SL500 upgrade to SL55 or not?

[flowrider]

The 55 is a great car as already stated. I test drove a 55 before I purchased my 500 and the only difference was the cars acceleration and the exhaust note, every other experience was the same so I personally decided the 500, at half the price of a 55, was the better deal. Having said that if someone wants a 55 regardless of the cost then go for it, its a hell of a car.

 

[249w123]

Why not just tune it up? Sure u can reach better than SL55 figures with a modded car!

 

[AMGeed]

Why not just tune it up? Sure u can reach better than SL55 figures with a modded car!

There isn't much in the way of hp gains on a n/a 500 engine. It would take a lot of ££ to even get anywhere near the stock bhp of a 55 engine.
However, big increases can be had from the 55 engine.

 

[BTB 500]

The 55 is a great car as already stated. I test drove a 55 before I purchased my 500 and the only difference was the cars acceleration and the exhaust note, every other experience was the same so I personally decided the 500, at half the price of a 55, was the better deal. Having said that if someone wants a 55 regardless of the cost then go for it, its a hell of a car.

As mentioned tweaking the exhaust is usually pretty simple if you want to improve the sound.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

There isn't much in the way of hp gains on a n/a 500 engine. It would take a lot of ££ to even get anywhere near the stock bhp of a 55 engine.
However, big increases can be had from the 55 engine.

A trip to Kleemann for a supercharger would be the obvious choice. It wouldn’t be cheap though.

 

[AMGeed]

A trip to Kleemann for a supercharger would be the obvious choice. It wouldn’t be cheap though.

I agree. Probably cheaper to buy a 55 and enjoy the boost

 

[segalm01]

my SL55 AMG has lovely supple suspension.. it could in no way be described as hard.. it makes me smile every time I drive it.. and feels like the £110,000 car it was new! any car can suffer problems . ask the poor chap with a 3 year old C43 with a broken engine...
I don't regret buying an SL55 I.looked at the 500 and the 350.. they were lovely but lacked the presence and kudos of a 55K AMG

it's a bucket list car.. for me at least.. a summer fun car.. owned a year so far..

Thanks for that. I don’t believe the suspension will be hard. I’m driving the 2006 one today so I’ll know then. I agree, it’s a bucket list car.

 

[segalm01]

My car is on the original 18" wheels.. as it came from the factory.. I have not driven a 2006 car... larger wheels will no doubt affect the ride... so a test drive is essential.......
this is mine on 18sView attachment 130137View attachment 130138View attachment 130139

Thanks for r the info. Yours looks fab. I’m not sure what size rims it has but I’m testing it today.

 

[segalm01]

Don't do it. Once you switch, you'll never be able to go back to a non AMG merc

 

[segalm01]

The 55 is a great car as already stated. I test drove a 55 before I purchased my 500 and the only difference was the cars acceleration and the exhaust note, every other experience was the same so I personally decided the 500, at half the price of a 55, was the better deal. Having said that if someone wants a 55 regardless of the cost then go for it, its a hell of a car.

Thanks for your opinion. I hope you enjoy the 500. Is yours the 5.5?

 

[segalm01]

In my view they became better and more sorted near the end of the production run, with more power. But it will be much harder to find a later car, there are far fewer of them about. In the final year of production (2007) there were only 66 sold in the UK, according to howmanyleft.co.uk, so good luck finding one of those.

I never found the ride harsh in my 2004 SL55, on standard 18 inch alloys, it was always supremely supple, smooth and comfortable. Remember this is not a sports car.

My SL63 rides on 19" alloys, and that is also smooth and wafty, even on our terrible UK roads. Sometimes I engage AMG sport suspension mode to firm things up a bit.

Do not be concerned about the '55 ride - it is smooth, but controlled. The ABC sees to that. Try driving one to see.

When you say "sunroof", do you mean Panoramic Roof ? It is not a sunroof as such, just a glass panel to let more light into the cabin. My '55 did not have one. I did not miss it, nor did the person I sold it to. It can be important to some people though. I have one in the SL63 and am not that fussed about it one way or the other.

I am surprised it does not have the rear luggage straps, I thought these were standard ?

