so this week i've been driving around my step moms "2nd car," a 1999 sl500 convertible. its been a fun week, and i thought it might be nice to compare the crossfire to what could be considered its big brother, the sl500.

first off, interior fit and finish on the benz is IMPECCABLE. i mean just top notch stuff, super soft carpet, and its really, really thick, like a high quality home rug. there is no plastic to be seen anywhere, just high quality leather and what i think is faux wood. it just so pleasing to touch every part of the interior, soft, plush and really beautiful. the car is rarely driven (only 59k miles in 8 years) and looks completely brand new, inside and out. its not surprising, seeing as how my moms convertible 1995 e320 (only convertible class and only coupe e class even made, very rare car) also looks brand new even after 13 years on the road. mercedes really does make incredible cars. its not surprising, as the msrp on a 1999 sl500 is 90k or so, but still, many automakers just cant keep up with the longevity of quality as a mercedes. the crossfire has a nice interior for its market, but its just not a fair comparison.

mercedes 1, crossfire 0

now as far as power goes, obviously the sl500 feels like a rocket compared to the crossfire, it runs about a 14 flat quarter mile, has 302 horses, and 339 ft. lbs or torque. i have driven much faster cars (read my dads 2007 xkr) but all that torque really makes you feel like you have the engine of a sports car. the engine has a very nice tone to it, but the exhaust sounds kind of crappy. the whole car tilts when you rev the 5 liter v8, something i haven't ever felt with my little 3.2. it feels like the car pulls harder and harder the faster you go, and it could probably hit 170 if it wasn't limited. i have only been up to 100 this week in the car, and it feels phenomenal at that speed, very similar to the crossfire, but much noisier (because the hard top is not on, just the cloth top right now). the 5 liter really feels like it would just be an absolute perfect match to the crossfire, i've always imagined mine with a v8 rather than a supercharger. the engine just feels perfect.

mercedes 2, crossfire 0
now handling. WOW, the crossfire handles SOOOOOO much better than this behemoth, and is scary because the steering wheels has 3 inches of play when turning either right or left. i tried to rotate into a smooth drift and got the crap scared out of me because of the lack of steering feel in this car. thankfully the esp kicked in and saved my butt. i know alot of magazines criticized the crossfire for a lack of "steering feel," which i think is b.s., but i have never driven a car with more perfectly weighted steering or a fatter steering wheel than the crossfire (and i have driven the above mentioned cars as well as a 3rd gen rx7, 3 series bmw's, sti etc.) i have never ever felt like i was going to lose control in the crossfire, but in the benz you just feel like the car is warning you not to push it. granted, alot of this is do to the cars substantial heft and skinnier tires (245's in the rear) and the body roll associated with the convertible top, but its not a fun car to drive fast in the bends. there is an insane amount of body roll.

Just to give you and example, there is a long, sweeping, circular on ramp that i take to get to work. i can hit it at about 75 mph in the crossfire without even losing traction in the crossfire. i took it today in the benz, pushed as hard as i could, and felt the rear end begin to rotate at 45 mph. its just no where in the same league as the crossfire in the handling department. im sure with stiffer springs, wider tires and some work with the steering rack it would be alot closer, but do the same with the crossfire and you are talking about Z06 type handling.

mercedes 2, crossfire BIG 1 (almost wanted to make this a two point round)

Transmission - you guys know my answer when it comes to this, manual> than any automatic, though this is a fine automatic.

mercedes 2 crossfire 1

WOW factor- honestly, both cars leave people staring, and while the crossfire is a real beauty, personally i think that last generation of sl's where the prettiest ever. everyone, i mean everyone stares at this car, even thought its an outdated design. and when the top is down, forget about it, you feel like a star. the crossfire is one of my all time favorite designs, but falls just short of the sl here. it just makes more of a statement.

mercedes 3 crossfire 2

driving fun - this one is kind of a toss up. when you are going in a straight line, the mercedes feels amazing. its not neck snapping, but just instant on throttle acceleration and feels like an old school american v8 with all that torque. any time, any speed, its more fun to push the go pedal on the benz. BUT, and a big but(t), the crossfire just trounces is far and away in any other situation, and i don't know about you, but i have taken numerous runs up twisities with my car (azusa canyon, angeles crest) and know what it can do on the open road when things get twisty, and its an amazing car in those situations WITH the stock suspension. the fact that i enjoy going sideways more than straight away gives the crossfire the edge here.

mercedes 3 crossfire 3

now if cost were the deciding factor, it would also be a tie. but im not motor trend so i don't decide competitions of cars based on price. the benz, a 1999 sl500 with 60k miles retails for about 25k, and for all the fancy stuff you get is definitely worth the 5k premium over a new crossfire that would probably cost about 20k. but the crossfire is new, would have zero miles, so that balances the scales.

either way, owning both cars would be a joy to own. if i had to had to choose, i would probably take the sl500, then regret it the next day. the first thing i would do was some serious work to the suspension. i feel if that were sorted out the competition wouldn't even be close, but then you would have to be fair and mod the crossfire, and given the already 5k advantage, you could afford to supercharge it and it would probably again be a draw. so thats what it is to me, a draw.

the most interesting part is my dad offered the sl500 to me when my lease is up, and while tempting, i feel i will just miss driving manual too much after a while. plus, with my new desire to track my next car, i think i would be too paranoid driving that fancy of a car around the track.