motor

scubywrxr · 12-21-2003, 03:26 AM

Its a pity that Gordon Murray did not have more freedom in the design of the car.. it could have been so much more.. Its a pity it ended being a pitiful GT rather than a true supercar.. as someone said- its an SL55 in a fancy suit!

stradale · 12-21-2003, 08:11 AM

A total mess are the exact words I'd use to describe this car. I hate the looks, it's tacky. And when the drive itself doesn't make up for that it's the end of the line for the SLR. Only if it was the last preformance car on earth would it end up on my list.

I pity McLaren and the original SLR (300)... This one shouldn't wear those badges.

BADMIHAI · 12-21-2003, 01:33 PM

heh...I'd still buy it! I just love it! It's so classy!

1zippo1 · 12-21-2003, 01:38 PM

I voted for the third option. I do like it because it is something different. A supercar with the engine in front of the cockpit... there aren't many examples of that. And well I think it just looks good! Pitty it isn't a better car!

ferrari550 · 12-21-2003, 02:26 PM

I do not think it is a screw up, it is a good car but it is not as racy as the CGT or ENZO, which a supercar should be i guess.
It is more like a super GT car, so i do not think they screwed it up but basically made a new car category.

draak666 · 12-21-2003, 04:35 PM

I second st-anger: too much Mercedes. Definitely has nothing to do with the McLaren F1.

jpatino03 · 12-21-2003, 06:42 PM

The Germans' recent automatic transmission and weight fetish really pisses me off. I mean, an auto in what's supposed to be a supercar...c'mon

pimrusis · 12-21-2003, 07:41 PM

Are you serious?! That car is amazing. Everyone should get the new issue of Auto Week and check it out. That car is hot. Better looking than the Maclaren or any Mercedes (which all look like hondas anyhow).

user · 12-22-2003, 04:10 AM

comparing the SLR with the Carrera Gt, and the Enzo Ferrari, the SLR seems to be the car most suitable for everyday driving. its an actual supercar that you can use everyday.

first of all the Enzo, yes its an amazing car, no doubt, and yes is a star on the track, but it's only a star on the track. its so low that if you want to driv on normal roads with downhills or uphills, you need to use the "raise nose" function each every time. second, the lack of airconditioning and a baisc radio means you'll boil in the sun or end up sliding across the road due to the rain that has fallen, which you probably did not hear cuz you had no radio. ah, and yes, inthe rain,,,, not a car to drive. indeed, it tries to achieve pure performance, and in that it certainly has succeeded but in the lives of mortals and normal roads, b-roads, you wont have the chance to put all the performance to use. and the price,,, well,, it sure is a very vivid display of wealth, and yeah does look beautiful and performs like lightning but pitty, that you wont be able to show all this everyday, as often as you would wish.

the Carrera GT. 6 speed manual transmission. a proper, proper manual. Ferrari seems to have placed the paddle shift to shorten track times, but the Carrera GT is all about driving envolvment, and the manual transmission is a clear symbol of Porsche's philosophy on a supercar. we all know that it has a racing inspired clutch, no sorry a clutch that's the closest to lemans. but being so it makes, stand still starts tricky, 1 st gear launches. according to many reviews, professinal road testers stalled the car in first gear. now manual transmissions are excellent, brilliant, but when things get out of controll, unless youve had professional driving training, youre better off with the paddleshift. the Carrera GT, is an astonishing car, according to some texts in CARmagazine, one the track, its even faster than the Enzo. the suspension is lemans inspired and nothing gets close to performance suspension than that. the engine is the epitome of Porsche engineering which says enough. but again, like the Enzo, you wouldnt be able to use all the attributes of the GT on normal roads and on wet surfaces, driving fast ina car like the GT might get frightening when things get out of controll.

