Drove SL63 AMG

gorun · 06-08-2008, 02:02 AM

A good friend of mine got the new SL63 (525ps) and I took it for a 20 min drive yesterday. Impressions when compared to my DCT M3...

The Merc has incredible interior and exterior styling. Its actually quite striking in person, people would stop and stare at it, only those in the know came and checked out the M3. The interior is a big step up from previous MB attemps bar the S and CL. The engine note is brutal, its bassy and addictive. Its hilarious the way the car coughs and makes all sorts of weird noises even when no or little throttle is applied. The engine note doesnt have the mechanical refinement of that of the M3, you know that noise that tells you that everything is working in perfect harmony but it is still very loud. Best sounding Merc I've heard.

Engine wise I was surprised that the 63 unit is not what I expected it to be. It has good torque but still needs plenty revs to get going properly (very unlike the 55 supercharged powerplants). I now share the opinion of a friend of mine (exotic cars dealer) who insists that the 63s do not go as well as a 500+ horsepower car should. Dont get me wrong its plenty fast probably faster than the M3 but I didnt find it that spectacular. I took it through some twisties and then I swapped back in my M3. There is no contest here, the M3 wins hands down. Its more stable through the corners and gives you that extra 10% confidence to push hard. The Merc is softer even at its hardest setting. As far as straightline go is concerned we didnt manage to drag them as there was too much traffic on the roads but I suspect the MB will be faster but it doenst give you that sort of superfast feeling you get in a 997 turbo for example.

The gearbox in the Merc is actually quite good much better than I thought it would be. The MCT box is based on the 7G Auto but has a wet clutch and revs more freely athough nowhere nearly as freely as the M3. The box has three automatic and one manual setting. In the most aggressive auto setting it produces spectacular throttle blips when downshifting, something the DCT doesnt do in the auto modes (havent tried D5 extensively yet). In manual it shifts very fast with minimal power interuption and overall it is very smooth. When going from 1st to 2nd it lets you know there is no torque converter just like the DCT does. Good box but DCT is better. Merc have done something similar to the M drive function of the M3, M5, M6 in the form of an AMG button as a shortcut to all the sportiest settings,however, its not on the wheel but next to the gearstick. My friends car didnt have the optional performance pack and hence no LSD. It showed in the slower corners but not very badly as the cars electronics did a pretty reasonable impression of an LSD. Overall a very good sports GT in one fine packaging. 10 out of 10 for posing factor not so much for driving joy.

M2381 · 06-08-2008, 02:36 AM

Agreed, test drove a SL the other day and I def think they could make a better gearbox. IMO its one of the better looking verts

PLAYON · 06-08-2008, 02:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gorun

Its actually quite striking in person, people would stop and stare at it, only those in the know came and checked out the M3.

That's what I like about the M3 though is the subtly of the design. It is by no means a sleeper but the SL63 AMG is a bruiser right out of the box, and it makes no bones about it. While attention is definately good, after a while it gets old. . .

Its like the difference between having a hot girlfriend (perfect proportions, she gets some looks) and having a hot girlfriend with HUGE tits (she gets way too many looks, people wanna play with her, touch her, prod her, call her when you're away on business, spend time with her whenever possible and before you know it you're selling her down the river because she gets more attention then you do)***

***none of the given examples are drawn from real life, instead they are all hypothetical situations of what could happen if you decide to purchase a Mercedes Benz. . .In addition I read somewhere that Mercedes owners are predisposed to developing incurable cases of the clap. Now is that a road you wanna go down? BMW for LIFE

ismelllikepoop · 06-08-2008, 10:49 AM

i dont get where you get subtle for the m3's design. with the hood bulge and vents everywhere, it's pretty flashy. On topic, the SL63 is pretty sweet. I was unsure from the pics, but seeing it in person I think it looks awesome.

PLAYON · 06-08-2008, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ismelllikepoop

i dont get where you get subtle for the m3's design. with the hood bulge and vents everywhere, it's pretty flashy. On topic, the SL63 is pretty sweet. I was unsure from the pics, but seeing it in person I think it looks awesome.

Subtle in that it doesnt command attention everywhere it goes. . .

e46e92love · 06-09-2008, 02:17 PM

BEST LOOKING VERT. For cruising along the shore its dead sexy, and great drive. But for performance, rather have an M3. In a perfect world I own a SL550 (don't need the extra power for just cruising) and an M3, with a 528i as my every day car.

xsilvor · 06-09-2008, 03:52 PM

I've been a Benz fanboy all my life, which is odd, because I drive a Lexus and I'm buying a BMW. In my opinion, it's not really fair to compare the SL to an M3, or to any car really. There are not hard-top convertables that are as perfectly proportioned as the SL. The lines are beautiful; top up or top down. The other verts just don't look as good as their coupe cousins. Maybe its because we've never had an SL coupe to compare to, but I don't see any convertables beating it any time soon. The new Ferrari hard top convertable looks great with the top up, but its rear is pretty terrible, and with the top down it loses 50% of its good looks.

As far as performance, its pretty obvious that in the end the SL will not, and could not, match up with a car that was designed the way the M3 was. The SL is a tank with a big engine and a sexiness to it that is only matched by Aston and Alfa Romeo's new 8C. Despite the cost difference, its still going to get trounced around a track by an M3, but I imagine most SL63 owners bought the car to look good, anyway.

I agree. Good for looks, but you can do better on driving enjoyment. SL for the beach, M3 for fun, and your own pick for your daily driver. (I'd go with a Nissan Titan

)

hellrotm · 06-10-2008, 01:00 AM

The new SL's are nice.

