For those of you who have been wanting a Boxster S and SLK 55 AMG comparison

2930 Views 30 Replies 18 Participants Last post by joyfulheart, Feb 10, 2005

alex_123

Discussion Starter · Feb 9, 2005

4

From Autocar

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jmejones

· #2 · Feb 9, 2005

"further proof that power isn't everything." HA, in the good ole U-S-A it is. Long live the V8 and long live the SLK55. A true "hotrod", not a pussyfootin' patsy trying to be like it's big brother[8D]

Disclaimer: of course, I respect the heritage and craftsmanship of Porsche. This is not to offend any owners of the P ride, but who wrote this article...Queer Eye for the NASCAR guy?

mazeeka

· #3 · Feb 9, 2005

What ever is said....
I just love the fact I push a botton and the slk become a hard top.
second....
every where you turn there a Boxter not the same with slk.
the slk has more modern fresh look. with a car like slk I porposley take my time to reach my destenation.

it usually takes me 5 m. to get to my starbucks...riding an slk might take few minutes loger.......................

just under a month from now i will own my slk.

white exterior
red interior
manual trani.
amg pkg.
premium pkg.
lights pkg.
entertainment with out nav
amg hood fins
amg rear lip spoiler
9006 hb4 ion/yellow fog bulbs.

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Shry

· #4 · Feb 9, 2005

Well...I was expecting the article to blow the Porsche away but obviouslly not....What do they know.

I did drive as a passenger in a Porsche the other day and I have to say I would feel more comfortable taking a corner at 50mph in a Porsche than my current SLK 350...don't know how - but the Porsche just sticks to the road round cornering...

BUT I STILL adore the SLK and would never swap it for a Porsche as it looks 100 times better and having a hard top convertible is excellent!!

dbslk

· #5 · Feb 9, 2005

I have to say that this is what I was expecting. Trying to compare the two really is a little like chalk and cheese to be quite honest.

Mercedes has never been aimed at peformance cars that can be thrown into corners willy nilly. Porshe has - although not always the case [

]

I think people will also want to look at "paper stats" to determine a cars ability but I think the real test should be how well it handles. There is no doubt the SLK will win in a straight line but things should never end there.

Ultimately this always going to come down to personal choice. I love the SLK and do not regret buying it. I know the limitations of my car and would not go head-to-head with quite a few vehicles on the road unless I knew it's limitations.

Ultimately the key thing is being able to blast people off at the lights - which it will do hands down. It has lots of power available for overtaking. Extremely comfortable to drive. It sounds great - unheard of for older Mercedes - not including SL55 AMG. And ultimately it looks damn fine!

I say enjoy your SLK and forget about the rest. There are plenty of other cars that will wipe the floor with us if you look hard enough.

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TLM

· #6 · Feb 9, 2005

If the Porsche A. Had a vario roof and B was not so seriously overpriced (I lease and it's not close), I would have opted for one.

It doesn't and it is.

Tom

fredfromny

· #7 · Feb 9, 2005

Thanks for the post.

Only confirms that the SLK55 could use wider rear tires.

It's ironic thast the vario- roof is licensed by Porsche.

steve-p

· #8 · Feb 9, 2005

TLM - 2/9/2005 1:02 PM

If the Porsche A. Had a vario roof and B was not so seriously overpriced (I lease and it's not close), I would have opted for one.

It doesn't and it is.

Tom

Well, in the UK the Boxster is 20% cheaper than the SLK 350, and the Boxster S is 20% cheaper than the SLK55 AMG. The SLK55 AMG with a few options costs around the equivalent of $100K in the UK, which is way more than the $65K or whatever it is in the US. As far as the UK goes, it's the SLK that's seriously overpriced. For that, you can thank DC who have successfully achieved artificially inflated prices in the UK by ensuring that they build far too few cars to satisfy demand. Fact: the SLK350 costs 25% more in the UK compared to Germany. There are still waiting lists at most dealers in the UK. Mercedes-Benz UK are laughing at us, folks.

I should point out that I'm not defending Porsche because of any vested interest. It's true that I drive a 911, but on the other hand, I've never liked the Boxster, and the new one doesn't change that. I ordered an SLK55 AMG because I wanted one. I know that a Boxster would be cheaper and, in some ways at least, better. But it's still a bland inverted bathtub of a car, and I still don't like it at all. The SLK, on the other hand, I love.

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Shinigami

· #9 · Feb 9, 2005

The SLK also needs LSD along with the wider tires for better handling. But the Porsche, with the engine in the rear, has a weight distribution that almost always seems to give a rear engined car the handling advantage over a front engined car.

I prefer front engined cars however. It just feels great to have that engine in the front, right before your feet. Gives a sense of power.

Oh, and they need to correct some mistakes in the article, such as the vario roof speed. It's not 25 seconds, it's 22 seconds at most. Nit picking maybe, but their allegations of the car being feminine like the old SLK, is also not quite correct. I know of only one person who retaliated into saying that my car was 'feminine', everyone else found it quite masculine.

Anyway, opinions as they are, will always be personal [

]

Give me the comfort and looks, as well as the roof of the SLK over ANY Porsche, ANY day. Thanks.

malibuite

· #10 · Feb 9, 2005

2

Shinigami - 2/9/2005 6:04 AM

Give me the comfort and looks, as well as the roof of the SLK over ANY Porsche, ANY day. Thanks.

