This review originally appeared in the April
2015 edition of the Northern &
Central California Cruisin’ News published out
of Folsom, California – mg
Him: “Hey, I’ve got a new car I want you to
look at, maybe shake it down with me.”
Me: “I already have more cars than I can
review right now, you know that.”
Him: “It’s a new Mercedes-Benz SL550”
Me: “I’ll be right there.”
These opportunities don’t come along every day, and really, how many more chances am I going to get to climb behind the wheel of a wondrous M-B convertible at my age? Not many, let me assure you.
Naturally, I jumped at the chance. But not too quickly. Yes, the hardtop convertible show where the
roof retreats into the back end of the car is still worth the price of
admission, which is north of $105,000 new.
But this is a serious piece of machinery
with 429 horsepower screaming out of the 4.7-liter V-8. Fuel mileage is 17 miles per gallon in the
city and 24 mpg on the highway, but that’s just a wager on a 10-foot putt at
the country club in this high-flying buyer segment.
Still, I was wary. I baby-stepped it up to 60 mph and then 70
mph. What was I thinking? The V-8 performed so smoothly that I was
touching 80 in a heartbeat, yet not a quiver or quake from the car.
This is the kind buttery performance that
can get you in trouble if you’re not prepared, like slugging down sweet-tasting
White Russians at a Vegas bar and suddenly realizing the attractive lady you’ve
been chatting with is actually a slot machine.
But I digress.
Once I mastered the rhythm of the tester’s
accelerator from a standing start – following several incredibly embarrassing
lurches into intersections – I was good to go. Once comfortable, I was able to
enjoy the opulent, luxurious surroundings in this SL550. Mercedes-Benz did not hold back in that
department. Ditto scores of safety
features and driving-enhancement technologies.
Please note that this SL550 is a relatively
low rider. So if you get nervous
motoring between large trucks on your commute, it’s probably not gong to be
your cup of tea. It’s best to unwind the
SL500 on twisty Sierra Nevada foothills roads
on a quiet afternoon. Much more pleasure
to be derived there, believe me.
The big gripe with Mercedes-Benz used to be
glitches in the numerous on-board electrical systems. Although my time in the SL550 was short, I
sensed none of that this time around.
And I sampled about everything in the cockpit. I’m assuming those glitches left the train
station long ago.
In the end, I didn’t want to leave this
luxurious, robust performer. I was just
getting comfortable with it. It’s
top-drawer all the way. If you have the bucks to buy this SL550, go for
it. And I salute you.
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