Ferrari maranello (550) VS Mercedes Sl 55 amg. It was compared about a month ago in road and track and the sl (supposedly out performed the 550. The 550 also had pattle shifters.

hey, the sl isn't meant to be a race car, the ferrari is much more nearer constructed by the track than the sl.

comfort is still a priority for mercedes, as a ferrari is meant to be sporty.

Uh, Ferrari dude! :eek7:

Not really much competition there.

you would be supprised how close they were the sl was on 2-4 secs off on the lap times.

Anyways...why are they comparing the 550...it isnt in there lineup...the 575M Maranello took over

I don't even think I need to answer this one- most can forsee what I'm going to say.

The SL outperformed a 550 Maranello?

Funny, real funny.

Ferrari 550 Maranello - V12 with 485 bhp, around $275K

Ferrari 360 GTC - V8 with 445 hp.

Mercedes-Benz SL 500 - V8 with 302 hp, around $90K

Mercedes-Benz SL 600 - V12 with 493 hp, around $127K

Mercedes-Benz SL 55 AMG - V8 with 493 hp, around $121K

So as you can see, how the SL 500 succeded over Maranello is beyond my grasp with provided information.

correction it was the Mercedes-Benz SL 55 amg.

Well, whether it was an SL55 or an SL600, none of them are a patch on the Maranello. They may (or may not) have the edge in a straight line, but when it comes to handling it's not even close. The SL600 didnt acquit itself too well in a slalom test conducted by Autocar a few weeks ago. Beaten by a Ford Focus, IIRC.

...yeah but that's slalom tests....
don't forget that the sl weighs about 500kg more than the focus.

another recent slalom test showed that the 1.6 focus is only 0.9secs slower on a slalom than a 911 GT3 RS (which posted the same time as an elise 111R and a caterham r500)
and only 0.2 secs slower than a Gallardo.

anyway.
back to the comparision.
just like to point out that the Sl55 AMG has quite a lot more torque and at lower revs than the 550,
quite useful on a race track so i'm not surprised if it beat the 550.

I dont see your point vis a vis the slalom test. Obviously the SL didnt perform up to scratch in terms of speed and agility. Yes there was only 0.9 seconds between top and bottom but that's still a 10% difference.

Just wondering, do the guys doing these slalom tests leave traction control on the Mercedes?

I was trying to remember exactly that... the mag is somewhere at home... i think they switched it off....

....um just pointing out that slalom tests don't really prove much, especially when the topic in question is talking about a race track.

the test i've got showed that the 1.6 focus (again, these are british results; i gather you guys have different set up on your cars...) is 0.19 secs faster on the slalom.

this is against a sl600.
the mag goes to say that the sl55 amg did much better when they last put it through simliar tests.

....um just pointing out that slalom tests don't really prove much, especially when the topic in question is talking about a race track.

the test i've got showed that the 1.6 focus (again, these are british results; i gather you guys have different set up on your cars...) is 0.19 secs faster on the slalom.

this is against a sl600.
the mag goes to say that the sl55 amg did much better when they last put it through simliar tests.

Do u have that issue of C&D??

....um just pointing out that slalom tests don't really prove much, especially when the topic in question is talking about a race track.

I didnt say anything about race track, im talking about handling, which obviously cant be defined as a number, but clearly a slalom test gives an indication of a car's agility. Is it a coincidence that the cars that topped the list (GT3RS, Elise, R500) are focused drivers' machines?

but the same article also pointed out that there was a technique involved in taking a car through a slalom.

hey i'm not trying to argue anything here.
just trying to point out that you can't really judge a car's track ability on its ability to take on a slalom test
(after all, the focus beats the sl600 in a slalom but in the track times?)

Should be SL600 in the comparo, not the SL55 AMG.

just trying to point out that you can't really judge a car's track ability on its ability to take on a slalom test
(after all, the focus beats the sl600 in a slalom but in the track times?)
Sure, im not saying slalom performance is the key determinant of a car's track performance. I was just saying that it's not irrelevant either ;)

Why the SL would beat the Focus on the track? There's the small matter of 500bhp vs 100bhp :lol:

Slalom Times for sportscar and exotics are geting shittier and shitter each year. :disappoin The lambo Gallardo Did horrible the focus also beat that as well.

see, that's where the pure numbers are misleading,
especially when it comes to things like a slalom test.
in short, a certain type of car suits a slalom test (i.e small, light..... think go-kart)
as it responds better to the techniques needed to negotiate a slalom.

surprise surprise, a big 2 ton car with too much power/torque does badly....

what this test does show, is that the set-up of the focus is near spot on
which
DOES NOT mean that the cars it can beat are not as good.

again, i should point out as someone else here mentioned to me, the cars that we get here in the uk are not the same in terms of suspension set-up.
so your 1.6 focus might not get the same results....

again, i should point out as someone else here mentioned to me, the cars that we get here in the uk are not the same in terms of suspension set-up.
so your 1.6 focus might not get the same results....

Yea well usaully the european cars have tighter tunered suspension then american cars. Thats also y european cars are smaller because europe is more crowded an smaller streets.

Its a ferrari! It sounds sooo good