On this weeks episode of Head 2 Head
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MotorTranscript
00:00 Hi there and welcome to the sporty two seat roadster edition of Head to Head.
00:07 [engines revving]
00:13 [music]
00:17 Woo hoo!
00:19 [engines revving]
00:21 [laughing]
00:23 This is the manliest thing I've ever done in my life!
00:29 On my right is the Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG
00:33 and to my left is the Jaguar F-Type V6 S.
00:38 Now, I've been living with this particular car for six months.
00:42 The reason why, it's part of the Motortrend long-term fleet and it was assigned to me.
00:47 And I mean, yeah, luckiest boy in the neighborhood
00:50 because just look at it and listen to it!
00:54 [engines revving]
00:57 And also, I've grown very accustomed to almost every person I pass on the street giving me the thumbs up.
01:03 It's just a very lovable car.
01:06 But let's not discount the SLK 55 AMG.
01:10 In fact, the reason I thought to bring this car was,
01:13 about two years ago when they launched it, I was driving a white one.
01:16 There was a white SLS AMG roadster behind me.
01:20 Now that car is just a better overall sports car.
01:22 Yet, I was able to stay out in front of it as hard as that guy was trying.
01:26 And I spoke with him later and he was trying, he couldn't pass.
01:29 That's because this thing handles so well, it's so light, it's so sporty.
01:33 It's just a really great roadster.
01:35 But then again, so is this.
01:38 Which one's the better two-seater?
01:40 That's what we're going to find out.
01:42 [engines revving]
01:45 [upbeat music]
01:52 First thing that jumps out at you about all F-Types is
01:55 they use something called soft paint.
01:58 Not a great name, but like the starter button, the shift paddles,
02:02 the kind of passenger grab handle, it's all coated in this soft paint stuff,
02:06 which just feels like the highest end rubber you can imagine.
02:09 It just makes it feel premium.
02:12 Now ever since the concept, the CX-16,
02:14 Jaguar's made a big deal about how this is more of a cockpit than a cabin.
02:18 The shifters, like something a fighter pilot would hold.
02:22 And what they wanted is they wanted controls so that you can
02:25 kind of like activate various performance functions
02:28 without having to take your eyes off the road.
02:30 That is totally true for one, and that is the little rocker switch
02:34 which turns dynamic mode on and off.
02:37 Dynamic mode is the most important part of the F-Type
02:40 because while it does a lot of things, like you know,
02:42 sharpens up the throttle and the shift times and all that,
02:45 it turns on the sport exhaust.
02:47 Our sound guy actually had to change the audio levels
02:50 because dynamic mode is just that...
02:53 psychotic. It's just that...
02:56 bellowing, that wild.
02:59 And I mean, it's so fun.
03:02 What's the point of a convertible, right?
03:06 It's not to set lap times, it's to make you feel good.
03:09 And you know, you get to hear the audio track in this car
03:13 in a way that you just can't in a hard top.
03:16 And it always makes you smile.
03:18 And that back burble.
03:20 And it's just fun, it makes you feel great.
03:23 So as far as a convertible goes,
03:25 this car really lives up to its mission statement.
03:28 So here I am driving the Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG.
03:37 It's a little tiny hard top convertible.
03:39 And the first thing you've got to point out is that
03:42 the sill is just a little too high to rest your arm on.
03:46 In my mind, the entire point of a convertible is
03:48 you put the top down and you cruise next to the ocean
03:51 like we're doing right now,
03:52 and you want to sit like this while doing so.
03:55 It's not the right angle, that's not good.
03:57 What doesn't bug me is the lovely Alcantara on the steering wheel.
04:04 I'm a sucker for it, it reminds me of the wonderful year
04:06 I got to spend with the Cadillac CTS-V wagon.
04:09 It says Alcantara on the steering wheel.
04:11 Guys, if you're going to make a steering wheel,
04:14 wrap it in Alcantara.
04:15 As for the rest of the cabin, you know, it's fine.
04:19 The problem with it is, you know, we've seen the new S-Class,
04:22 we've seen the new C-Class,
04:24 those might be the two best interiors on the planet,
04:27 and this is sort of yesterday's fish, right?
04:29 I mean, this is what Mercedes was doing a while ago.
04:32 Everything just kind of looks old school,
04:34 looks five or six years old.
04:35 One thing that this car does have which is just exquisite
04:38 is the engine.
04:40 AMG makes a big 5.5 liter twin turbo called the M157.
04:45 I know a lot about that engine because I went to Al Faltabach
04:47 and screwed one together.
04:49 This is that engine minus the two turbochargers.
04:52 Makes 415 horsepower, and if you open it up,
04:55 it sounds pretty good, it's pretty throaty.
04:59 Now look, Jaguar, they've cornered the market
05:02 on shrieking, "Oh my God" sounding engines,
05:05 but for a non-Jaguar, this is a pretty sweet sounding motor.
05:09 (engine revving)
05:14 And now's the part where we leave the beach
05:18 and head up to the test track.
