EBMCS03

And did you? waht did you think?
[/quote]

YES I DID !!!

It was a sunny day? and I drove it first with the top down. The exhaust note (with the top down) was a lot more pronounced and aggressive than the SLK350 V6?s. Punched the gas pedal in a turn, and the rear stepped out just enough to make it fun before stability control kicked in. Punched the gas in the straights and the exhaust note was absolutely glorious and it felt a lot faster then my 545 steptronics. Gear shifts on the 7speed automatic were quick and I didn?t notice any downshift harshness as described in the Car and Driver review. I didn?t play with the steering wheel shift buttons.

The driving position is low, cornering was very flat, the feeling when going hot into a turn was similar to but more natural when compared to my 545 with Dynamic Drive. I felt the seat hugged my body quite well and my WHOLE body pushed out together with the car in hard turns. Whereas, on the 545, I feel my UPPER body pushes more against side bolster (comfort seat). That?s what I meant by ?more natural?. I remember a similar ?natural? feeling when I drove a WRX.

The ride is surprising comfortable for such a short wheelbase. I would say, it?s 10-30% firmer than a regular SLK350. And just a tad harsher than a 545 with sport package (run flats 33 front and 35psi rear).

I then drove with the top up. To my surprise, the exhaust note was not muted. I?d say it?s about 80% as glorious as when the top is down. This is a significantly different from the SK350 V6. With the V6 and the top up, I could barely hear the exhaust note but instead there?s a droning ?mooooo? sound from the back of the car. Not very sports car like. But the V8 is a real beast.

Lastly, the steering is not as quick as I?d like. I guess I?m spoiled by Active Steering. But I think the AMG?s steering is still a bit quicker than then regular SLK350.

The June issue of Car and Driver mag has a full review. You can read about the performance numbers there. 0-60 in 4.3secs!!

There?s a production slot available in July for MY 06 and the car would be here by Sep this year. I can?t decide whether to get it this year since I bought two cars last Sep (the 545 and a VW GTI) for myself.. plus there's a wifemobile. Getting a fourth car for the 2 of us seems a bit too much. Although, my wife doesn?t mind the Benz as her summer car. I suppose I should get it while I?m still young
[/quote]

NICE! YA YA YA Get it get it!

alohalc

if you like it, if you can afford and the most important of all, your boss (wife) likes it. get it .

eugeneloke

you said it!

znod

I like the AMG very well. The engines are excellent. I would not hesitate if that is what you want. I assume you are talking about the 06 Vette. It is smaller that the C5 Vettes and looks much smaller to me. It is a major bargain. And, of course, if you really want to go fast, etc., then get the new Z06 after the dealer add-ons can be ignored. You might be surprised how nice the Z06's are and how docile they are until made angry.

znod

Superchargers. No turbos on Mercs. Yea.


Maintenance is not free on BMW's; implicitly it is included in the price.

znod

Just for fun, below is some comparative straight-line data on the some of the cars mentioned. No big deal; I just happen to have the data readily available. I did not include the Z06.

C6 Corvette Z51 C&D 12/04 4.1 12.6
C6 Corvette Z51 MT 9/05 4.4 12.6 113.20
C6 Corvette R&T 3/05 4.5 12.8 114.50 (probably not a Z51)
SLK55 AMG MT 4/05 4.5 12.8 109.20
SLK55 AMG R&T 5/05 4.5 12.9 109.80
Pontiac GTO R&T 7/05 5.0 13.5 107.1
Pontiac GTO C&D 1/05 4.8 13.3 107.0
Pontiac GTO MT 2/05 5.0 13.3 107.5
Ford Mustang GT R&T 12/04 5.3 13.9 101.4
Ford Mustang GT Conv C&D 6/05 5.0 13.7 103.0
Ford Mustang GT C&D 1/05 5.1 13.8 103.0
Ford Mustang GT MT 1/05 5.1 13.5 103.6

I like the AMG SLK55 very well. The photos are the best though.

Postel

regular Z4 isn't in the same league as the SLK 55 AMG, but what about the Z4 M???

Maybe the Z4 Coupe in an M version???

BetterMakeWay

Yes. Z4 M is already here.
And i think is more than a challenger for the slk 55.

0700700

holy batman ! thread ressurection !