More enthusiasm required please. Plus a detailed review after a month or so. Those are the new car rules around here
New car. I couldn't resist the offer. SL350
More enthusiasm required please. Plus a detailed review after a month or so. Those are the new car rules around here
OP
OP
Peter DLM
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2007
- Messages
- 2,285
- Location
- Milton Keynes
- Car
- 19 reg CLS 350d, 67 reg AMG GT R Caterham Levante
More enthusiasm required please. Plus a detailed review after a month or so. Those are the new car rules around here
I promise a proper update
In other news, the pic proves that the Smart has tangible benefits to outweigh the humiliation of driving it. It is 0.9 of a mile because one can find a parking space if arriving after 0900. There is a Smart only parking bay right outside the back door, precisely 5 steps away, to be precise.
Anyway, managed to get the top down on the way back as the massive black clouds and rain cleared off almost instantly somehow. :bannana:
Bad thing. Can't lower or raise the room unless stopped dead. I've operated the roof on my Smart Cab at 80mph before. :fail
OP
OP
Peter DLM
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2007
- Messages
- 2,285
- Location
- Milton Keynes
- Car
- 19 reg CLS 350d, 67 reg AMG GT R Caterham Levante
Attention Assist.
If the system detects you're falling asleep, a big hand leaps from the steering wheel and slaps you across the face and makes you pull over for a Coffee.
That's the same in the SLK. I'm not sure I'd want the boot opening rearwards at 80mph. A folding hard-top roof looks much better than a canvas roof IMHO. Embrace the technology.
OP
OP
Peter DLM
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2007
- Messages
- 2,285
- Location
- Milton Keynes
- Car
- 19 reg CLS 350d, 67 reg AMG GT R Caterham Levante
That's the same in the SLK. I'm not sure I'd want the boot opening rearwards at 80mph. A folding hard-top roof looks much better than a canvas roof IMHO. Embrace the technology.
I wasn't suggesting that it should operate at that speed, but 25mph would be nice, even 10!! 
Another bad thing, COMAND On-line not liking my iPhone 5 for supplying data. I'll research this and see if there's an update or knack to achieving it.
Good thing. Feel good factor driving it is off the scale. In Comfort suspension mode it rides better than any other Merc I can recall, apart from maybe the GL. Motor and 'box is sublime.
Mercator
Active Member
Very nice car. I appreciate you work at MB but what is the cost of leasing one of these for an ordinary private user?
OP
OP
Peter DLM
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2007
- Messages
- 2,285
- Location
- Milton Keynes
- Car
- 19 reg CLS 350d, 67 reg AMG GT R Caterham Levante
I'm not an MB employee
I do have close contacts there though. I think the cheapest cost was a 6+23 @ £646 for a standard car. This particular one I've had to insure for £81k replacement cost.
lucky man
I want to work for MB too !!
I want to work for MB too !!
Lagerlout
Active Member
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2009
- Messages
- 274
- Location
- West Sussex
- Car
- '72 W109 300 SEL 6.3 / '91 W201 Evolution II / '98 W140 S500 / '08 C209 CLK BS / '15 W222 S350
Another bad thing, COMAND On-line not liking my iPhone 5 for supplying data. I'll research this and see if there's an update or knack to achieving it.
Good thing. Feel good factor driving it is off the scale. In Comfort suspension mode it rides better than any other Merc I can recall, apart from maybe the GL. Motor and 'box is sublime.
Nice car! You can get a little software box for the R231 to let you put the roof up while you're driving, up to a certain limit.
mods4cars SmartTOP for Mercedes-Benz SL R231 Roadster - YouTube
peterg1965
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2007
- Messages
- 1,144
- Location
- Lancashire
- Car
- 2019 Audi Q7, 2018 Mini Cooper S, 2016 Porsche 718 Boxster S
What a beauty, the interior looks like an SLS. Love it in white too.
OP
OP
Peter DLM
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2007
- Messages
- 2,285
- Location
- Milton Keynes
- Car
- 19 reg CLS 350d, 67 reg AMG GT R Caterham Levante
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2005
- Messages
- 29,368
- Location
- Mittel England
- Car
- Smart ForFour AMG Black Series Night Edition Premium Plus 125 Powered by Brabus
That's a lovely thing!
OP
OP
Peter DLM
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2007
- Messages
- 2,285
- Location
- Milton Keynes
- Car
- 19 reg CLS 350d, 67 reg AMG GT R Caterham Levante
146 miles today, surprisingly good economy, though the never-ending 50mph section of the M25 obviously helped.
I left the adaptive damper setting on Comfort for the entire journey, bumps are handled very nicely indeed and the car still corners totally flatly. The brakes are amazingly good also.
I left the adaptive damper setting on Comfort for the entire journey, bumps are handled very nicely indeed and the car still corners totally flatly. The brakes are amazingly good also.
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2005
- Messages
- 7,612
- Location
- Cheshire, UK
- Car
- C270CDi Estate (late 2004 facelift model) - Bought 2005, Sold 2022.
I'm not an MB employee
Nothing personal - you have to look after yourself - but this kind of thing hacks me off a bit with MB. It seems there's a very wide range of people who can get spectacular lease deals on new MBs and if I bought a new one I'd feel either like I was contributing to that, or I was being ripped off.
nick mercedes
MB Enthusiast
I promise a proper update
In other news, the pic proves that the Smart has tangible benefits to outweigh the humiliation of driving it. It is 0.9 of a mile because one can find a parking space if arriving after 0900. There is a Smart only parking bay right outside the back door, precisely 5 steps away, to be precise.