the SLR, first, the drawbacks. it's weight, at 1680(topgear)1768(driver+fuel) its 300+ kilos more than the Carrera GT, and an estimated 400 kilos more than the Enzo. Does this mean that its performance is complete rubbish? no. first all, despite its weight disadvantage, its got the torquiest engine, at 750,ts got 100 newton meters more then the second torquiest engine of the 3, the Enzo, and the power of the SLR, well 626 bhp, is in the leauge of the supercar. second, car road testers say that the steering and handling arent quite as sharp and accurate as the Enzo's or the Porsche's, but the SLR's steering and suspension has been developed with Mclaren, the company who designed and constructed the F1, furthermore, the tuning of the suspension and steering rac has Mclaren's expertises all over it. so even on the track, it will match the Carrar GT, and Enzo's controll. its carbon fibre body, just like the other 2 cars, provide extreme rigidity and its cermaic brakes are race bred, even Mercedes engineers said the brakes were race oriente. according to Richard Hammond, top gear's road tester, the ride of the SLR was rock hard, but this is an attribute when performance driving is done. it means more stability better body roll controll, and its Mclaren tuned steering makes sure it can turn precisesly despite the tough suspension. in 0-100 3.8 and a top speed of 200mph +, its more than enough for anyone. so,,, despite weighing more than the Enzo andCarrera GT, the SLR has an amzing engine, carbond fiber contruction, whch means extreme rigidity, its steering has the precision technique of Mclaren, the suspension and brakes are race bred, and the acceration and topspeed is supercar territory. now in performance, its got nothing be ashamed about standing next to the GT and Enzo,. now the second best thing. its practicality. with all that performance, stability, agility, acceration and controll, you can drive it on all surfaces and use all the power due to the immense levels of grip, and take it wherever you want. you can actually use it to shop for sthings, the boot size is more than adequate enough forcross country luggage. the interior is comfortable, with aluminium, not plastic as Mr. hammond suggested, expensive leather, power windows, mirroros, and power seats, n steering column. its got a 7 speaker bose system and proper dual airconditioning. on top of all this its got airbags dual front, side/head, and dual knee bags.

so the SLR is the best car for the non race driver man, most of us. Sure, it wont out perform the Enzo and GT, but it has plenty of power and performance, doesnt fall short in that department compared to the GT and Enzo, and you can drive it on all surfaces and weather conditions. so it wont get its underbody scratched as often as the Enzo or the GT's, you'll be able to know the weather forcast, and still drive in the rain, and not get boiled in the sun and wont have problem in quick stand still launches or up hill starts. and you'll be able to carry luggage when you want to drive cross country, something the GT and Enzo are not so good at. so the SLR can play the Enzo's and GT's game of performance just as good as any of them, but the Enzo and GT will fall short in practicality, price, and,,, yes,, ah,, the best thing of the SLR, its reliability. you can absolutely abuse the SLR, one and off the track for as much as you want to, and it'll just be as good as new. on a recent articel of CAR magazine, the Enzo broke down in the middle of Manhattan, an gine part fell off. the Carrera GT has got the reliability but because its ability to go anywhere is not as good as the SLR's, the SLR is the most reliable car until proved otherwise. on the topgear website, American talkshow host Jay Leno drove the SLR and was impressed at how the car would not break even after being abused by members of the automotive press.

so,,, if you want le mans technology, pure involvment, the Carrera GT sets the bar, for formula 1 technology, the most known name in supercars, the EnzoFerrari is unrivaled, for formula 1 technology combined with reliability, everday use, performance that keeps up with the GT, and Enzo, the SLR is the standard. oh, and its absoluetely beautiful.

but,,, when it comes to choosing cars like these, whatever you're weapon of choice is you can't go wrong.

Bilal786 · 12-22-2003, 06:54 AM

HAHAHAHA, THAT IS AMAZING!

DUDE YOU REALLY KNOW YOUR STUFF.

I couldn't have said better myself.

You can bet there will be soem idiot thats gonna reply and say" slr what a shit car"

And as for the auto argument, well the SLR has buttons behind the steering wheel that can shift faster than you can by hand, so next time do your research before you put down useless comments.

And you're all basing your arguments over the fact that the kid hammond who drove the SLR didn't like it.

Big expensive Merc, would you be ashamed if you had one of those?

Unbelievable arrogance!

WhiteP · 12-22-2003, 06:57 AM

user a great first post!!

stradale · 12-22-2003, 07:48 AM

Yeah, a great first post. But, I don't agree.

A debate on taste is virtually endless of course, but I can say with certainty that there are people who hate the looks of the SLR. Me, for instance.

