Vivid AB

Hey guys, just placed my order at Manhattan MB for my SL55 for a Mars red with berry/charcoal. Thought it would look good till I saw how much red there really is. Now I'm not sure what to do. I love Mars, its so sexy and striking, but I already have a red sc430 with black interior. So I'm now leaning towards a black with berry trim. Would love to hear your thoughts. White, blue, green and all the other colors are out of the question. It all comes down to Mars red or some sort of black. HELP!!!!!!!!!!

Twinturbo

To tell the truth I dont like the red exterior or interior of the SL. I would choose obsidian black with charcoal interior. Silver looks ok for the exterior too. Check out some of the pictures in the sticky picture thread, they have several different colours, including many cars with red interiors and exteriors. Feel safe knowing that no matter what colour you choose, you will still have a great car.

Vivid AB

Yea I tried looking in the pictures part of the thread but up to page 6 or 7, the pictures dont show. So many options to chose from. Originally I ordered without the panaroma, thinking it was useless, but I'm changing my view now, should I get it? Ha I'm also comteplating between the 600. To be honest, the only thing that made me chose the 55 is that quad exhaust.

blueSL

I think red on red would be a mistake. The reds are not the same - the interior is the colour of raspberries and I don't think it looks good with a red exterior. The colour choice for an SL55 is pretty limited. Forget the fancy names, it's basically light grey, dark grey or red, with black also available depending on the options you choose. Just be grateful you don't have the dilemma of a DB9 - 20 colours, 20 leathers, 7 roof linings, 7 carpets, 7 hood colours and 4 wood trims. Ample scope for really getting it wrong.

I think a contrast is good, which is why brilliant silver with ash/alpaca/light grey looks pretty bland to my eyes, and I think the only match which works is black on black. Black with red looks good, but don't forget black is difficult to keep looking ag good as you probably want it to, especially if it's your daily driver.

I don't think the quad exhaust is sufficient reason to go for the SL55. The SL55 and SL600 are rather different in their power delivery, exhaust note and styling.

Wolfman

I agree with BlueSL. First decide which car you want. You can only really do that by driving them. Both cars have a very different demeanor and sound so you will be able to pick one with ease.

We currently have an obsidian black with charcoal interior. A great color combo; I call it an impractical exterior with a practical interior. Black looks great really great when clean and the obsidian is more forgiving than plain black which will show any dust, dirt and swirl created by cheap car washes. Either way, it shows the dirt easily.

As for the interior, I personally love the stone or cashmere (new color) and dislike the drab ash grey. Problem is that Stone isn't available on the 55 anyway and light interiors are simply not very practical when driving top down a lot (dust gets easily sucked into the car and eventually stains the leather).

My recommendation: Pewter with charcoal interior and Panorama roof. I just saw an SL65 in that combo and it is the best looking combo, especially with the silver/gun metall 19" AMG wheels.

Also, I personally don't like the looks of the DVD Navigation system. The dropped the surrounding wood panel and replaced it with a big piece of plastic. Very cheesy looking, but I noticed that it looks less offensive when combined with the dark birds-eye maple. Probably the best wood choice with that design.

Wolfman

JackStraw

I agree with Wolfman, charcoal is the most practical interior color and nicely complements nearly all exterior colors.

Brilliant silver, black and obsidian black are the safest choices for the exterior. I am also fond of black opal. That being said, this car is so sharp it looks good in any color.

Get the panoramic roof, regardless of your exterior color choice, you won't regret it; though it disappears better on a dark car.

The berry interior goes well with both silver and black, but I wouldn't pair it with black opal.

As far as choosing between the 600 and 55, I went with the 600 for 3 reasons:

-- The seats are more comfortable to me, I found the 55's seats to constraining;

-- By most accounts it has the softer, more compliant ride, important because Manhattan (and its surrounds) is punishing on cars;

-- It is the quieter of the 2 cars

Power had nothing to do with it since I am sure I will never get close to exploring the limits of power.

As far as color combos, for all the agony I put myself through, I ended up choosing the most common of the common--- brilliant silver/ charcoal, and I haven't regretted it.

Alican1

Hi ,

I have seen a red , wiht a red interior in Vancover and candidly the car does not look good.

I have in the past always been a black with a tan- saddle interior or black with a grey interior.

As always you cannot go wrong with a silver, but I would stay away from the red - red combination.

Alican 1

RU_MATRX

Hey Vivid:

I agree with Wolfman on Pewter Silver w/ Charcoal interior! Plus mine has the AMG Black Ash wood, typical sports trim.

I recently posted a pic of my SL55 in the pic thread above on Pg.14. Please take a look. After owning many "brilliant silver" vehicles, past and current, including black, I truly like the classiness of Pewter Silver. As I mention in the thread, I took my pics in the early evening. It's a brighter tone in direct sunlight.

Great Luck in this endeavor as you'll enjoy a truly great sports-convertible that's much more appealing, classy and fun to drive than the SC430 (my experience, of course).

saturnstyl

I believe you should immediately cancel your order for an SL55. You should then order an SL65, because it doesn't matter what color it is. That car would still be badass if it were polka dotted.

vraa

Don't go for the SL65, it's great for the horsepower freaks, but when you're debating SL600 versus SL55, you're obviously not one of those people (and that's not a bad thing!)

I say, go for black exterior (no metallic crap )
black leather interior
the darkest wood you can find.

And then get some rims (non-chrome unless it's black chrome) and have some fun.

Vivid AB

Thanks guys, ahah 65 is a beast. Maybe in a few years or so guys. But yea I've decided to go with the SL55 Black on Berry/Charcoal color scheme with the aluminum trim and chromed out SL65 wheels. Tough decison, still kinda freaked out about how dirty the car might get and scratches, etc. Decided I'm going to go twice a week to a hand car wash place, to make sure no swirls, or anything. Still hate the idea, especially knowing how striking of a color Mars Red is. But I did Red before, and this will be my first black, always need to change at some point. Anyways thanks guys with your thoughts. (still have time to change if I want hahaha)

Twinturbo

Not a bad choice. When you say charcoal/Berry interior, is that a charcoal dash and red seats? If so I have seen some photos in the picture thread and it looks pretty good.

So now you have chosen the colours, what bodykits and engine upgrades are you going to get

Vivid AB

Not a fan of the bodykits, at least the Kleeman one and Lorisner that i saw in the forum. I think the body that the car has is sexy and doesn't need any touch up. As far as an engine upgrade, I know of Renntech and how it adds horsepower and what not, but I really don't know too much about it, no specific details at least.

JackStraw

Vivid--

There is a black opal sl500 w/ sport package in the Park Ave. showroom; you should check it out.

Your black/ berry combo looks great. Did you get the panoramic roof?

Vivid AB

I didn't get the panaroma, don't know if it is worth it. What do you think, I can still change the order.

vraa

Go for the roof. It adds a light on the interior of the car, as well as exterior. Breaks up the "conformity."

Twinturbo

Unless you always have really bright sun, the Panorama roof would be a good option. It makes the interior feel lighter as vraa said, and looks good with black. Considering the price of the car, its worth the extra money because it almost like having the roof open but with weather protection, so it nice on cold and cloudy days too.

JackStraw

Get the pano, it really brightens up and "opens up" the interior. The good thing for you is with a dark color such as black, it will be difficult to tell the difference from the outside. I struggled with mating the panoramic roof and my brilliant silver car because of the contrasting colors of roof and body, but have grown to like the look. With a black car (or black opal) you dont have to struggle with this issue.

JackStraw

My mistake; the SL in the showroom is Capri Blue, not Black Opal. Still georgeous-- I wouldn't be so quick to rule out blue!