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Today, I'll take you guys through a small comparison between the SL500 '98 R129 and the newer SL500 '02 R230. First let's start with the basis of my test.
I test drove both cars on Citta di Aria in Arcade Mode. Aids were off, and both cars were using S2 tires (medium). Both were driven with Auto transmission and both were driven from the 3rd person external view so there's no discrepancy in how fast they are on the track. Please take note that while I consider myself a very good in racing games (and I am for the most part), I drove from the external view on both these cars so I really get a feel of them and I did not try my best on doing the fastest lap around. Other people will surely do faster laps, I simply took about 5 tries on either car, got a feel on them after about 3 laps and then went for 2 hot laps for the most part.
Let us begin with the older car first.
Mercedes-Benz SL500 '98 (R129)
Front engine, RWD
1800kg
5.0L V8 SOHC
301HP @ 5600rpm, 306ft/lb
hardtop/coupe version
Schwarz (black, black interior)
Time Trial: 1:56.091
This car was in production for almost 15 years from my knowledge from around 1989 or so until the new model arrived around 2002. This car is the classic SL look for me, being born in 1987. Right from the beginning, the V8's sound shows its age by showing me what sounds like a classic 90s V8 made for power cruising throughout the european highways. The power doesn't put the driver back in their seat right from the start, but the car has a very good amount of torque available to it and it will cruise lightly through the hillier roads. Though it doesn't show, the engine is ready to push on at every moment and will do so at even the slightest touch of the throttle.
The weight of this car is very apparent, especially through the corners. It is also apparent when braking, but due to the weight and aging chassis, it lacks the power to accelerate through a more demanding curve, forcing you to back down on the throttle completely and tap the brakes slightly and then immediately push the throttle as the car cruises its way through the corners of this italian track. This SL500 keeps on going through 1st all the way to around 70km/h, and full throttle in 1st gear anywhere around 50 will cause a wee bit of wheelspin, but it's a very enjoyable feeling that it makes when it does so. Its automatic also switches back from 2nd to 1st as soon as it slows down to around 65, so that it provides that extra power when full on throttle is needed right away. It looks to me like this car is more meant for the less punishing curves of the german autobahn.
In conclusion, this car has that aging feel of a grand tourer a la the older Bentley Continental T, since that's what it really is. It's not really meant for the track, it's really meant for that weekend cruise. The looks of it are really impressive, and it does really well in my opinion for a luxurios tourer, yet still having some power there to show off a bit when ordered to.
Looks 9/10
Performance 7/10
Fun factor 7/10
Expectations 10/10
Overall 8.5/10
Mercedes-Benz SL500 '02 (R230)
Front Engine, RWD
1840kg
5.0L V8 SOHC
301HP@5600rpm, 339ft/lb
roadster
Smaragdschwarz (dark green, brown interior)
Time Trial: 1:53.865
Though still weighing in at around 1800kg, the newer SL500 feels much sportier than the aging classic SL R129. While having the same amount of power, the R230's increased torque is somewhat noticeable. Being much sportier and controllable, a result of evolving technology no doubt, this SL500 pretends to have much more power available to it than it would really seem to. Pair this with a very awesome tamed sportscar feel that slides its way around corners and you've got a sporty tourer that likes to entertain its driver.
The weight of this SL500 is not as apparent through the corners of the italian corners. It is however very apparent during hard braking. It is also apparent in the tail happy nature of the car. However, this nature of the SL500 is a very pleasant one and just adds more to the enjoyment of taking this german roadster around the track for a lil' spin here and there. The 1st gear keeps on till 70, but unlike the older SL, its auto doesn't change from 2nd to 1st until it hits 40. This means that the car will stick in 2nd after slowing down to 50 until about 125, so it'll take a bit of time to get there, but it still does the job after all, albeit slightly slower than the older SL. It also does a very good job of sporting a modern look while retaining that classic SL badge of a powerful V8 tourer and also has that feeling of keep on going when asked to do so.
In conclusion, the newer SL500 is a very enjoyable car to drive. It still retains the feel of a heavy tourer that's rather meant for the highway road instead of the track, but in the end, it does provide an enjoyable experience around the track with its tail happy nature just like I expected it would. It also combines modern look with classic V8 nature of older SL's. Its 300HP V8 pretends to have more power than it really does, being only 2.2s faster than the older SL, but the car overall provides a much more enjoyable driver.
Looks 9/10
Performance 8/10
Fun factor 10/10
Expectations 9/10
Overall 9.0/10
The older R129 gives a much better impression of a luxurious tourer, while the R230 has the modern looks and a sportier nature. Both cars gave me a great time testing them.
This is only my first write-up, ever for a racing game actually, except this recent PGR2 review I did for another forum and some other minor car reviewing/testing that I messed around with.
I would like some suggestions for future car write-ups. Be advised that I don't really have too much money to spare, I'm saving to buy the black 787B and R92CP since I am only at day 520 right now and have about 5 million credits as we speak. I do have a fair amount of cars, but I don't have the credits to spare right now for a new Merc SLR or Zonda C12 or such. Also, I might be doing a small write-up on one or two of Forza Motorsport's cars if any of you are interested, you'll find them at forzacentral if I get around to doing one. The 288 GTO and 512TR are really fun to drive in that game, but I'll also be looking forward to testing out some other nice cars like maybe the Viper SRT-10 vs Viper GTS or maybe Corvette ZR-1 vs C5 Z06, who knows.
