The SL has a problem

"JR1" (type35bugatti) 05/25/2017 at 22:15 • Filed to: None

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It just isn’t pretty anymore. And what is an SL that isn’t pretty?

TheHondaBro > JR1 05/25/2017 at 22:17

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FTFY

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > JR1 05/25/2017 at 22:20

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I hate them, they have plastic bits on the vents that are cheap and look like shit. Yeah the Merc GT is a much better looking car and should be the SL.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > JR1 05/25/2017 at 22:21

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It hasn’t been pretty for a very, very long time.

Honeybunchesofgoats > JR1 05/25/2017 at 22:21

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I love SLs and I make no apologies for it.

JGrabowMSt > JR1 05/25/2017 at 22:22

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I hate to agree with this. The SL Class has moved towards mainstream styling over just understated class. They’re supercars in sheep’s clothing, and it’s unfortunate that they’re starting to take off that disguise.

djmt1 > JR1 05/25/2017 at 22:26

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Honestly it has never been pretty. Especially when compared to its rival regardless of the period.

JR1 > JGrabowMSt 05/25/2017 at 22:29

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I agree the car should be more about grace and elegance

JR1 > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 05/25/2017 at 22:29

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Truth

JR1 > djmt1 05/25/2017 at 22:31

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That is a unpopular opinion. And one I will have to disagree with. But to each their own. From my understanding people love the Pagoda SL.

djmt1 > JR1 05/25/2017 at 22:33

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Bah. The Pagoda is straight lump in an era of gracious curves. Handsome, yes. Pretty, no.

Carbon Fiber Sasquatch > JR1 05/25/2017 at 22:43

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The biggest problem that the SL has is this

And this

If the AMG GT is the sporty flagship and the S coupe is the GT flagship, what’s the SL for?

The only thing that I can think of is to make the SL more upmarket as the true flagship like the SLR McLaren and SLS AMG

Milky > TheHondaBro 05/25/2017 at 22:51

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Bruh

fintail > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 05/25/2017 at 23:03

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I like that idea a lot. The SL has became normcore rich oldster to the max, much more so than the 107 or 129 could have dreamed. I like the idea of the GT being the real SL, just as the SLC is kind of the modern 190SL.

fintail > djmt1 05/25/2017 at 23:04

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It has been pretty, but not much in nearly a decade. Of course, “pretty” is subjective.

Funny thing, it has always destroyed its rivals - Caddy tried twice and couldn’t get close, Lexus kind of did too, same result.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > fintail 05/25/2017 at 23:06

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Yeah it makes no sense, the SL is generally entry 911 money and up, which is what the GT is for right? The baby coupe is under it, the super coupe is above it. Why is there this shit SL alongside the GT? It should BE the SL.

Kiltedpadre > JR1 05/25/2017 at 23:12

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I never really would’ve called it pretty. I think the word I would’ve used in the past was elegant. There is certainly nothing elegant about the car anymore.

fintail > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 05/25/2017 at 23:12

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I have to attribute it to the German desire to fill every niche. There’s still a loyal group of wealthy retirees who buy these things new, to cruise the boulevards in LaJolla and Coral Gables etc. It must be enough to keep the model going, even if it lacks the cachet of prior years. From the 60s into the mid 00s, it was a huge status symbol. Now, not really so much on the radar.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > fintail 05/25/2017 at 23:14

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True, the GT is too sporty for them. They want a comfy sport coupe for getting to golf.

fintail > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 05/25/2017 at 23:21

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There’s the niche. They also remember when the 450SL was the ne plus ultra of cruisers.

TheHondaBro > Milky 05/25/2017 at 23:22

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GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 05/25/2017 at 23:22

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I came here to say the same as I have seen an AMG GTS with regularity for the last month and holy shit is it pretty. No clue why anyone would spend the money on a 991 with the Mercedes in the market.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 05/25/2017 at 23:38

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I saw a green one and wow was it pretty. I like that it reminds me of an old gullwing in a way.

Tapas > JR1 05/25/2017 at 23:57

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Its not pretty. That’s a sign you should get an AMG GT.

RallyWrench > JR1 05/26/2017 at 00:35

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I’d argue that it hasn’t been pretty since 1971. That doesn’t make it bad looking since then, but not lithe or particularly trim. The R107 made it fat.

bhtooefr > djmt1 05/26/2017 at 06:01

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Hey now, the W198 is pretty.

Everything else, though...

bhtooefr > RallyWrench 05/26/2017 at 06:02

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You mean since 1963, right?

JR1 > djmt1 05/26/2017 at 07:22

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I will admit you have a point compared to a Jag it looks bland but nevertheless I like it a lot.

JR1 > Carbon Fiber Sasquatch 05/26/2017 at 07:24

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The S Coupe is a personal luxury car not a GT. The SL is the GT

JR1 > RallyWrench 05/26/2017 at 07:26

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Perhaps I am alone in thinking so but I always thought the R230 was a great design.

Carbon Fiber Sasquatch > JR1 05/26/2017 at 07:33

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True in theory, but the SL doesn’t bring anything new to the table compared to the S coupe. The GT car should be faster, better handling but it’s too close to the S. Plus the fact that it doesn’t look as good doesn’t help lol.

It just needs to be more unique from the S coupe and the logical thing to do is move it upmarket. Put the pagani engine in it!

RallyWrench > bhtooefr 05/26/2017 at 09:38

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There is a strong case for it.

RallyWrench > JR1 05/26/2017 at 09:41

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Regardless of design, I cannot like them because I know too much about what lies beneath.

IAN_Z > JR1 05/26/2017 at 12:43

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The SL was only pretty in the first generation, don’t @ me.

JR1 > RallyWrench 05/26/2017 at 19:04

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Do you work for Mercedes or something

JR1 > IAN_Z 05/26/2017 at 19:05

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You’re not the only one with that opinion it seems

RallyWrench > JR1 05/26/2017 at 19:23

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Haha, no, but I’ve been working on them for over 20 years.

RT > JR1 01/29/2018 at 05:37

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Yep. This article sums it up well .

I loved the early generations of this car too. The R107 stands out as a highlight. It lasted through almost all of the 70s and 80s but never looked out of place.

We need more understated class in these cars like this^.

JR1 > RT 02/08/2018 at 07:32

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Those Euro headlights always looked better than the ones we got over here in the US