Test drove an sl350

[mr.tourette]

So in my quest to find a replacement for a the zed i have shortlisted 3 cars, A c5 or c6 corvette, an sl350 or a cayman S.

A little disappointed in the sl, was a 2014 model with only 44k on the clock, first impressions were good, nice looking motor to me, I know these things are subjective but I am a bit of a Merc fan, lovely understated interior.

Out for the test drive and the engine is fantastic, 3.5 n/a V6, liquid smooth linear delivery, soaks up the bumps and poor surfaces like it was built for it.. all good so far.. until you put your foot down and try and go round a bit of a bend..ugh not good, braking hard from 80 was also an unsettling experience with the car wallowing about like a hippo in the mud.. wasn't expecting sports car taut but wasn't expecting a complete barge either, I appreciate its a more gt car but you want to be able to press on without that much body roll and wallowing about.

If you're wafting about its lovely with very little turbulence in the cabin and that lovely engine, roof up its much quieter than the zed but there was still more road noise from the tyres than I was expecting.

All in all if I was after a great top down luxury motor for wafting then I'd be in it like a shot but its not quite there if you occasionally want a bit of fun in the twisties.. next!

 

[Silverstar]

These later SL aren't really known for their handling, many thought Mercedes would kill off the SL line but I have to say the new AMG SL looks real nice! I think probably you will have more luck with the Corvette or the Cayman.

 

[mr.tourette]

These later SL aren't really known for their handling, many thought Mercedes would kill off the SL line but I have to say the new AMG SL looks real nice! I think probably you will have more luck with the Corvette or the Cayman.

Hopefully. I really wanted to love it as its probably going to be the most reliable of the 3 but it just left me with a few doubts

 

[M1k3yC]

What generation Cayman are you looking at? A 981 GTS would be high up my shopping list if I was looking.

 

[Mr Tidy]

The Merc definitely seems to be more "cruiser" than "sports car", which is clearly not what you want.

A Corvette would certainly be an experience but for fun on the twisties I would have thought a Cayman might be the best bet!

Good luck narrowing your choice down.

 

[sars]

I might be wrong, but I have a feeling that as part of the facelift the suspension was lowered and stiffened with adaptive damping as standard. The first time I drove mine, first thoughts were how stiff it felt, though not uncomfortably so.

I would suggest you try a post 2017 SL400, I certainly miss mine.

 

[mr.tourette]

I might be wrong, but I have a feeling that as part of the facelift the suspension was lowered and stiffened with adaptive damping as standard. The first time I drove mine, first thoughts were how stiff it felt, though not uncomfortably so.

I would suggest you try a post 2017 SL400, I certainly miss mine.

Thanks Sars.. probably a bit over budget for me for a weekend toy

 

[Pondrew]

I would put money on you getting the Cayman.
A C6 (with the LS3) is a lot of car but don't they only come as left-hookers? They are also not exactly ....um...well built.
What about the old SL; ie pre-2000? I can't remember mercs designation but they were well built and are holding money really well.

 

[mr.tourette]

I would put money on you getting the Cayman.
A C6 (with the LS3) is a lot of car but don't they only come as left-hookers? They are also not exactly ....um...well built.
What about the old SL; ie pre-2000? I can't remember mercs designation but they were well built and are holding money really well.

I've spent a bit of time on the corvette forums recently and there's very few complaints on reliability.. sure parts are harder to get if you have an mot fail and you could be off the road for weeks but that's all part of the experience although I must admit running costs are occasionally casting doubts, left hooker I can live with.

Not a fan of the earlier sl.. I have started wondering though if a set of eibachs would firm things up a bit.. the 3.5 v6 was rather nice and if the suspension could be tweeked a bit I could see myself in one, Hopefully I'll try a cayman out soon, they are rather a nice looking thing.