05:20 The Jaguar is able to hit 60 miles per hour in 4.4 seconds.
05:29 That's excellent for any V6.
05:31 Then it runs through the quarter mile in 13 seconds flat
05:35 at 108.7 miles per hour.
05:38 It stops from 60 miles an hour in 108 feet.
05:42 The Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG with big V8
05:47 is able to hit 60 miles an hour in 4.2 seconds.
05:51 And since there is no replacement for displacement,
05:55 it runs the quarter mile in 12.6 seconds
05:59 with a big boy trap speed of 113.3 miles per hour.
06:03 From 60 miles an hour, the SLK 55 stops in 107 feet.
06:08 (engine revving)
06:13 The F-Type V6 S's road holding is pretty good, 0.93 G's.
06:20 And the Italian red Jaguar is able to run around
06:23 our figure eight in 25.4 seconds.
06:27 The SLK's road holding is exactly the same as the Jaguar,
06:31 0.93 G's.
06:33 And the much lighter SLK 55 AMG is able to run around
06:36 the motor trend figure eight in 25.1 seconds.
06:40 But as I always say, limit handling is one thing.
06:48 The way these two roadsters behave in the real world
06:51 is something else entirely.
06:53 (birds chirping)
06:56 (engine revving)
07:00 (birds chirping)
07:02 (engine revving)
07:04 Here we are, up above the canyons of Los Angeles
07:08 in a Mercedes Benz SLK 55 AMG.
07:13 Nice big fat V8 like we talked about,
07:15 over 400 horsepower, makes some pretty good noises,
07:19 and can really push this little car up here in the canyons.
07:23 I mean, it just flies.
07:25 And the steering is also pretty good.
07:28 And the steering is also wonderful.
07:31 You know, AMG, they've been getting better and better
07:33 and better about making cars turn,
07:35 and this is no exception.
07:37 In fact, I would say that the turn in on this
07:39 is kind of sharper, crisper, more immediate than the Jaguar.
07:43 Very little to complain about.
07:45 Oh yeah, the transmission, you can really complain
07:48 about the transmission.
07:49 It's that familiar, kind of dopey, seven speed MCT wet clutch
07:54 that AMG's been putting in everything for a generation.
07:57 And it's just kind of a slow transmission,
08:00 which is a shame, because it's a quick car.
08:02 Also no bueno are the brakes.
08:05 They're good, it's just when you compare them to the Jaguar,
08:07 especially feel wise, they're nowhere near as good.
08:10 And I gotta say, despite any shortcomings,
08:13 it really is a thrill to kick this thing around a canyon road.
08:18 Of course, that could be true of any roadster.
08:21 (car engine revving)
08:26 (car engine revving)
08:29 Obviously, we're now in the Jaguar F-Type V6 S.
08:35 I say obviously because this engine is just so loud.
08:40 Okay, so Jag versus Mercedes.
08:44 Well, the steering on this, while not as precise,
08:48 it's a lot of fun.
08:50 I mean, you're working a little bit more,
08:52 and it's kind of the point of a sports car is to work harder.
08:55 Also, this chassis is so much stiffer.
08:58 Now, all F-Types are all aluminum.
09:00 They're heavy cars 'cause they're wide,
09:02 and they're just heavy cars, but it's so much stiffer
09:04 that, you know what, I'll take that weight penalty.
09:07 And the brakes on this car are so good, too.
09:09 They engage right at the top of the pedal.
09:11 You get that wonderful initial bite
09:13 that you really want on a sporty car.
09:15 Now, you want to be in dynamic mode,
09:18 which, like I said, increases the throttle response
09:20 and the shift times, and opens up the exhaust valves.
09:24 And you want to go ahead and move the transmission lever
09:27 over into sport.
09:28 Now, I already said that when you're in dynamic mode,
09:31 the transmission's in sport,
09:32 so think of this as like a sport plus.
09:34 And it's just a whole ton of gears longer.
09:36 It shifts quicker.
09:38 And if you start using the paddles,
09:40 you get these wonderful, rifle-sounding upshifts.
09:44 It's just awesome.
09:46 (engine revving)
09:49 And really, what Jaguar has done here is
09:54 they've come up with the ultimate argument
09:56 against the electric vehicle.
09:58 Because why would you ever want one?
10:00 Because it'll never be able to sound like this.
10:03 And this is what I want.
10:05 I don't want silence.
10:07 I want the sounds of wastefulness.
10:09 (engine revving)
10:14 And sadly for Mercedes, I don't want that SLK.
10:17 Good car, but it's just not an F-Type.
10:21 And therefore, the winner of this head-to-head
10:24 is the Jaguar F-Type.
10:27 It's just righteous.
10:29 (engine revving)
10:42 (engine revving)
10:45 This will be a funny one too,
10:46 because everyone always accuses me
10:48 of being biased towards AMG.
10:50 But now I'm going to say, "Oh, Jaguar gave me a car,
10:52 "so I'm biased towards this."
10:55 I love can't-win situations.
10:57 (engine revving)
11:00 (tapping)