RE: Mercedes launches new SL63 AMG in Barcelona

[I WISH]

I rated it as a 1 ....... because all I can see is a pic of a bloody cam cover!

[Transmitter Man]

I prefer the Black: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3BkOtKGA-0&fea...

Phil

[Gatsods]

D200 said:

Why can't PishonHeads show the pics but Autocar are allowed to?

Were they given exclusive rights?

I would think PistonHeads has a far bigger hit count than Autocar?

This would explain Autocar saying the E63 is better than the new M5 when 99% other publications disagree. Mercedes paid them to say so

Do you think this is the case?

I highly doubt 99% of publications disagree that the new M5 is better than the E63. The new M5 just isn't as good as it was meant to be, clearly. The E60 was impressive (if a sod to run) so it was always going to have a challenge to better it.

And, by having what seems to be the quietest V8 in the world (it plays engine sounds through the bloody speakers for god's sake) it does seem to be less of the fun car it used to be.

Jus' saying.

[bigricho]

I prefer the styling of the previous SL63. The front end just looks too big and cumbersome to me.

[D200]

Gatsods said:

I highly doubt 99% of publications disagree that the new M5 is better than the E63. The new M5 just isn't as good as it was meant to be, clearly. The E60 was impressive (if a sod to run) so it was always going to have a challenge to better it.

And, by having what seems to be the quietest V8 in the world (it plays engine sounds through the bloody speakers for god's sake) it does seem to be less of the fun car it used to be.

Jus' saying.

Every test I read of it that was the case. Even in the Autocar test they basically said it was the better car, but gave the verdict to the E63 against the grain of what was said in the test. The liked the fact the merc was louder. But this is ok for a road tester who has the car for a few days but it would eventually tire you. The merc V8 in my opinion, while sounding great, don’t always suit the cars they are in as they are pure American muscle car noise, but fitted to a sober looking car - when you see a hear one coming you look to see if there is Mustang being the diesel merc you have just seen

I have never drove a new M5 but heard one going and seen plenty of videos and I think its sound perfectly fine, its certainly not too quiet

People harp on about the sound through the speakers. This is strange I know but I wouldn’t care where the sound comes from as long as it sounds good, which it does. It’s just something people use to criticise the car with and the vast majority of people who drive them wouldn’t notice unless someone told them anyway

Tell me how clearly the new M5 isn’t as good as it was meant to be?
I don’t understand this comment, how good was it meant to be? Was there a certain level of goodness it was supposed to achieve but miserably failed?.

Its better than the old one in nearly every area, fair enough it doesn’t have the manic top end V10 howl but then people criticise it because of this when every other competitor is a V8 and they don’t criticise these cars for having a V8

But I guess people will just hate on the M5 because once again it’s the best car in its class and if you a pure BMW hater this would annoy you

People have marque loyalties and I understand that. I am a Merc AND BMW fan as I have owned these in the past and would be biased towards them. I like C63’s esp. and a neighbour had a CLS55AMG [supercharged one] for ages and do like them a lot, the CLS are nice, as are C63's – I’m not too fussed on the E Classes really and would take an M5 over one of them any day of the week

[Gridl0k]

D200 said:

The merc V8 in my opinion, while sounding great, don’t always suit the cars they are in as they are pure American muscle car noise, but fitted to a sober looking car - when you see a hear one coming you look to see if there is Mustang being the diesel merc

Philistine

[jamesghwilson]

Certainly not a bad looking car, but I do still prefer the SL55 and SL65. I think it's the headlights, but I am glad they've gone back to forced induction.

[Gatsods]

D200 said:

Every test I read of it that was the case. Even in the Autocar test they basically said it was the better car, but gave the verdict to the E63 against the grain of what was said in the test. The liked the fact the merc was louder. But this is ok for a road tester who has the car for a few days but it would eventually tire you. The merc V8 in my opinion, while sounding great, don’t always suit the cars they are in as they are pure American muscle car noise, but fitted to a sober looking car - when you see a hear one coming you look to see if there is Mustang being the diesel merc you have just seen

I have never drove a new M5 but heard one going and seen plenty of videos and I think its sound perfectly fine, its certainly not too quiet

People harp on about the sound through the speakers. This is strange I know but I wouldn’t care where the sound comes from as long as it sounds good, which it does. It’s just something people use to criticise the car with and the vast majority of people who drive them wouldn’t notice unless someone told them anyway

Tell me how clearly the new M5 isn’t as good as it was meant to be?
I don’t understand this comment, how good was it meant to be? Was there a certain level of goodness it was supposed to achieve but miserably failed?.

Its better than the old one in nearly every area, fair enough it doesn’t have the manic top end V10 howl but then people criticise it because of this when every other competitor is a V8 and they don’t criticise these cars for having a V8

But I guess people will just hate on the M5 because once again it’s the best car in its class and if you a pure BMW hater this would annoy you

People have marque loyalties and I understand that. I am a Merc AND BMW fan as I have owned these in the past and would be biased towards them. I like C63’s esp. and a neighbour had a CLS55AMG [supercharged one] for ages and do like them a lot, the CLS are nice, as are C63's – I’m not too fussed on the E Classes really and would take an M5 over one of them any day of the week

I also read the Autocar report you are referring to, and iirc they said that the M5 had in effect swapped roles with the E63, in that the previous gen the E63 was a car to thrash in a straight line and the M5 was the better drivers car but less comfortable, and that this time the E63 was the drivers weapon and the M5 was (no doubt) supremely fast but more comfortable and marginally less driver focussed.

To say you could mistake a diesel Merc for an AMG is foolish... AMG's are very stood out from the 'Sport' models in Merc's range. Personally, I think the new M5 is a little too subtle, though it is a lovely looking car.

I'm afraid I will harp on about the sound through the speakers until the end of time... yes people complain about the M5's V8 but not the others, but this isn't because the M5 has a V8 now, it's that it sounds st compared to an E63. People complain because that V10 sounded so biblically good and this just doesn't deliver. I would imagine many engineers in the M dept. were sat softly crying in a corner as the 'sound technicians' fitted their clever speaker idea...

I never said the M5 failed at all, and please don't get me wrong I do honestly like the car, I just think it's about time AMG had some credit for what they've achieved in the past 4 years with the C63, the SLS and now the critically acclaimed E & CLS 63s. I just genuinely think BM have 'sat on their laurels' a little bit this time around, and made a car that is good, but has not met the expectations of many (see Dan Trent's article on having to try it twice to like it, for a start).

I like BMWs a lot. I appreciate that they are great to drive and largely to look at. Until recently my main bug-bear with them was their interiors were shockingly plain, looked like horrible places to spend a long time in. I do also like Mercedes a lot, and have more experience with them as my Dad is actually currently running a CLS55, which is a lovely thing.

It's fair enough the E Class isn't your thing (it is extremely Germanic somehow) but I think people are very quick to bash AMG and it just annoys me! Personally, I'd have an E63 over the M5 in a heartbeat for, if nothing else, that noise.