RE: Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG: PH Heroes

[anonymous-user]

urquattroGus said:

Later SL63 with M156 V8 might be the one to have??

It drives better but looks hideous front end wise. The Jag guys were obviously found and removed and the square brigade were put back on the job!

[s m]

urquattroGus said:

Later SL63 with M156 V8 might be the one to have??

Edited by s m on Tuesday 23 August 19:06

[peter450]

cb1965 said:

swisstoni said:

Lexus do a nice convertible.

You can only buy one if you're a supermodel though - Lexus ts&cs

I guess big rob sydney must have walked into the showroom with a paper bag over his head and convinced them he was really a supermodel in disguise

[tali1]

Can't see point of a 55 and 600 - works for the saloon , "as S600 is chauffeur" - but don't make sense for SL and CL -one or the other- not both.

[s m]

tali1 said:

Can't see point of a 55 and 600 - works for the saloon , "as S600 is chauffeur" - but don't make sense for SL and CL -one or the other- not both.

Different characters according to the article

[swisstoni]

Extremely rare in the UK, and identical in looks to the SL55 AMG Performance Pack was the SL65 AMG. A V12 600 with twin turbos.
On paper it looks not dissimilar to the SL55, but seat of the pants reports are that it was a stormer.

[s m]

swisstoni said:

Extremely rare in the UK, and identical in looks to the SL55 AMG Performance Pack was the SL65 AMG. A V12 600 with twin turbos.
On paper it looks not dissimilar to the SL55, but seat of the pants reports are that it was a stormer.

Conceived by AMG to outrun the McLaren built SLR? 210 unlimited and 5 seconds faster to 150 than the SL55

[anonymous-user]

swisstoni said:

Extremely rare in the UK, and identical in looks to the SL55 AMG Performance Pack was the SL65 AMG. A V12 600 with twin turbos.
On paper it looks not dissimilar to the SL55, but seat of the pants reports are that it was a stormer.

Engine is too heavy though and makes a car already not the best handling in the world quite a bit worse!

[s m]

[peter450]

That v12 is a lot more complicated as well, as nice as 600bhp sounds I think he v8 is the one

[Rocksteadyeddie]

peter450 said:

That v12 is a lot more complicated as well, as nice as 600bhp sounds I think he v8 is the one

But in compensation it is a V12. I've had no problems with the engine on mine, and prefer the less shouty noise, and more discrete looks. It'll even do 25mpg on a run.

And can also sound like this if one is so inclined. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-iV59F7E7s

[AJDMoss]

I have an SL55 F1 06 facelifted car, I have had a good run with maintenance in the 3 years of ownership. All that went wrong was a window switch broke and the alarm siren stopped working. The pads need changing soon, on the performance pack car the fronts pad are £200. The service ended up costing me about £600 When it was serviced I was unaware but this engine has 16 plugs, Mercedes wanted best part of £450 just for supplying and changing the plugs. This is where a good specialist can reduce the maintenance costs.

If you are considering buying one I would suggest checking that everything works. Make sure the suspension raises up and down evenly. Also check for the damp in the boot if it is an earlier car ask about the fuel tank and roof seals as these were a couple of the early car gremlins.

I wouldnt say it the most engaging car handling wise, but there are not many cars that sound this these. It is well balanced tourer with a good dose of lunacy for good measure!

Edited by AJDMoss on Wednesday 24th August 10:00

[Countdown]

mikebradford said:

For me its one of the best proportioned SL shapes

Cant help think the design has aged well. And it will be a classic for years to come, for those that can afford the risk.

Agreed n pretty much all points. Saw a decent low mileage one at a local garage and was tempted but I hadn't realised what a potential moneypit they were

Does anybody else remember the days when "German" meant "reliability"? What happened???

[anonymous-user]

Countdown said:

Agreed n pretty much all points. Saw a decent low mileage one at a local garage and was tempted but I hadn't realised what a potential moneypit they were

Does anybody else remember the days when "German" meant "reliability"? What happened???

The Japanese arrived and redefined what reliable meant.

My SL55 is mollycoddled and costs a fortune in maintenance with a mere 70K on the clock

My 'daily' Mazda 6 is thrashed to within an inch of its life, at 100K plus never misses a beat and has just gone through its MOT with zero advisories despite being 13 years old.

New the SL cost 5 times what the Mazda cost.... it's crazy... still love it though.

[Walter Sobchak]

What engine is in the SL600?, I know it's a V12 but is it turbocharged too?, I always thought that was the SL65.

[s m]

Walter Sobchak said:

What engine is in the SL600?, I know it's a V12 but is it turbocharged too?, I always thought that was the SL65.

It says above - V12 Twin turbo - 5513cc - 493bhp @5krpm 590lb ft @ 1800-3600rpm

SL65 is 5980cc turbocharged with 604bhp

That was circa 2004

Edited by s m on Wednesday 24th August 12:55

[daveco]

Walter Sobchak said:

What engine is in the SL600?, I know it's a V12 but is it turbocharged too?, I always thought that was the SL65.

Twin turbocharged.

The 55/65 AMG's are supercharged.

I personally think it is the best looking car Mercedes have designed in the last twenty years. The only other Mercs that come close are the previous R129 and the W220 S-class.

You know a car is well designed when it still looks good on 16 inch alloys.

[swisstoni]

daveco said:

Walter Sobchak said:

What engine is in the SL600?, I know it's a V12 but is it turbocharged too?, I always thought that was the SL65.

Twin turbocharged.

The 55/65 AMG's are supercharged.

I personally think it is the best looking car Mercedes have designed in the last twenty years. The only other Mercs that come close are the previous R129 and the W220 S-class.

You know a car is well designed when it still looks good on 16 inch alloys.

SL65 was a biturbo

[whoami]

Kierkegaard said:

Read too much about the issues on these - suspension ABC, brakes SBC, roof/boot leaks, ecu issues, roof mechanism failure, cheap switchgear on early models, flaky build and potential to rust where not alu., keyless issues...

I think I'll admire from afar.

That's a great summary of what mine did, and then some.

Glad it was all under warranty at the time.

A piece of garbage.

[daveco]

swisstoni said:

daveco said:

Walter Sobchak said:

What engine is in the SL600?, I know it's a V12 but is it turbocharged too?, I always thought that was the SL65.

Twin turbocharged.

The 55/65 AMG's are supercharged.

I personally think it is the best looking car Mercedes have designed in the last twenty years. The only other Mercs that come close are the previous R129 and the W220 S-class.

You know a car is well designed when it still looks good on 16 inch alloys.

SL65 was a biturbo

What's the difference between a twin turbo and a biturbo? Is biturbo one smaller turbo at lower revs followed by a larger turbo taking over at higher rpm?