But the best looking Benz is the CL AMG's.

Damn they are good looking.

06-08-2008, 02:02 AM	#1
gorun Lieutenant 45 Rep 528 Posts Drives: W166 ML63 PP Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Where the roads are crap... iTrader: (0)	Drove SL63 AMG A good friend of mine got the new SL63 (525ps) and I took it for a 20 min drive yesterday. Impressions when compared to my DCT M3... The Merc has incredible interior and exterior styling. Its actually quite striking in person, people would stop and stare at it, only those in the know came and checked out the M3. The interior is a big step up from previous MB attemps bar the S and CL. The engine note is brutal, its bassy and addictive. Its hilarious the way the car coughs and makes all sorts of weird noises even when no or little throttle is applied. The engine note doesnt have the mechanical refinement of that of the M3, you know that noise that tells you that everything is working in perfect harmony but it is still very loud. Best sounding Merc I've heard. Engine wise I was surprised that the 63 unit is not what I expected it to be. It has good torque but still needs plenty revs to get going properly (very unlike the 55 supercharged powerplants). I now share the opinion of a friend of mine (exotic cars dealer) who insists that the 63s do not go as well as a 500+ horsepower car should. Dont get me wrong its plenty fast probably faster than the M3 but I didnt find it that spectacular. I took it through some twisties and then I swapped back in my M3. There is no contest here, the M3 wins hands down. Its more stable through the corners and gives you that extra 10% confidence to push hard. The Merc is softer even at its hardest setting. As far as straightline go is concerned we didnt manage to drag them as there was too much traffic on the roads but I suspect the MB will be faster but it doenst give you that sort of superfast feeling you get in a 997 turbo for example. The gearbox in the Merc is actually quite good much better than I thought it would be. The MCT box is based on the 7G Auto but has a wet clutch and revs more freely athough nowhere nearly as freely as the M3. The box has three automatic and one manual setting. In the most aggressive auto setting it produces spectacular throttle blips when downshifting, something the DCT doesnt do in the auto modes (havent tried D5 extensively yet). In manual it shifts very fast with minimal power interuption and overall it is very smooth. When going from 1st to 2nd it lets you know there is no torque converter just like the DCT does. Good box but DCT is better. Merc have done something similar to the M drive function of the M3, M5, M6 in the form of an AMG button as a shortcut to all the sportiest settings,however, its not on the wheel but next to the gearstick. My friends car didnt have the optional performance pack and hence no LSD. It showed in the slower corners but not very badly as the cars electronics did a pretty reasonable impression of an LSD. Overall a very good sports GT in one fine packaging. 10 out of 10 for posing factor not so much for driving joy.
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06-08-2008, 02:36 AM	#2
M2381 Major 32 Rep 1,286 Posts Drives: E92 M3, GTI Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: FL iTrader: (0)	Agreed, test drove a SL the other day and I def think they could make a better gearbox. IMO its one of the better looking verts __________________
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06-08-2008, 10:49 AM	#4
ismelllikepoop First Lieutenant 26 Rep 365 Posts Drives: m3 Join Date: May 2008 Location: pooptown iTrader: (1)	i dont get where you get subtle for the m3's design. with the hood bulge and vents everywhere, it's pretty flashy. On topic, the SL63 is pretty sweet. I was unsure from the pics, but seeing it in person I think it looks awesome.
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06-09-2008, 02:17 PM	#6
e46e92love Brigadier General 236 Rep 3,303 Posts Drives: e92 ///M3; X3 (wife's) Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: The East Side of Things iTrader: (0)	BEST LOOKING VERT. For cruising along the shore its dead sexy, and great drive. But for performance, rather have an M3. In a perfect world I own a SL550 (don't need the extra power for just cruising) and an M3, with a 528i as my every day car. __________________ "...it's not about the money and not about the brand of the car, it's about handling,performance and passion......And that, no other car has all together like an M3........when you talk about the most complete car the M is invincible." --Tony Kanaan.
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06-09-2008, 03:52 PM	#7
xsilvor Captain 67 Rep 992 Posts Drives: M5 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Houston, TX iTrader: (2)	I've been a Benz fanboy all my life, which is odd, because I drive a Lexus and I'm buying a BMW. In my opinion, it's not really fair to compare the SL to an M3, or to any car really. There are not hard-top convertables that are as perfectly proportioned as the SL. The lines are beautiful; top up or top down. The other verts just don't look as good as their coupe cousins. Maybe its because we've never had an SL coupe to compare to, but I don't see any convertables beating it any time soon. The new Ferrari hard top convertable looks great with the top up, but its rear is pretty terrible, and with the top down it loses 50% of its good looks. As far as performance, its pretty obvious that in the end the SL will not, and could not, match up with a car that was designed the way the M3 was. The SL is a tank with a big engine and a sexiness to it that is only matched by Aston and Alfa Romeo's new 8C. Despite the cost difference, its still going to get trounced around a track by an M3, but I imagine most SL63 owners bought the car to look good, anyway. I agree. Good for looks, but you can do better on driving enjoyment. SL for the beach, M3 for fun, and your own pick for your daily driver. (I'd go with a Nissan Titan )
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06-10-2008, 01:00 AM	#8
hellrotm Banned 4143 Rep 6,926 Posts Drives: F80 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: ...Location...Location iTrader: (0)	The new SL's are nice. But the best looking Benz is the CL AMG's. Damn they are good looking.
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