Short Take Road Test
You know you’re getting old when the Mercedes-Benz SL550 seems like the perfect car. That might sound like a backhanded compliment to the car, but with age comes wisdom—and with wisdom, the realization that one needn’t drive at 11/10th all the time in the public domain. For more-relaxed motoring, a comfortable car that is really fast, handles nicely, and rides well is an alluring everyday proposition.
The last time we tested an SL550 was in a comparison in August 2006, when it finished first ahead of a Cadillac XLR-V, a BMW 650i, a Jaguar XK, and a Porsche 911. Since then, the SL has been freshened with a new grille, headlamps, hood, and rear bumper, as well as a mildly restyled interior that incorporates a refined media interface. The sheetmetal is definitely more aggressive, although the car retains the subdued elegance that a Benz ought to have—like the previous-generation E-class before Mercedes designers went all Bangle. The revised COMAND system is a vast improvement, and the Airscarf system—part of the $3850 Premium package—that wafts heat onto necks from vents below the headrests was added, allowing occupants to enjoy al fresco motoring even on a cold day.
Mature Doesn’t Mean Slow
Mercedes didn’t change any of the mechanical components on the SL, which is a good thing, because we rather like those. The 5.5-liter V-8 engine makes good power and torque, as well as a suggestive snarl under hard throttle. With 382 hp on tap, the SL reaches 60 mph from rest in 4.8 seconds, goes through the quarter in 13.5 at 105 mph, and continues on to a top speed of 157 mph before the governor cuts in. The seven-speed automatic shifts sweetly whether you decide to do the shifting yourself via paddles on the steering wheel or trust the car to do it for you. The brakes are excellent, pulling the car to a stop from 70 mph in 157 feet, highly creditable for a vehicle that weighs 4233 pounds.
The oleopneumatic active-body-control suspension gives the SL a compliant highway ride and helps keep it on an even keel during hard cornering. There’s a slight, nervous lurch onto the outside rear wheel if one gives the car a real bootful with the stability system turned off, but you have to be trying hard. Although the brakes and the steering seem a little disconnected at low speed—especially compared with a 911’s innate liveliness—it all comes together at higher speeds on back roads, where the steering is fluent and full of road feel and the chassis is pleasingly neutral.
A Full-Bodied Price
The SL does a great job of being a comfortable cruiser and a back-road champ, an easy-to-use commuter car for Wall Street barons. But big money is a prerequisite for ownership. The base price of our tester was $104,775, and a few options puffed that number up to $114,175. The clear-panel panoramic roof—for endless sun chasing even with the top up—added $2000; the aforementioned $3850 Premium package bundles Airscarf with heated and cooled massaging seats, a power decklid, and keyless entry and starting; upgraded leather cost $1550; and the Sport Wheel package cost $2000 and added dark-tinted head- and taillights, silver-painted front brake calipers, a manual shift mode, and 19-inch wheels wearing Pirelli P Zeros size 255 up front and 285 in the rear.
Although $114,175 is stiff, the SL earns its price. Top down on a sunny day, it feels like a rich man’s Miata: top up, carving through stop-and-go traffic, it’s as luxurious as an S-class. Add in superior build quality and hewed-from-a-block solidity, and it remains the gold standard in this class. We’d even say that the harder core SL63 AMG and the V-12–engined SL600 or SL65 AMG are almost too much car, given the inherent goodness of this one. Perhaps getting older—and wiser—isn’t such a bad thing.
