Reviews
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Age affects us all in different ways. Some of us gain weight or lose hair, others develop wrinkles or dicky knees.
Approaching its fifth birthday, the R231 Mercedes-Benz SL is getting on in car years and a few cracks are appearing. Thankfully, its looks are improving. The latest SL has always looked a little awkward to our eyes, but a bit of cosmetic surgery, particularly at the front, has resulted in much sleeker, more cohesive styling.
It lacks the rollercoaster acceleration of the bigger boosted V8s, but is more than fast enough for any road situation, the new nine-speed automatic making the most of the available grunt with a gear for every occasion and then some. Nine ratios may sound like overkill, if you weren’t told you’d never know as it does an excellent job of shuffling through its stacked deck and selecting the appropriate gear.
It’s quiet and comfortable enough on a freeway or similar, but it lets too many small road imperfections through on dodgy road surfaces, of which there are plenty in Australia, along with the odd creak or groan from the hardtop roof. When you’re charging $218,715 for a luxury roadster, it falls short of expectations. Points to Mercedes for cutting more than $10K from the SL400’s price though.
This is a worry as the last two SL generations stretched for 11 years, meaning the R231 is barely halfway through its lifecycle. With Mercedes’ product onslaught offering a range of open-top alternatives, from SLC to S-Class Convertible, we can’t help but feel there are better options available.
SPECS Engine: 2996cc V6, DOHC, 24v, twin-turbo Power: 270kW @ 5500-6000rpm Torque: 500Nm @ 2000-4200rpm Weight: 1735kg 0-100km/h: 4.9sec (claimed) Price: $218,715
