S2000 Vs SLK55 AMG review
01-10-2005, 01:18 PM
#23
Originally Posted by archtop,Jan 9 2005, 04:28 PM
Yeah,I know what he's say'in.I sold my 04' s2k to buy a c6 and love the power but really miss the s2k.I'm putting headers and exhaust on this week which should get me an extra 40 lb ft of torque at 2k rpms but unless you've owned an s2k you can't understand how incredible a sports car it really is.I'm shoppin for a used s2k to keep the Vette company. The Vette is great but so is the s2k.
01-27-2005, 03:11 AM
#24
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Good review and I agree with (most of) it.
I also have an SLK 55, but don't get me wrong, I really do love the S2000!
When I was thinking of buying a new SLK (to replace my old 2.3 liter supercharged one), I wanted to get manual. But by chance, on the same day I was test driving one with 6 speed manual, I also got a chance to take the V8 for a ride.
Needless to say, the 55 won my heart.
Anyway, what you guys say is true, the S2000 has probably the BEST shifter in the world. Clicking gears is a BLAST! It's just so precise it's incredible. The new SLK manual is good, but nothing like the S2000. I've had goes in many, MANY cars with fabulous gearboxes, but the S2000 was the one which was most pleasant.
MX5 and Opel Speedster come close tho'... but even then miles apart
Anyway, why do I not cmpletely agree with your review? Well, there's two observations I have had.
First, if I want to use the button shifters at the back of the wheel to go down more then one gear (or up), it works on my car to say, double or triple tap the shifter, meaning that it WILL drop from 6th to 4th or 3rd. It won't first go to 5th, then the 4th, then to 3rd, etc...
What I'm thinking is your gearbox might not have 'learned' your driving style yet.
The Merc auto trannies use a learning curve. They observe your shifting style, the amount of gas you apply, and will consequently modify itself in order to improve shifting.
For example, if I drive a lot in comfort mode, and then I switch to S, I need to do a little bit of heavy duty driving in order for S mode to become responsive again. It's true that there is a delay when you change gears, but what I've realised is that it totally depends on the actual moment you decide to change 'em.
If I accelerate with my foot down about 60-70% on the pedal, I need to click the shifter at about 3000rpm to have an instant gear change. If I decide to do it at 6000rpm, then there seems to be a wait. It might be that the tranny is trying to find the perfect position to set itself at. So sometimes you do jump up to the redline. But now that I've clocked several thousand miles myself, I've figured out the best times to change gears, even if there's a 'waiting' period in between.
This might all be fixed in a future tranny cpu/bios update (they often update the ECU on MB's when you bring them for the usual service), and it might only be a question of time. But you're not alone. Whilst in auto mode the shifter works really, really well, in manual, there still tends to be lag depending on the rpm you're going at.
Oh, and hello everyone, I've been keeping an eye on the forum for some time, just never registered.
I've had several goes in an S2000 and might one day buy one with a friend for the occasional pleasure ride (he's a Honda fan, but drives an Accord at the moment). I'm a huge convertible fan too
I also have an SLK 55, but don't get me wrong, I really do love the S2000!
When I was thinking of buying a new SLK (to replace my old 2.3 liter supercharged one), I wanted to get manual. But by chance, on the same day I was test driving one with 6 speed manual, I also got a chance to take the V8 for a ride.
Needless to say, the 55 won my heart.
Anyway, what you guys say is true, the S2000 has probably the BEST shifter in the world. Clicking gears is a BLAST! It's just so precise it's incredible. The new SLK manual is good, but nothing like the S2000. I've had goes in many, MANY cars with fabulous gearboxes, but the S2000 was the one which was most pleasant.
MX5 and Opel Speedster come close tho'... but even then miles apart
Anyway, why do I not cmpletely agree with your review? Well, there's two observations I have had.
First, if I want to use the button shifters at the back of the wheel to go down more then one gear (or up), it works on my car to say, double or triple tap the shifter, meaning that it WILL drop from 6th to 4th or 3rd. It won't first go to 5th, then the 4th, then to 3rd, etc...
What I'm thinking is your gearbox might not have 'learned' your driving style yet.
The Merc auto trannies use a learning curve. They observe your shifting style, the amount of gas you apply, and will consequently modify itself in order to improve shifting.
For example, if I drive a lot in comfort mode, and then I switch to S, I need to do a little bit of heavy duty driving in order for S mode to become responsive again. It's true that there is a delay when you change gears, but what I've realised is that it totally depends on the actual moment you decide to change 'em.
If I accelerate with my foot down about 60-70% on the pedal, I need to click the shifter at about 3000rpm to have an instant gear change. If I decide to do it at 6000rpm, then there seems to be a wait. It might be that the tranny is trying to find the perfect position to set itself at. So sometimes you do jump up to the redline. But now that I've clocked several thousand miles myself, I've figured out the best times to change gears, even if there's a 'waiting' period in between.
This might all be fixed in a future tranny cpu/bios update (they often update the ECU on MB's when you bring them for the usual service), and it might only be a question of time. But you're not alone. Whilst in auto mode the shifter works really, really well, in manual, there still tends to be lag depending on the rpm you're going at.
Oh, and hello everyone, I've been keeping an eye on the forum for some time, just never registered.
I've had several goes in an S2000 and might one day buy one with a friend for the occasional pleasure ride (he's a Honda fan, but drives an Accord at the moment). I'm a huge convertible fan too
01-27-2005, 08:18 PM
#26
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I remember a similar experiences when I drove the bigger brother of the SLK the SL55. The car has so much power it breaks the rear end loose and I can feel the wheel spin but with control. Seeing the ESP light blinks like crazy and the torque comes in real quick in the RPM. I have to admit the feed back is nothing like the S2000.
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