I am not sure I would take theSLK over ANY Porsche....the new Carrera GT for example...[

]

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fredfromny

· #11 · Feb 9, 2005

Shinigami - 2/9/2005 9:04 AM

I prefer front engined cars however. It just feels great to have that engine in the front, right before your feet. Gives a sense of power.

Not to mention that you dont have to pull the engine to replace the plugs.[8D]

bigciti

· #12 · Feb 9, 2005

I know I'm beating the proverbial dead horse...but Mercedes NEEDS a 6spd. manual in the '55' if they want to compete with Porsche. You can't throw a car around a twisty road with an automatic no matter how good the transmission is.

gdewitt

· #13 · Feb 9, 2005

TLM - 2/9/2005 5:02 AM

If the Porsche A. Had a vario roof and B was not so seriously overpriced (I lease and it's not close), I would have opted for one.

It doesn't and it is.

Tom

When I price a 987S vs an SLK55 the MB is several thousand dollars more expensive.

Shinigami

· #14 · Feb 9, 2005

steve-p: yeah, MB's are expensive in some countries. What really amazed me was the cost of a Brabus exhaust for the Smart Roadster!

In Switzerland, it costs 1200chf. That's about Â£500. In the UK, it was quoted at OVER Â£1200!!!

[xx(]

dsballdo

· #15 · Feb 9, 2005

interesting.
my SLK 350 MT with metallic paint, ent.,comfort,heating,premium and light packages cost exactly $53000. the 987 S starts at $53000 without power seats, upgraded stereo , hardtop of any sort or airscarf. since 99% of my driving is at 35-65 mph, i couldn't justify spending 5-9K more to look like every other 986/7 in philly.

joyfulheart

· #16 · Feb 9, 2005

steve-p - 2/9/2005 8:33 AM

I ordered an SLK55 AMG because I wanted one. I know that a Boxster would be cheaper and, in some ways at least, better. But it's still a bland inverted bathtub of a car, and I still don't like it at all. The SLK, on the other hand, I love.

Nicely put. The Porsche Boxster doesn't have much magic for me. Sure its a great car, but there aint the roof or the airscarf, and perhaps more than that I want to feel like a kid when I walk away from my car, the Merc is the closest I can get to the Lotus Elise without the Lotus's (for me) poor driving position, difficult entry, difficult roof and lack of storage... but I mention the Lotus because of the grin factor. I noticed I was grinning the whole time I was driving that car and its a beauty, I am a sucker for a pretty car. Drop the roof of the SLK, enjoy the ride, and then look back after you park and how do you feel?

480hpSLK55

· #17 · Feb 9, 2005

The only thing that matterd to me was that the slk55 was faster, thats right eat that Porsche up. Im all about stright line, Plus i think that the 55 corners amazing it`s been sticking to the road for me and i love it. The Porsche might be a little cheaper and yea its a Porsche but i see Porsche boxsters all over the place, atleast the 55 is a more rare and sexy looking car. What i hate about Porsche is how there all so alike, lots of them you can`t even tell the difference cause there styles are so much alike, everytime they change or redesign there car it seems i really have to look to see the differences because there style change is so minor. I think Porsche in general needs a makeover. I would take a benz over a Porsche anyday.

NukeSLK

· #18 · Feb 10, 2005

Wow, as far as acceleration goes, the Boxster S is not even as fast as the SLK350. C&D clock the SLK350 at 5.3 0-60 and 13.8 in the quarter. And the speed governor did not work so they clocked 163 for top speed (a touch lower than the S). So unless you're going up against one on the track, have fun with them at the lights, or the 1320!

lambroskk

· #19 · Feb 10, 2005

I've ordered a slk350 and will get it next month. That said i went to a porsche dealer where my brother in law is a mechanic and test drove the new boxster. The car looks more fresh than the older version and more muscular. I love the looks of the car. It's very sporty and classic. It's aggressive. Especially in Black. Anyone who says it's not that great looking to me doesn't have great taste. The car's ride is fantastic. The only reason i didn't get it was because of the options. If i put on all of the stuff i wanted on it on the basic 2.7 boxster it would ring up the price to the AMG slk.

I actually find the new slk has some image problems even with the new styling.

I'm sure i 'll get over it when i get it next month[^]

bmwnomore

· #20 · Feb 10, 2005

480hpSLK55 - 2/9/2005 6:36 PM

The only thing that matterd to me was that the slk55 was faster, thats right eat that Porsche up. Im all about stright line, Plus i think that the 55 corners amazing it`s been sticking to the road for me and i love it. The Porsche might be a little cheaper and yea its a Porsche but i see Porsche boxsters all over the place, atleast the 55 is a more rare and sexy looking car. What i hate about Porsche is how there all so alike, lots of them you can`t even tell the difference cause there styles are so much alike, everytime they change or redesign there car it seems i really have to look to see the differences because there style change is so minor. I think Porsche in general needs a makeover. I would take a benz over a Porsche anyday.

I completely agree. I was just at the Philly Auto Show and I had to look at the back of the cars to see if it was a Boxster or a Carrera or was that a Turbo? They a look alike. I think the Boxster is handsome but,come on, every Porsche past or present look very alike. Like a upside down bowl. Am I the only one who sees this? And keep in mind to many people a boxster or Boxster S is regarded as the poor man's Porsche. I think the fresh style of the SLK says "A MERCEDES SPORTS CAR!" I get some major turning heads in my car. Because Porsche's all look alike, there not noticed as much. I'll never test the limits of my car or of any Porsche for that matter,not on my streets, so for me the SLK is perfect!

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