- convertible 98,972
- 2,560 below average
- 12,923 good
- Concord, CA
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- autoshopper.com
- 2,560 below average convertible 98,972 black automatic
2003 mercedes-benz sl-class review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. Breathtaking new roadster with retractable steel top. introductionmercedes-benz has launched a totally new sl to replace the previous model. Press a button and, 16 seconds later, its retractable power steel roof changes it from the open-air fun of a convertible to the quiet comfort of a luxury coupe. The sl is packed with every bit of automotive technology that mercedes has perfected over the past dozen years, and that's a lot of technology. These will be followed by the top of the line sl600 next year. The sl500's 5. 0-liter v8 engine develops 302 horsepower. sl55 amg will be introduced in fall 2002 as a 2003 model. Brimming with performance, the sl55 amg uses a newly developed, hand-built, 5. 5-liter supercharged engine with more than 465 horsepower to catapult itself from 0 to 60 mph in just 4. 5 seconds, making it the fastest production mercedes-benz ever. The sl55 amg comes with racing-derived braking power. Immense vented brake discs and calipers are engineered with the industry's first electronic braking system, stopping the sl55 amg with racecar-like ability. Similarly, the sl55 amg uses a further evolution of mercedes' abc active suspension to imbue the car with cat-like handling reflexes while simultaneously offering ride comfort designed to surpass the competition. sl600 will be introduced next year with a silky smooth 6. 0-liter v12 engine. options include a motorola timeport telephone, voice activated controls, the parktronic parking distance warning system 1035), distronic radar-based cruise control 2950) that keeps a preset distance between the sl500 and the car ahead, a tire pressure monitoring system 630), and several seat options. Also available: bi-xenon high-intensity discharge high- and low-beam headlamps 900); keyless go 1015); panorama roof 1800). Sl1 wood package 840) includes wood and leather steering wheel and shift knob. Now almost 50 years in production, it is an automotive icon. It dates back to the 1954-63 300sl 'gullwing' coupe. The most recent generation of sls ran from 1989 to 2002. the air inlets in the front fenders were inspired by the original 300sl. The narrow, wing-like chrome gills are reminiscent of the first sl roadsters and are echoed in the hood. They represent the latest in lighting technology with a circular fresnel lens that concentrates the light emitted by the standard xenon headlamps. From the side, the rising beltline contributes to the car's rake. At the rear, the mercedes triangular taillights use 27 led bulbs designed to illuminate more quickly. . interiorthe mercedes sl has a completely new interior design, different from the cl coupes and very different from the mercedes sedans. two large round instrument pods carry the primary instruments, using smart, colorful graphics shared by no other mercedes-benz. The instrument panel and center console are well organized and feature the mercedes comand screen that operates the sound system, navigation system, and telephone, with redundant controls on the new steering wheel. Below center, just ahead of the shifter, are the ventilation controls, similar in style to the twin round controls used in the m-class suvs. The standard seats are larger and more sumptuous than the previous models because there is simply more room in the cockpit, with more room to adjust the seat for tall drivers and more room to rake the seat back. That's because the new automatic folding steel top design doesn't take up as much room as the old fabric convertible top. Behind the bucket seats are twin lockable storage compartments in place of the ridiculously small jump seats in the old car. The seats will adjust to anyone save a midget or an nba starter, and the cabin feels much more open than the previous model did. with the steel top up, the sl turns into a coupe as quiet as a church on wednesday, allowing the occupants to relax and cover ground while the new 10-speaker sound system (with separate 100-watt amplified subwoofer) bathes the interior in sound. With the top stowed, a 16-second process, the sound system compensates automatically for the increased road noise. And this sophistication can be enjoyed without consulting the manual. Acceleration performance is rapid for a 4000-pound car with 300 horsepower, but not breathtaking. The sl500 is capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in about 6. 1 seconds. That's quick, but not as quick as a porsche 911 carrera or chevrolet corvette. The sl500's 5. 0-liter v8 engine develops 302 horsepower. Peak torque of 339 pounds-feet is available from 2700 to 4250 rpm, and 295 pounds feet is on tap from just 2000 rpm. That flexibility is designed to give it quick response at all engine speeds. the touchshift five-speed automatic transmission is much improved over the last generation, with nearly imperceptible shifts up or down. Holding the selector toward the left causes the transmission to shift down to the optimal gear. On downhill sections, the driver can downshift for engine braking. automatic body control lets the sl corner with authority, even though the p275/45r17 tires are much smaller than those on the corvette, viper or porsche 911. A dashboard switch lets the driver limit body roll even further, while still delivering a silky smooth, quiet ride. electronics dominate the sl500 landscape: electronic throttle control, antilock braking with electronic brake force distribution, electronic traction control and electronic stability control. These systems have been added to other mercedes-benz products in recent years, but the sl500 breaks new ground in the form of the world's first fully electronic braking system. Drive on any mix of tarmac, gravel, mud, water, ice or snow and the onboard systems keep the car on the straight and narrow with very little driver input. These electronic features mean that this sl500 will corner and brake faster and harder and flatter. Bucket Seats✔ Cruise Control✔ Sport Package✔ Navigation System✔ Alloy Wheels
12,923 Concord, CAConcord, CA at autoshopper.com