It's Available In 4 Different Versions

It's Available In 4 Different Versions

When the words 'Mercedes-Benz SL' come out of your mouth, there are a few things you need to be aware of before you go on any further. First of all, this car is legendary, having been born 60 years ago as the famous 300SL. So if you'd like to have high expectations when it comes to it, be my guest. Second of all, and more important, you need to be aware that this is one of the most versatile luxury Roadsters ever made. The Mercedes-Benz SL is a lot like a luxury watch brand. Not everyone can afford it, but there are plenty of different models to choose from, be it elegant, sporty, stylish and so on. You're spoiled for choice. Such is the way with the SL line-up. It's available in 4 different versions, each of them able to directly challenge specific versions of pretty much any other luxury convertible in the world. However, the one I've been driving is the entry-level SL 400 - a car that can only go against the likes of the BMW 640i Cabrio, Porsche 911 Carrera Cabrio, Jaguar XK Convertible and Maserati GranCabrio.

Normally, all these cars would have been SL 500 rivals, but Mercedes went and got rid of the old SL 350 and the much faster SL 400was born. Thanks to its twin turbocharged V6 engine, this car is a lot faster and more efficient than the older naturally aspirated V6, but we'll get into all of that a bit further on. Let's start this chapter by talking about how the SL looks, in general, not necessarily this car right here. I think it's fantastic. I had a hard time deciding whether or not I thought it looked more sporty than elegant or vice-versa, but the SL will never make you compromise in such a way. That was true with the old generation model as well. In comparison, a BMW 6 Series Cabrio is almost entirely an elegant car, as it doesn't look like a sporty roadster. Not even a little bit. And so it's hard not to stare at an SL Merc. It's long, wide and it just looks like it sticks to the road. Oh, by the way, don't even think about parking anywhere where you have to drive up or down any sort of high angled ramp. The spoiler will touch the cement and you'll sweat it out until you can pull over to check it out. Take it from me. As for the front of the car, I love the somewhat retro grille, it works great with the big headlights and the ultra aggressive hood. And those "claws" on the hood have an awesome effect on you while you're driving. You feel fast, as you should in such a car. The somewhat modern-classic look of the SL can be found at the rear as well, where you have these elegant taillights. But the elegant look may not be to everyone's liking.

Rolling acceleration is comparable with a large capacity petrol engine. The zero-100 km/h sprint takes 9.7 seconds, about a second slower than the E320 petrol V6. The five-speed adaptive automatic's shifts are smooth and timely in most situations. They can be a touch abrupt when dropping down a couple of gears onto full turbo boost. The sequential shifts are also fine, if largely superfluous. Ride comfort is excellent in most conditions, though the E can occasionally become a bit uncomfortably floaty for passengers in the back seat. A set of mid-corner corrugations can load up the front suspension, close to the point of harshness. The E270 is a superb handler on the open road, especially when the surface is rough. The Classic has slightly longer travel suspension than the E320 Avantegarde tested late last year, so it has none of that car's problems with clearance and rubbing the front tyres in the wheel arches. The suspension is slightly underdamped, so traces of bounce and float can occur on undulations.

In tight corners, the E is surprisingly light and agile, though it exhibits a fair bit of body roll and some understeer. 225/55 Pirelli P7s on 16-inch alloy wheels provide excellent grip and are very quiet. The steering is accurate, but still over-assisted and too light at highway speeds. Lack of feedback remains an E-Class trait, despite the adoption of rack and pinion. Sensotronic brakes bite with amazing speed and power. Pedal feel is a bit on/off at low speeds. In the dirt, the stability control can overreact in corners and clamp the outside front wheel far too aggressively with the ABS. Almost as good as a petrol-powered Benz. Only when accelerating hard from rest does a slight vibration intrude through the seat and wheel. A muted diesel clatter is evident at idle and when the engine is asked to work hard from low revs in a high gear. 100,000 on the road, the E270 CDi is arguably the best value in the E-Class lineup. Economy and longevity are the two main reasons why people traditionally buy diesels. The E delivers here, but it is also an exceptionally refined luxury sedan, with remarkably strong, unstressed performance and great cross country ability.

From a performance perspective, what little power the diesel concedes to its petrol sibling is more than made up for with an additional 50Nm of torque at its disposal. So called 鈥榯urbo-lag鈥?is another unwanted feature of small diesels, but thankfully, it has largely been engineered out of the new B-Class. Turbo lag is minimal, and the diesel is quiet and refined. There鈥檚 very little of that annoying clatter, even at idle - a common trait that seems to plague many of the smaller diesels these days. Equally polished is the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission that drives the front wheels and is standard on all models. It鈥檚 not the quickest-shifting dual-clutch system on the market, but the gearchanges are smooth and effortless. More driver engagement can be had from using the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters - also standard equipment on B-Class. The B-Class employs electro-mechanical power steering that provides good weighting from the straight-ahead position and provides a decent level of communication for the driver without being too sensitive for the type of vehicle that the B-Class is. Through corners, the B-Class feels well composed with only a fraction of body roll.