SA Road Tests

Welcome

It struck me one day that people who love cabriolets, convertibles, roadsters, drop-tops, sports cars - call them what you will - are probably less concerned with who made them than with how they make their drivers feel. It's rather like motorcycles; there is an indescribable unity with Nature, a one-ness with the road and a bonding with the elements - the sun on your skin, the breeze through your hair and the living sounds of the open road.

That's why I decided to copy and paste all my cabriolet reports into a single folder where drop-top fans can find them all without having to scrabble through endless menus.

I have to warn you that it took a while to warm to the cabriolet phenomenon - convertibles are mostly loved, hankered after and driven by women, so we guys find them hard to appreciate. For that reason, you may find some of the writing a little tongue-in-cheek, sceptical or even downright chauvinist. What can I say? I'm male and I can't help it. Just bear with me though, because I believe that the stories still contain valid information that will hopefully help you make an informed buying decision.


*To read one of our archived road tests, just go to the list of manufacturers' names on the left side of this page. Hover your cursor over the name, then follow the drop-down menu that appears.

*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the reports, so even if you're looking to buy second-hand, you have an idea of what it cost originally.


Techno-review: 2014 Mercedes-Benz 500 SL roadster

For long journeys to lazy weekends

Posted: 9 November 2014

The car: This R231 version was released at the North American International Auto Show in January 2012. Built almost entirely of aluminium, with magnesium fuel tank shield and roof mechanicals, it weighs about 110 kilograms less than its predecessor. That’s after allowing for extra mass added by more sophisticated safety kit. The original saving was 125 kg. Benefitting you is that it’s faster, quicker, more nimble, has a lower centre of gravity and uses less fuel. For those bothered with plebeian detail, it now sells for less than it did at launch, while name droppers might like to know that famous SL-owners have included Steve Jobs, Demi Lovato, Jeremy Clarkson and Ice-T.

The engine: The previous naturally aspirated 5.5-litre, eight-cylinder, port-injected M273 motor made way for a 4663 cc M278; a direct injected, twin-turbocharged V8. They share bore pitch, aluminium block and Silitec aluminium/silicon low-friction cylinder liners. The new engine’s piezo-electrically actuated injectors deliver fuel more precisely, while multi-spark ignition enables plugs to fire up to four times per combustion sequence - for cleaner, more efficient burning. 

Other changes include a wider adjustment range for the variable valve timing system, a new timing chain arrangement and new engine ancillaries (oil pump, water pump, fuel pump and alternator) to reduce power losses. The engine uses twin Honeywell, previously known as Garrett, turbochargers. That’s one per cylinder bank, producing 0.9 bar boost pressure. Its gearbox is the Mercedes-Benz 7 G-Tronic Plus automatic.

Mercedes-Benz says these changes, in conjunction with vehicle modifications such as the stop-start system, allow the new engine to use significantly less fuel, produce lower CO2 emissions and make more power (320 kW vs. 285) and torque (700 Nm vs. 530). Car Magazine fuel indices for the two are 14.3 l/100 km (old) and 10.9 (new). My unscientific real-life test regime yielded 12.3 l/100 km, but I drove about one-third of the way with its top down and I provoked it occasionally.

The standard features: These include Attention Assist that suggests you stop for coffee when your driving style becomes erratic, active multi-contour seat package, and Active Parking Assist to aid entering and exiting parking spaces. The roof, that opens or closes in 20 seconds, has an electrically operated draught stop.

Then there’s the Driving Assistant package with Distronic Plus, Brake Assist Plus, Pre-Safe brake loading, Active Lane Keeping Assist and Active Blind Spot Assist. Inside we have the COMAND online connectivity system with its DVD changer and 17.8-centimetre screen, a shift-by-wire module with its short little shifter in the centre console, ECO start-stop function, electric parking brake, electromechanical steering, suspension with adjustable damping and the Frontbass system that uses existing body cavities to boost musical (duh) bass.

Moving on, there’s the Intelligent Light System, Keyless Go with hands-free access, Neck-Pro head restraints, shift paddles, windscreen wipers with Magic Vision Control (that means the washer water is fed directly to the windscreen wiper and on the side it’s sweeping toward). On the outside, LED tail lights and daytime running lamps save energy. We surely don’t need to get into all the stuff you already know; like power-assisted everything and more braking and handling kit than you could shake a stick at?

The experience:  This includes big, lazy V8 power that loafs along at 1800 rpm in top at 120 km/h when you’re feeling laid-back, awesome overtaking ability that wafts you up into heavy-fine numbers before you realise what’s happening and a wicked little twitch from its ass when you get cheeky with the right foot. The familiar E-S-M selector button is still there; E for easy driving, S for getting your sport on and M to work together with the paddles when serious manual-shift driving is called for. A separate Eco button on the dash tower deselects automatic stop-start from the mix but, rather annoyingly, switches back on at every restart.

Because this is a slightly ‘legacy’ model rather than one of the brand-new Mercedes’, its central computer can still be worked by owners over 22 years old. Thank heavens for that. Much as juveniles might lust after an SL or anything else bigger than CLA or GLA, very few would be able to afford one. So why require a B Compt. degree to engage the air on other new models for goodness’ sake?

My previous SL reports, 63 AMG and 400 AMG-Line, studiously avoided such banalities as cargo space and practicality. That’s because, apart from the occasional golf bag or minimal luggage for dirty weekends, such topics have no place in the context of a sporty lad or lady’s Bar-and-a-half motoring toy. To rectify that apparent oversight however: The boot is pretty fair with the separator, that allows one to store the roof, in place and even better when it’s lifted out of the way. A lidded box behind the passenger chair (the ‘other one’ is a dummy) looks big enough for Ma’moiselle’s pupil to stash a change of clothes and his vitamins. For other bits and pieces, there’s a very adequate bi-level glove box and narrow door bins. Her Bentley Platinum sunspecs go in a compartment of their own.
 
Finally, despite what the literature says, I found no peasant-friendly cup holders in this vehicle. Yay! SLs are meant for long haul ass-shifting to exciting destinations, not multi-hour traffic jams. Glad someone was paying attention.

Test car from MBSA press fleet

The Numbers:
Price: R1 550 244 including CO2 tax
Engine: 4663 cc, DOHC, 32-valve, dual turbo V8
Power: 320 kW at 5250 rpm
Torque: 700 Nm between 1800 and 3500 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 4.6 seconds
Maximum speed (governed): 250 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 12.3 l/100 km
Tank: 65 litres
Boot: 235-356 litres
Warranty and maintenance: 6 years/100 000 km

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so they can see I do actually exist.

Comments?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you thoroughly disagree with what I say? That's your privilege, because if everybody agreed on everything, the world would be a boring place. All I ask is that you remain calm, so please blow off a little steam before venting too vigorously.