Another hire for a few days from the nice chaps at Classic Car Club
Great car....
I picked it up yesterday lunch and came back down the A13, wind in my hair, cruising to some classic rock at a nice steady 60mph. Everything feels slightly less rushed in this car, even more so than the Bentley felt. The heated seats go much hotter than others i've tried and they are essential, as without them it can start to feel chilly. The roof is very cool and fast to operate, the headlining being a soft plastic isn't that good though and it seems like there should be some trim around a section of the mechanism behind your head. The stereo is ok but nothing compared to the Audis, I think it's just a regular stereo though and not a Bose or similar.
The brakes are good, nice feel, the turn in is also surprisingly good and the car feels much lighter than it actually is, definitely a lighter feel then my 500. The back end feels slightly wayward though, like any lateral movement is not kept in check.
The gearbox is not as good as the Q7 one, well judged ratios but it isn't as intuitive as the Audis. The changes are just as smooth mind you.
The real problem with this car though is the engine, it's a fantastic unit in its own right, it seems quite frugal, revs nicely but feels like it has bugger all torque, it needs another 100lbs imo to feel fun. Having to floor it and use kickdown don't suit the car at all which is a shame, as when it does get round to 4000rpm it accelerates well enough, but is not what i'd call fast, just adequite.
As a coupe it's fantastic, very warm, snug and cosseting, you can feel it's not a proper hard-top but it never feels bad or soft.
As a convertible it kicks ass, being so low down helps with this, so do the brilliant seats, the best i've ever sat in, lots of adjustment and supportive. With the windows up, the roof and roll bar down it was a really enjoyable drive back to Peterborough early this morning, it made the journey into an enjoyable experience rather than a slog.
SL500 would be the perfect combination, I couldn't imagine driving it hard and the SL55 isn't as pretty imo. It feels great value as you have a fair amount of room for luggage and 2 genuinely different feeling cars for the price of one.
Really great car....
Dave!
Great car....
I picked it up yesterday lunch and came back down the A13, wind in my hair, cruising to some classic rock at a nice steady 60mph. Everything feels slightly less rushed in this car, even more so than the Bentley felt. The heated seats go much hotter than others i've tried and they are essential, as without them it can start to feel chilly. The roof is very cool and fast to operate, the headlining being a soft plastic isn't that good though and it seems like there should be some trim around a section of the mechanism behind your head. The stereo is ok but nothing compared to the Audis, I think it's just a regular stereo though and not a Bose or similar.
The brakes are good, nice feel, the turn in is also surprisingly good and the car feels much lighter than it actually is, definitely a lighter feel then my 500. The back end feels slightly wayward though, like any lateral movement is not kept in check.
The gearbox is not as good as the Q7 one, well judged ratios but it isn't as intuitive as the Audis. The changes are just as smooth mind you.
The real problem with this car though is the engine, it's a fantastic unit in its own right, it seems quite frugal, revs nicely but feels like it has bugger all torque, it needs another 100lbs imo to feel fun. Having to floor it and use kickdown don't suit the car at all which is a shame, as when it does get round to 4000rpm it accelerates well enough, but is not what i'd call fast, just adequite.
As a coupe it's fantastic, very warm, snug and cosseting, you can feel it's not a proper hard-top but it never feels bad or soft.
As a convertible it kicks ass, being so low down helps with this, so do the brilliant seats, the best i've ever sat in, lots of adjustment and supportive. With the windows up, the roof and roll bar down it was a really enjoyable drive back to Peterborough early this morning, it made the journey into an enjoyable experience rather than a slog.
SL500 would be the perfect combination, I couldn't imagine driving it hard and the SL55 isn't as pretty imo. It feels great value as you have a fair amount of room for luggage and 2 genuinely different feeling cars for the price of one.
Really great car....
Dave!