If practicality is what we're after with supercars nowadays, then still the SLR needn't have looked like this. The McLaren F1 has aircon, radio and luggage space, but is also a car with a proper gearbox, stunning supercar looks and a normally aspirated V12 which sits in the middle. The SLR might have buttons on the steering wheel, but don't be fooled. It's not like the paddle shift gearboxes as on a Ferrari or Vanquish. It's got a torque converter like any other automatic gearbox. Which shouldn't even be in anything remotely sporty. The brakes have not only met critisism from Richard Hammond BTW. Read the evo article on the SLR (it's here somewhere), in which Metcalfe reports a total lack of feel in the brakes.

You stated that the Enzo doesn't have airconditioning. That is not true I'm afraid. It has a fully automatic climate control with a sun sensor. And if you're still wary about the CGT's clutch, just ask st-anger. He can tell you from his own experience that this clutch just needs a different approach. Do it like that and it's easy and no problem at all. The journos who stalled it in first were either not listening to the people of Porsche or did not follow their instructions.

The ride height is just something you have to live with IMO. Although it's not so bad that you can't drive roads with crests. It's there for a reason as well. That's why these cars deliver the thrilling drive they do. Besides, I doubt the SLR can take the speedbumps in my town any better than an Enzo or a CGT.

If you want a fast car you can live with every day, buy a Bentley Continental GT, a 911 turbo or a Ferrari 575M. Sure they're not as fast, but if you use it for everyday driving you're talking about a margin you wouldn't notice in regular traffic. If you want a true supercar, buy an Enzo, CGT, Koenigsegg, Murcielago, Pagani etc. The SLR is somewhere in between in some sort of no-man's land. But why? People who pay this kind of money for a supercar already have another car as their daily driver and intend to use it on special drives only.

levensnevel · 12-22-2003, 07:55 AM

Just read a very nice review here
The only fact which I don't understand is why companies who came up with the fabulous Macca F1 and thrashing Mercedes Benz CLK GTR joined forces and produced the SLR. The only explanation I can come up with is that the most important market for this car, like Porsche's Cayenne, is North America.

1zippo1 · 12-22-2003, 07:59 AM

Originally Posted by Bilal786

And as for the auto argument, well the SLR has buttons behind the steering wheel that can shift faster than you can by hand, so next time do your research before you put down useless comments.

And you're all basing your arguments over the fact that the kid hammond who drove the SLR didn't like it.

Big expensive Merc, would you be ashamed if you had one of those?

Unbelievable arrogance!

Fist, let me say: user, great first post and I must say I agree with you on most of the things you say.

Some remarks however: you forgot to mention on of the biggest negative points - the brakes have no feeling at all. Ok this may be sorted out pretty easily but it seems they won't do it before they release the car... and a supercar with big faults even if they're easily corrected isn't that appealing.

And Bilal I don't have anything against auto gearboxes and they may be faster then me but shifting myself is one of the joys of driving IMO.

Overall if we're talking about the Enzo-CGT-SLR (so we're forgeting the Koenigsegg & Zonda). The CGT biggest problem indeed is it's clutch, and I wonder if it's possible to use the car when you're stuck in a traffic jam and you have to roll the car forward for just one or two meters each time...

By the way, I didn't know the interior was from real aluminium, not plastics, so good point!!

And yes we do rely on Richard Hammonds oppinion but not only on his. I also saw a review of the SLR on Turbo.fr & Motorvision and read an article about the car in CAR & EVO. They all share the same opinion. A supercar with an auto gearbox = a bit weird / the brakes make it hard to feel how hard you're braking / it looks exotic.

That the ride was hard, ok that's indeed a pretty weird argument. They say the Enzo is rockhard but I doubt that Richard has driven in many supercars... (not sure so don't shoot me) and other reviewers didn't mention it so I don't take to much notice of that comment.

1zippo1 · 12-22-2003, 08:03 AM

Originally Posted by levensnevel

Just read a very nice review here
The only fact which I don't understand is why companies who came up with the fabulous Macca F1 and thrashing Mercedes Benz CLK GTR joined forces and produced the SLR. The only explanation I can come up with is that the most important market for this car, like Porsche's Cayenne, is North America.

Aha, thx, I'm going to read the review now!!

But you're right of course. The biggest market for supercars is North America so that's probably why it has that auto gearbox.