SL 550 - kind of impressed
07-05-2006, 07:30 PM
#31
Rennlist Member
Originally Posted by Le Chef
I don't want to get lots of information about MB models nor do I want to know what MB owners will say - that's a waste of time. I wanted to know what 997 owners thought about the car and if they had compared their car to the SL. I don't consider that "OT" but maybe you're a little myopic on these matters.
Ohh I see, well good luck as I have not met many SL55 owners in the 997 forums and I do ask around since I drive an E55 and a 997S.
07-05-2006, 08:06 PM
#32
Three Wheelin'
I've owned two SL's and a couple E55's and can tell you that they are very solid cars that offer some fantastic performance for a luxury car. The E55 is among my favorite cars ever, probably number one, actually. My Porsche is a close second, but first in just outright performance. If you haven't owned both, you really can't accurately weigh in here on the car. Owning the car allows you to truely push the car to its limits. I've driven the E55 at the Texas Motor Speedway after I bought it and was phenomenal how it held the track and was capable of strong acceleration out of the turns. I road up the rear of several 996's before I passed them. Don't look down your Porsche noses too hard until you've really driven these cars. Love my 997, but also love and respect the MB AMG's.
07-05-2006, 08:43 PM
#33
Nordschleife Master
Originally Posted by SilverSteel
I've owned two SL's and a couple E55's and can tell you that they are very solid cars that offer some fantastic performance for a luxury car. The E55 is among my favorite cars ever, probably number one, actually. My Porsche is a close second, but first in just outright performance. If you haven't owned both, you really can't accurately weigh in here on the car. Owning the car allows you to truely push the car to its limits. I've driven the E55 at the Texas Motor Speedway after I bought it and was phenomenal how it held the track and was capable of strong acceleration out of the turns. I road up the rear of several 996's before I passed them. Don't look down your Porsche noses too hard until you've really driven these cars. Love my 997, but also love and respect the MB AMG's.
07-05-2006, 08:53 PM
#34
Three Wheelin'
The track has some good turns and banks. I can't speak of the other drivers or their skill level, but I'm aggressive on the track. None of us were professionals, though (ceteris-paribus). My real point isn't that I'm a better driver, or the amg is faster, but a respectable luxury sports car.
07-05-2006, 11:53 PM
#35
Rennlist Member
Originally Posted by SilverSteel
I've owned two SL's and a couple E55's and can tell you that they are very solid cars that offer some fantastic performance for a luxury car. The E55 is among my favorite cars ever, probably number one, actually. My Porsche is a close second, but first in just outright performance. If you haven't owned both, you really can't accurately weigh in here on the car. Owning the car allows you to truely push the car to its limits. I've driven the E55 at the Texas Motor Speedway after I bought it and was phenomenal how it held the track and was capable of strong acceleration out of the turns. I road up the rear of several 996's before I passed them. Don't look down your Porsche noses too hard until you've really driven these cars. Love my 997, but also love and respect the MB AMG's.
07-05-2006, 11:59 PM
#36
Rennlist Member
Originally Posted by mastiffdog
My E55 owes me nothing, I love the car, never an ounce of trouble and darn quick for a 4 door with that much comfort. It will never be a P-Car, but it was never intended to be.
07-06-2006, 12:56 AM
#37
Originally Posted by black/terra
car and driver tested them against each other and the S550 won.
Apparantly its not apples and oranges anymore...ha ha
Apparantly its not apples and oranges anymore...ha ha
I never drove the SL550 (had an SL500 that was reasonably fast but would never have been able to keep up with a base 997 with tip) but I did go to test drive the SL55. Problem is the car wouldn't start. I had already been somewhat disappointed by the quality of the materials in the SL compared to my R129 and wanted something different. So I went next door to the Porsche dealer and got the 911. Have no regrets although I'm sure the SL55 could take the 911 in the straights. But to hear that the NA 550 is faster too is a shocker. That's a 4000 pound car (and if my R129 was any indication you feel every ounce of that weight). It seems like the added displacement and HP along with the 7 speed gear box has made a big improvement.
Maximum performance is not the issue for me. If it were I'd get a Z06 and be done with it (and have a pocket full of mad money left over to boot). But the SL in spite of all it's power was never fun to drive like the 911. Just subjective.
07-06-2006, 02:53 AM
#38
Three Wheelin'
If I had the spare change, I'd buy a SL 63 in a heartbeat. To me they are one of the best looking cars on the road and Mercedes knows torque! If I had one big complaint about my 997 was that there just isn't enough pull in this car when you floor it, and that is a place where Mercedes engineers have been touched by God and put that into their cars.
In fact, I seriously considered the SL 55 (along with a few other cars), but chose to by the 997 because it has rear seats that I can put my kids in. The SL is a better every day car, much more luxurious, yet when put in sport mode (for a stiffer suspension) it can do very well on the twisties. It is a bit heavy, but well balanced, so it is plenty of fun.
After living with the 997 I'd say I'd really miss its brakes and steering feel if I went to a SL, but that's about it.
Ray G, who has several Porsches including a GT3, X51 997, and Carrera GT has a SL 55 which he seems to be very happy with from when I talked to him. In fact, he was driving it quite a bit as a daily driver last Winter. His biggest complaint was that it was heavy, but he said it was an excellent car.