Anyway, managed to get the top down on the way back as the massive black clouds and rain cleared off almost instantly somehow. :bannana:
Bad thing. Can't lower or raise the room unless stopped dead. I've operated the roof on my Smart Cab at 80mph before. :fail
Nice bottom, shame about the face.
Why have MB lost their way styling wise?
- Joined
- May 21, 2009
- Messages
- 6,132
- Location
- Planet Earth
- Car
- Polo GTi (and a travel pass for the train and subway)
To try and confuse Hyundai ?
There are some amazing deals available on these at the moment.
I am seriously considering getting one when I change my car. The new 2014 model comes with almost everything as standard, although I haven't seen one with the rear spoiler yet. I assume this is similar to the one on the AMG models.
Stunning looking car apart from the headlights which I am still not sure about.
Peter, what are your thoughts on the car now that you have had it for a couple of months?
I am seriously considering getting one when I change my car. The new 2014 model comes with almost everything as standard, although I haven't seen one with the rear spoiler yet. I assume this is similar to the one on the AMG models.
Stunning looking car apart from the headlights which I am still not sure about.
Peter, what are your thoughts on the car now that you have had it for a couple of months?
OP
OP
Peter DLM
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2007
- Messages
- 2,285
- Location
- Milton Keynes
- Car
- 19 reg CLS 350d, 67 reg AMG GT R Caterham Levante
Jules, yes the spoiler is the same one from the AMG models, though I'm not sure I like it.
I've covered 2,200 miles in the two and a bit months I've had it and its currently averaging 29mpg. The pics don't really do it justice, it's much more imposing in the flesh and the lights suit it very well. At night, it lights up very nicely when you press the remote unlock, it never fails to give me a good feeling to walk up to it.
Ride and handling are quite amazing really, it appears to have unlimited front-end grip from what I can tell. I've literally thrown it at a roundabout and hoped for the best when I've got there and found that it goes round without much fuss. Still rattle and creak free and bump absorption is very impressive.
I parked it next to the previous model and it unsurprisingly aged it by a decade, especially inside. The new look really suits it and you can see that it's the way that design is going for high-end cars (and Hyundais).
Bad things are as I've described above, the requirement to be stationary to operate roof, no remote roof operation apart from standing right next to it. Needing to find wide parking spaces is a big of a bugger and it's hard to judge where your nearside is when turning left out of a tight turn. I'm glad to report that my rims are still unblemished.
I've covered 2,200 miles in the two and a bit months I've had it and its currently averaging 29mpg. The pics don't really do it justice, it's much more imposing in the flesh and the lights suit it very well. At night, it lights up very nicely when you press the remote unlock, it never fails to give me a good feeling to walk up to it.
Ride and handling are quite amazing really, it appears to have unlimited front-end grip from what I can tell. I've literally thrown it at a roundabout and hoped for the best when I've got there and found that it goes round without much fuss. Still rattle and creak free and bump absorption is very impressive.
I parked it next to the previous model and it unsurprisingly aged it by a decade, especially inside. The new look really suits it and you can see that it's the way that design is going for high-end cars (and Hyundais).
Bad things are as I've described above, the requirement to be stationary to operate roof, no remote roof operation apart from standing right next to it. Needing to find wide parking spaces is a big of a bugger and it's hard to judge where your nearside is when turning left out of a tight turn. I'm glad to report that my rims are still unblemished.
Peter, many thanks for your updated thoughts on the car. I agree it looks a lot better and more imposing in real life than it does in photographs.
I like the AMG rear spoiler. The back has always looked a bit flat to me and so this helps to break up the lines a bit.
Yours does look very nice in white. I'm thinking of maybe iridium silver.
The size of the car is the only thing that puts me off a bit, although I don't think it is as long as it looks but it certainly looks very wide. Not sure I would want to attempt a road with a width restriction and some multi storey car parks can be tight as well.
I like the AMG rear spoiler. The back has always looked a bit flat to me and so this helps to break up the lines a bit.
Yours does look very nice in white. I'm thinking of maybe iridium silver.
The size of the car is the only thing that puts me off a bit, although I don't think it is as long as it looks but it certainly looks very wide. Not sure I would want to attempt a road with a width restriction and some multi storey car parks can be tight as well.
OP
OP
Peter DLM
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2007
- Messages
- 2,285
- Location
- Milton Keynes
- Car
- 19 reg CLS 350d, 67 reg AMG GT R Caterham Levante
Silver doesn't work on this car IMHO, or Black......unbelievably. 
Yes, it's wide and the front of the bonnet is several feet further away then you think it is. Thank goodness for parking sensors.
Having said that, looking down the bonnet is a nice view with the chrome strakes in your eyeline.
I've been in a few multi-story car parks, do you have to pay attention for sure. It only just fits through the air blower/drier at the local hand car wash place as well, the sensors max out on both sides lol.
Yes, it's wide and the front of the bonnet is several feet further away then you think it is. Thank goodness for parking sensors.
Having said that, looking down the bonnet is a nice view with the chrome strakes in your eyeline. I've been in a few multi-story car parks, do you have to pay attention for sure. It only just fits through the air blower/drier at the local hand car wash place as well, the sensors max out on both sides lol.