Thanks for the information and your thoughts on the ride. I’m sure you’re correct. Te the sunroof, yes I meant glass panel. The luggage straps I understand were standard but then become optional from the 2006 uplift. My SL500 is 2006 and doesn’t have them either.

 

[segalm01]

"Hoping" is good.

Just don't expect "fuel economy" from a 510bhp AMG compared to a 300bhp V8. (BTW how many miles will you do in a year in it?)

What's 50% extra in annual fuel cost to a bloke who is coughing up an extra £13k in cold cash to buy a car that looks basically the same as his current one?

SL55 owners will be along in a minute to give you a more accurate number.

Thanks for that. And of course it’ll only be used as a second car and when the sun is out. On a run averaging 55-75 I’d like to think (“hope“) to get 26-28 mpg. Is that feasible?

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Thanks for that. And of course it’ll only be used as a second car and when the sun is out. On a run averaging 55-75 I’d like to think (“hope“) to get 26-28 mpg. Is that feasible?

There are so many variables which influence fuel co sumptuous that it’s difficult to say what you will get in your car on the journeys you undertake.

The fuel consumption will just be a relatively small part of the overall cost of running an SL 55 so I really wouldn’t worry too much about that.

 

[NJSS]

On a run averaging 55-75 I’d like to think to get 26-28 mpg. Is that feasible?

In a word "no". Others will give a more accurate figure, but I would guess much lower, probably high teens/low twenties,

NJSS

 

[flowrider]

Thanks for your opinion. I hope you enjoy the 500. Is yours the 5.5?

Mines the 5.0 M113 the same as yours. I think 6 seconds to 60mph is not bad for a GT cruiser and if I need more I have my Audi S5! I drive my SL sedately anyway so the 55 would not have gained me anything.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

On thé Sl500 5.5 you’ll do 28-30 mpg on that motorway speed run and maybe 23mpg going to the shops. (I get a consistent 28mpg from my 5.5 from my rural / suburban use)

With 510bhp the SL55 will be a chunk worse than that. Owners will comment. But you pay for what you get. (A Prius will give you 75 mpg all day long)

As BD has already said, do a spreadsheet of your annual running costs and the fuel cost difference will be minimal for your kind of usage

 

[SL63Mark]

Thanks for that. And of course it’ll only be used as a second car and when the sun is out. On a run averaging 55-75 I’d like to think (“hope“) to get 26-28 mpg. Is that feasible?

On my 2004 SL55 with mixed "A" road/city driving I generally got 19-21 mpg. The best I ever saw was 28.5 on a long motorway run.

Depends how you drive it. I used mine for weekend/occational use, so the fuel economy was not much of an issue. Are you hoping to use it as a daily driver ?

 

[G7Wagen]

In a word "no". Others will give a more accurate figure, but I would guess much lower, probably high teens/low twenties,

NJSS

If you drive it gently, you could easily see 25mpg on a long motorway run... drive it hard and it will drop to mid teens...
This car can cruise easily.. but so can your SL500... I don't drive my SL55 hard.. but still enjoy the sound and attention.. and the exhilerating but occasional hard acceleration... plus being at the wheel of the best and fastest automatic roadster in production in 2003... a consideration is, to enjoy its dynamic supercharged V8 engine... is only possible with a trade off to fuel used.

 

[BaldGuy]

"If you drive it gently" - Not sure a 55 owner does that...

 

[Gbrowncls55]

Thanks for your reply and opinion. The car I’m looking at is a 2006 with the proper flappy paddles behind the steering wheel 517 bhp and 40,000 miles. You say they are quite rare, so I suppose the question is whether they are more collectible than the earlier models? Also, although it looks fab and I plan to view it shortly it doesn’t have a sunroof (not a deal breaker) nor the rear luggage straps.
My current SL500 - 5.0l was a sublime ride across France in June. Some members state the 55 is a harder ride - is that so? Since that would be an issue if f significantly harder.

Thats interesting. I thought all 55k cars were 478 bhp or there abouts and had buttons and not proper paddles unless like me you changed the wheel for a 63. Learn something every day on here.