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By
Robert Farago on February 24, 2003
After a winter's afternoon spent tear-assing around in Poole Harbour, a thoroughly frozen Mrs F. sank into the SL55's heated seats, switched on the massage button and drifted off into the arms of Morpheous. I immediately began the Sleep Test. How fast could I drive without waking my passenger?
Is that the sound of eyebrows arching? Many enthusiasts will insist that the best way to test a 493bhp automobile is to grab it by the scruff of the neck and thrash it to an inch of its life. Please! Have a little respect. The SL55 may be Mercedes' fastest ever production automobile, but it is not a rally-bred Subaru. It's a Benz. It's a big, heavy, luxury car. Tradition dictates that the SL55's driver displays a certain amount of 'decorum'. Progress should be rapid, yet safe and effortless. Hence the Sleep Test.
By
Robert Farago on February 17, 2003
Here's a good way to lose money. Take a mass-market saloon and spec it to the max: sat nav, heat insulated tinted glass, parking radar, Bi-Xenon headlights, 17" rubber, alloy wheels, sports suspension, Tiptronic gearbox and the biggest damn engine money can buy. Come trade-in time, you'll get just about the same money for your superfast gin palace as Mr. Repmobile gets for his plain vanilla version. And yet…
Your hi-spec mass-market machine will cost less than a bare bones prestige model. Case in point: the Volkswagen Passat W8 4Motion Sport. For £34,070, you get all the goodies above (including an eight-cylinder engine) for two hundred quid more than a no-spec six-cylinder BMW 530i Sport. The VW gives you more German automobile for less of your beloved English pounds, ja?
Recent Comments
newcarscostalot - It looks nice. I would like to see a head to head comparison against this vehicle and other trucks under contolled conditions to see how it stacks up.
Cammy Corrigan - May I remind people that the 240000 figure is a production figure. They use those units to sell GLOBALLY, not just in the US. Through...
reclusive_in_nature - I think the recent Impala SS is worthy of the moniker (of course I own one). Say what you want about it’s handling or how hard the plastics...
reclusive_in_nature - So the vehicle company that isn’t castrating itself to meet CAFE regs is the one domestic company that hasn’t gone tits up. What a shock.
confused1096 - Very briefly in the ’80s there was a Camaro with a 4-pot under the hood. It barely got out of it’s own...
confused1096 - My best friend has a very well preserved ‘85 or ‘86. Great little truck for what it was, very well...
guyincognito - @ Robert Schwartz, Have you not been in Michigan lately? Most everyone still applies the possessive to all businesses. I’m going to Miejer’s, I...
guyincognito - Seriously? I’m no truck guy, but I still think this vehicle is more in line with the F-150’s mission than a Lightning. Why diminish the advantages of a...
Kendahl - The Mini is so different from the various BMW coupe and sedan models that I have to remind myself that it is built by the same company. I...
guyincognito - “Anybody can slap a few shiny shocks on a truck and some fender flares. This truck is really nothing more than a “ZR2″ F-150.” As someone with...