In fact, I seriously considered the SL 55 (along with a few other cars), but chose to by the 997 because it has rear seats that I can put my kids in. The SL is a better every day car, much more luxurious, yet when put in sport mode (for a stiffer suspension) it can do very well on the twisties. It is a bit heavy, but well balanced, so it is plenty of fun.
After living with the 997 I'd say I'd really miss its brakes and steering feel if I went to a SL, but that's about it.
Ray G, who has several Porsches including a GT3, X51 997, and Carrera GT has a SL 55 which he seems to be very happy with from when I talked to him. In fact, he was driving it quite a bit as a daily driver last Winter. His biggest complaint was that it was heavy, but he said it was an excellent car.
07-06-2006, 10:01 AM
#39
Three Wheelin'
Hey Ron, what's up? I agree with you--I need the mini-back seats. It gives me some excuse with the wife: "honey I can take the kids in it..."
MB: it's all about me baby.
MB: it's all about me baby.
07-06-2006, 10:06 AM
#40
Rennlist Member
I drove the new SL550 a few days ago, and thought it was an outstanding road car. It is solid, comfortable, fast, and great-looking. The new trans is a 7 speed (I think), and all the gears with rapid kick-down would beat the Porsche in traffic any time.
It is pretty heavy and too soft for tracking, but I don't think that's on the owner's mind. Only real negative is that you can't turn the skid controls completely or even close to off.
If you are purely a street driver, I think the SL wins pretty easily. I don't think the S will close the gap, because it's more than a few horsepower apart. Torque, hard roof, auto trans, interior, ride, etc are all better. Sorry (I own 2 Porsches and an E55). AS
It is pretty heavy and too soft for tracking, but I don't think that's on the owner's mind. Only real negative is that you can't turn the skid controls completely or even close to off.
If you are purely a street driver, I think the SL wins pretty easily. I don't think the S will close the gap, because it's more than a few horsepower apart. Torque, hard roof, auto trans, interior, ride, etc are all better. Sorry (I own 2 Porsches and an E55). AS
07-06-2006, 10:23 AM
#41
Nordschleife Master
Remember those early ads for the E55 where there was a monster in the garage and it chased them and had to be beaten back under the hood? They were pulled because they were felt to be too non-PC.
If all I did was brain-dead street driving the SL would be nice but still a little too small inside. The back seat, even though the seats are a joke for anyone over 4 yo gives the cockpit more openness. I do like the roof however, and even retracted, ther is more useful storage capacity in the SL. The large rear storage compartments are nice.
But I like to Drive a car, and there is little doubt that the 997 Drives far better. I am adding some serious HP to my 997 as we speak and the straight line issue will be more than adjusted for.
If all I did was brain-dead street driving the SL would be nice but still a little too small inside. The back seat, even though the seats are a joke for anyone over 4 yo gives the cockpit more openness. I do like the roof however, and even retracted, ther is more useful storage capacity in the SL. The large rear storage compartments are nice.
But I like to Drive a car, and there is little doubt that the 997 Drives far better. I am adding some serious HP to my 997 as we speak and the straight line issue will be more than adjusted for.
07-06-2006, 11:00 AM
#42
Three Wheelin'
Agreed, the SL is not a track car in the same vain that the 997 is. I consider it more of a sports car for the road that is perfectly capible of providing much fun going on that little stretch of toll road in Germany known as the ring (specifically Nürburgring Nordschleife), but don't expect a 8:00 run.
A good analogy would be what the BMW X5 4.4 or Mercedes ML 63 are to SUV's. They aren't really intended to be an off road vehicle, but you could drive it in a reasonable amount of mud and not get stuck. However, unlike most SUV's they can keep up with a large percentage of street cars around town and on the track. Most people don't actually take their SUV's off the road anyway, so this makes total sense.
I think the SL is designed to do around the town driving well with the abilty to have fun for an occasional (annual or less) track event. I know of many Porsche owners who never take their car on the track, so I'd argue they would fall into the camp of what the SL is shooting for. However, just like people who own Hummers and never take them in the mud, but own it because they just think it is cool. The same is true for Porsches, and that's just fine by me.
A good analogy would be what the BMW X5 4.4 or Mercedes ML 63 are to SUV's. They aren't really intended to be an off road vehicle, but you could drive it in a reasonable amount of mud and not get stuck. However, unlike most SUV's they can keep up with a large percentage of street cars around town and on the track. Most people don't actually take their SUV's off the road anyway, so this makes total sense.
I think the SL is designed to do around the town driving well with the abilty to have fun for an occasional (annual or less) track event. I know of many Porsche owners who never take their car on the track, so I'd argue they would fall into the camp of what the SL is shooting for. However, just like people who own Hummers and never take them in the mud, but own it because they just think it is cool. The same is true for Porsches, and that's just fine by me.
07-06-2006, 12:00 PM
#43
Originally Posted by Alexander Stemer
I drove the new SL550 a few days ago, and thought it was an outstanding road car. It is solid, comfortable, fast, and great-looking. The new trans is a 7 speed (I think), and all the gears with rapid kick-down would beat the Porsche in traffic any time.
.... AS
.... AS
Are you sure about this? MBUSA lists the 0 - 60 time as 5.3 sec for the SL550. That's slower than any Carrera.
Now when you throw in a subjective mix of criteria like ergonomics, style etc. then anything is possible.
I give little credence to magazine articles that evaluate cars on a dozen different criteria and then pronounce a "winner". It really means very little as my priorities in a car are not necessarily the same as the editor's priorities. I would most likely weigh the importance of the various criteria very differently.
