On: Why I think they are underrated
This short piece will be about why I miss the old SL550 by Mercedes--and why the SL600 is better for power, and a lot more fun to rocket around--without all the racket.
The 550 version of the SL today offers around 400 horsepower, if not a little more. What do I think? I think that is too much for an eight-cylinder powered car. It is also too close to the beloved twin turbo SL600 V-12's 510 hp figure. Even my own girlfriend thinks the V-12 needs to stay around after our conversation about the 600 last week.
Because no matter how much you boost a V-8 SL, it will never be as silky or effortless (common adjectives for Mercedes) as their excellent twin turbo V-12 motors.
Starting with 493 hp in 2004 and now pegged at 510, the car currently boasts a truck-like 612 pound feet of torque, and remember this is all on pump premium gas we are talking about. Five and a half liters of all-aluminum, silky V-12 muscle that runs right into its 155 mph speed governor at full gas smash.
The old SL550's normally aspirated 5.5 liter V-8 was paired with the 7-speed automatic; a manual has not been available since the 1990s. And yes, the normally aspirated V-8 made the same displacement somehow as apparently "small" piston V-12 did.
The SL600, however, was paired with the slightly stouter 5-speed automatic to accommodate the 12 cylinder's torque. Used in the old Maybach 57 luxury sedans, these were stout engines and transmissions.
Step inside, and there is only room for the driver and the passenger. This is where I now think Mercedes hits the nail on the head, because interactive luxury systems are abound. Some of the goodies that will fit into the car's small interior are present, such as the smooth ride and fairly slow handing response. The SL will never let you forget you are driving a car that weighs almost as much as a Dodge Dakota does.
Photo Credit: Google Images
Starting with 493 hp in 2004 and now pegged at 510, the car currently boasts a truck-like 612 pound feet of torque, and remember this is all on pump premium gas we are talking about. Five and a half liters of all-aluminum, silky V-12 muscle that runs right into its 155 mph speed governor at full gas smash.
The old SL550's normally aspirated 5.5 liter V-8 was paired with the 7-speed automatic; a manual has not been available since the 1990s. And yes, the normally aspirated V-8 made the same displacement somehow as apparently "small" piston V-12 did.
The SL600, however, was paired with the slightly stouter 5-speed automatic to accommodate the 12 cylinder's torque. Used in the old Maybach 57 luxury sedans, these were stout engines and transmissions.
Step inside, and there is only room for the driver and the passenger. This is where I now think Mercedes hits the nail on the head, because interactive luxury systems are abound. Some of the goodies that will fit into the car's small interior are present, such as the smooth ride and fairly slow handing response. The SL will never let you forget you are driving a car that weighs almost as much as a Dodge Dakota does.
Photo Credit: Google Images