Thank you for reading. 👍
I test drove both cars on Citta di Aria in Arcade Mode. Aids were off, and both cars were using S2 tires (medium). Both were driven with Auto transmission and both were driven from the 3rd person external view so there's no discrepancy in how fast they are on the track. Please take note that while I consider myself a very good in racing games (and I am for the most part), I drove from the external view on both these cars so I really get a feel of them and I did not try my best on doing the fastest lap around. Other people will surely do faster laps, I simply took about 5 tries on either car, got a feel on them after about 3 laps and then went for 2 hot laps for the most part.
Let us begin with the older car first.
Mercedes-Benz SL500 '98 (R129)
Front engine, RWD
1800kg
5.0L V8 SOHC
301HP @ 5600rpm, 306ft/lb
hardtop/coupe version
Schwarz (black, black interior)
Time Trial: 1:56.091
This car was in production for almost 15 years from my knowledge from around 1989 or so until the new model arrived around 2002. This car is the classic SL look for me, being born in 1987. Right from the beginning, the V8's sound shows its age by showing me what sounds like a classic 90s V8 made for power cruising throughout the european highways. The power doesn't put the driver back in their seat right from the start, but the car has a very good amount of torque available to it and it will cruise lightly through the hillier roads. Though it doesn't show, the engine is ready to push on at every moment and will do so at even the slightest touch of the throttle.
The weight of this car is very apparent, especially through the corners. It is also apparent when braking, but due to the weight and aging chassis, it lacks the power to accelerate through a more demanding curve, forcing you to back down on the throttle completely and tap the brakes slightly and then immediately push the throttle as the car cruises its way through the corners of this italian track. This SL500 keeps on going through 1st all the way to around 70km/h, and full throttle in 1st gear anywhere around 50 will cause a wee bit of wheelspin, but it's a very enjoyable feeling that it makes when it does so. Its automatic also switches back from 2nd to 1st as soon as it slows down to around 65, so that it provides that extra power when full on throttle is needed right away. It looks to me like this car is more meant for the less punishing curves of the german autobahn.
In conclusion, this car has that aging feel of a grand tourer a la the older Bentley Continental T, since that's what it really is. It's not really meant for the track, it's really meant for that weekend cruise. The looks of it are really impressive, and it does really well in my opinion for a luxurios tourer, yet still having some power there to show off a bit when ordered to.
Looks 9/10
Performance 7/10
Fun factor 7/10
Expectations 10/10
Overall 8.5/10
Mercedes-Benz SL500 '02 (R230)
Front Engine, RWD
1840kg
5.0L V8 SOHC
301HP@5600rpm, 339ft/lb
roadster
Smaragdschwarz (dark green, brown interior)
Time Trial: 1:53.865
Though still weighing in at around 1800kg, the newer SL500 feels much sportier than the aging classic SL R129. While having the same amount of power, the R230's increased torque is somewhat noticeable. Being much sportier and controllable, a result of evolving technology no doubt, this SL500 pretends to have much more power available to it than it would really seem to. Pair this with a very awesome tamed sportscar feel that slides its way around corners and you've got a sporty tourer that likes to entertain its driver.
The weight of this SL500 is not as apparent through the corners of the italian corners. It is however very apparent during hard braking. It is also apparent in the tail happy nature of the car. However, this nature of the SL500 is a very pleasant one and just adds more to the enjoyment of taking this german roadster around the track for a lil' spin here and there. The 1st gear keeps on till 70, but unlike the older SL, its auto doesn't change from 2nd to 1st until it hits 40. This means that the car will stick in 2nd after slowing down to 50 until about 125, so it'll take a bit of time to get there, but it still does the job after all, albeit slightly slower than the older SL. It also does a very good job of sporting a modern look while retaining that classic SL badge of a powerful V8 tourer and also has that feeling of keep on going when asked to do so.
In conclusion, the newer SL500 is a very enjoyable car to drive. It still retains the feel of a heavy tourer that's rather meant for the highway road instead of the track, but in the end, it does provide an enjoyable experience around the track with its tail happy nature just like I expected it would. It also combines modern look with classic V8 nature of older SL's. Its 300HP V8 pretends to have more power than it really does, being only 2.2s faster than the older SL, but the car overall provides a much more enjoyable driver.
Looks 9/10
Performance 8/10
Fun factor 10/10
Expectations 9/10
Overall 9.0/10
The older R129 gives a much better impression of a luxurious tourer, while the R230 has the modern looks and a sportier nature. Both cars gave me a great time testing them.
This is only my first write-up, ever for a racing game actually, except this recent PGR2 review I did for another forum and some other minor car reviewing/testing that I messed around with.
I would like some suggestions for future car write-ups. Be advised that I don't really have too much money to spare, I'm saving to buy the black 787B and R92CP since I am only at day 520 right now and have about 5 million credits as we speak. I do have a fair amount of cars, but I don't have the credits to spare right now for a new Merc SLR or Zonda C12 or such. Also, I might be doing a small write-up on one or two of Forza Motorsport's cars if any of you are interested, you'll find them at forzacentral if I get around to doing one. The 288 GTO and 512TR are really fun to drive in that game, but I'll also be looking forward to testing out some other nice cars like maybe the Viper SRT-10 vs Viper GTS or maybe Corvette ZR-1 vs C5 Z06, who knows.
Thank you for reading. 👍
), but that's cool. What about an autobahn test to follow up? 
