...

That's why I like the Bentley; it looks different, is mechanically sound, has a good engine, great fit an finish and is refreshingly reasonable (at least for Bentley). I think it makes a nice complement to the SL.
When it comes to gas milage, in the US this doesn't really matter that much. Actually I have driven a couple of 600 V12 (mostly a R129 SL600) an a regular basis and never made it past 250 miles per tank either...

Regarding the DB9; fantastic looking car, but I would be really worried about the build quality and durability. I guess I am looking forward to BlueSL's detailed updates when the time comes

Just my 2 cents...

Wolfman

SL Boy

I think the Bentley Continental GT is a great car but not ideal for 4 adults on a long journey. My business partner is about to take delivery of one but on test drives we reckoned rear headroom and legroom are just too cramped.

Doctodd33

Dont you think this statement, ESPECIALLY the "mechanically sound" part, is a bit premature?

T

Bilal

Its made by Volkswagen, its IS mechanically sound if anything....

Twinturbo

I should think they are quite reliable too. If you have heard what they do to their engine, like putting it on full throttle at redline for about 1 week, and many other cruel tests. However, I have heard that the v12 in the Phaeton has been having reliability issues, and I think the engine is quite similar to that in the Continental GT.

FInality

Redline for a week?

I doubt any car engine could survive that kind of stress.

Twinturbo

Here is some information I found for the durability testing og the Bentley GT. Sorry the redlining was for 100 hours, another test goes for far more than a week. Anyway here it is, pretty impressive.

Powertrain Testing
The engine in the Continental GT has undergone some of the most gruelling and exhausting test procedures of any engine in order to ensure that it can be depended upon to accommodate all and more than any owner could ever expect of it. Naturally prototypes have and continue to rack up millions of miles in some of the hottest, coldest, driest and most humid places on earth but perhaps no single test illustrates the relentless pursuit of engineering perfection than those tests performed with the engine out of the car and sitting on a bench.

Perhaps the most eye-opening of these is a test where the engine is switched on and revved to maximum revolutions (6300rpm) from cold and then left there not for a few minutes or even a few hours. It is left to run at maximum speed for 100 hours or, put another way, over four Le Mans 24-hour races on the trot.

Another test puts the engine through an advanced programme of cyclical accelerations, decelerations and steady state running at all points in the rev range for 500 hours non-stop or, to put that it perspective, just four hours short of three weeks.

The engine has also been exposed to prolonged thermal shock cycling where internal temperatures are swiftly brought to a peak whereupon its coolant is replaced by ice-cold fluid in order to induce the swiftest possible drop in temperature before the engine is re-heated up to maximum temperature again and the process is repeated.

Conclusion

As can be seen, the engine chosen to power the Continental GT offers rather more than a world-beating power output. It was designed specifically not simply to deliver unprecedented performance, but to do so in a way that was inimitably Bentley. It would have been possible, for instance, to use a smaller capacity 'screamer' to develop the same power at much higher revs, but such an engine would force the driver to work much harder and could never generate torque like the Continental GT. The effortless response would disappear and while the result might still be a fine engine, it would not be a Bentley engine.

Bilal

It is an inferior engine to the V8 Kompressor motor.

The AMG engine is capable of delivering up to and more than 626hp in different trim. It has restricted power output in the SLR due to the side exhausts.

443lbft at 1000rpm, a maximum of 575lb ft between 3200-5000rpm, show me an engine not from Mercedes that can beat that....