The new SL comes in third place. MotorTrend likes the car but they say it does not have en emotional connection, it is all business. This is the same criticism the previous generation SL received. When you want to get down and dirty the SL prefers to cruise. The SL is the sophisticated and mature adult in this group.
The 650i finishes in second place, barely. MotorTrend states it got ahead by the "skin of its teeth" simply due to its advantage in the handling department. The 650i is more fun in the curves and offers more feedback. It gets ahead because it is more fun to drive. Pretty amazing considering the 650i is the heaviest car in the test. Yes, the 6 Series is 450 pound heavier with its soft top than the SL550 is with its folding hard top. Something at BMW clearly is not efficient or dynamic when the Mercedes SL looks lightweight in comparison to the 6 Series.
The clear winner is the Porsche 991 Carrera S Convertible and it is not all too hard to see why. It handles better than either car. It outperforms either car. It is lighter than either car. It gets better mileage than either car. Most importantly, it is much more fun to drive than either the Bimmer or Benz. The only downside to the Carrera S really is that the rear seats are useless but only in comparison to the 6 Series. If someone wants the top down with 4 people, this is the only area where the Porsche loses.
We agree with the conclusions MotorTrend came to except that we would have put the F13 6 Series in last place. Both the SL550 and Carrera S are considerably lighter and offer greater performance. At some point, BMW really needs to start getting punished for the behemoths it is putting out in these latest generations. The SL550 and Carrera S also offer considerably more lateral acceleration on the skidpad. The numbers against the 6 Series are simply too overwhelming to look past simply because the 6 Series has a tinge more steering feedback than the Mercedes.
Performance wise it is rather amazing the Carrera S is the fastest car here with the smallest motor and no turbos. The PDK transmission no doubt helps but the Carrera S runs a very impressive 12.1@116 all with a naturally aspirated 3.8 liter flat-6. The SL550 manages a 12.5@114 and the BMW lags behind with a 13.3@108.8 with its N63 twin turbo V8. Even the new twin turbo motors with all their torque simply can not overcome an efficient drivetrain and a great power to weight ratio. Porsche shows the other Germans once again how it is done.
| 2012 BMW 650i | 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550 | 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet | |
| POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS | |||
| DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT | Front engine, RWD | Front engine, RWD | Rear engine, RWD |
| ENGINE TYPE | Twin-turbo 90-deg V-8, alum block/heads | Twin-turbo 90-deg V-8, alum block/heads | Flat-6, alum block/heads |
| VALVETRAIN | DOHC, 4 valves/cyl | DOHC, 4 valves/cyl | DOHC, 4 valves/cyl |
| DISPLACEMENT | 268.2 cu in/4395 cc | 284.6 cu in/4663 cc | 231.9 cu in/3799 cc |
| COMPRESSION RATIO | 10.0:1 | 10.5:1 | 12.5:1 |
| POWER (SAE NET) | 400 hp @ 5500 rpm | 429 hp @ 5250 rpm | 400 hp @ 7400 rpm |
| TORQUE (SAE NET) | 450 lb-ft @ 1750 rpm | 516 lb-ft @ 516 rpm | 325 lb-ft @ 5600 rpm |
| REDLINE | 7000 rpm | 6300 rpm | 7500 rpm |
| WEIGHT TO POWER | 11.4 lb/hp | 9.6 lb/hp | 8.7 lb/hp |
| TRANSMISSION | 8-speed automatic | 7-speed automatic | 7-speed twin-clutch auto. |
| AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO | 3.08:1/2.05:1 | 2.65:1/1.93:1 | 3.44:1/2.13:1 |
| SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR | Multi-link, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multi-link, coil springs, anti-roll bar | Multi-link, hydraulic and coil springs, adj shocks; multi-link, hydraulic and coil springs, adj shocks | Struts, coil springs, adj shocks, adj anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, adj shocks, adj anti-roll bar |
| STEERING RATIO | 17.2:1 | 15.9:1 (on center) | 12.3:1-16.6:1 |
| TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK | 2.0 | 2.2 | 2.5 |
| BRAKES, F;R | 13.7-in vented disc; 13.6-in vented disc, ABS | 13.5-in vented, drilled disc; 12.6-in vented, disc, ABS | 13.4-in vented, drilled disc; 13.0-in vented, drilled disc, ABS |
| WHEELS, F;R | 8.5 x 19-in, cast aluminum | 9.0 x 18-in; 10.0 x 18-in, cast aluminum | 8.5 x 20-in; 11.0 x 20-in, cast aluminum |
| TIRES, F;R | 245/40R19 98V M+S Goodyear Eagle LS2 RFT | 255/35ZR19 96Y; 285/30ZR19 98Y Bridgestone Potenza S001 | 245/35ZR20 91Y; 95/30ZR20 101Y Pirelli PZero |
| DIMENSIONS | |||
| WHEELBASE | 112.4 in | 101.8 in | 96.5 in |
| TRACK, F/R | 62.8/65.0 in | 62.9/63.0 in | 60.6/59.7 in |
| LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT | 192.8 x 74.6 x 53.7 in | 181.8 x 73.9 x 51.8 in | 176.8 x 71.2 x 51.1 in |
| TURNING CIRCLE | 38.4 ft | 36.2 ft | 36.4 ft |
| CURB WEIGHT | 4555 lb | 4104 lb | 3482 lb |
| WEIGHT DIST., F/R | 51/49 % | 52/48 % | 38/62 % |
| SEATING CAPACITY | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| HEADROOM, F/R | 40.3/36.5 in | 39.1/-- in | 38.1/30.3 in (est) |
| LEGROOM, F/R | 42.1/30.5 in | 42.9/-- in | 45.5/25.0 in (est) |
| SHOULDER ROOM, F/R | 56.9/49.6 in | 55.5/-- in | 50.8/48.3 in (est) |
| CARGO VOLUME | 11.0 cu ft | 17.8 cu ft | 5.5 cu ft |
| TEST DATA | |||
| ACCELERATION TO MPH | |||
| 0-30 | 2.0 sec | 1.6 sec | 1.3 sec |
| 0-40 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
| 0-50 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 2.7 |
| 0-60 | 4.9 | 4.0 | 3.8 |
| 0-70 | 6.2 | 5.3 | 4.8 |
| 0-80 | 7.7 | 6.5 | 6.0 |
| 0-90 | 9.3 | 8.0 | 7.4 |
| 0-100 | 11.4 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| PASSING, 45-65 MPH | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.9 |
| QUARTER MILE | 13.3 sec @ 108.8 mph | 12.5 sec @ 114.0 mph | 12.1 sec @ 116.0 mph |
| BRAKING, 60-0 MPH | 115 ft | 105 ft | 98 ft |
| LATERAL ACCELERATION | 0.87 g (avg) | 0.94 g (avg) | 1.03 g (avg) |
| MT FIGURE EIGHT | 26.4 sec @ 0.67 g (avg) | 25.0 sec @ 0.73 g (avg) | 24.3 sec @ 0.76 g (avg) |
| TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH | 1550 rpm | 1550 rpm | 1600 rpm |
| CONSUMER INFO | |||
| BASE PRICE | $91,395 | $106,405 | $108,950 |
| PRICE AS TESTED | $108,095 | $124,345 | $140,375 |
| STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL | Yes/Yes | Yes/Yes | Yes/Yes |
| AIRBAGS | Dual front, front side, front knee | Dual front, front side, front knee | Dual front, front sides |
| BASIC WARRANTY | 4 yrs/50,000 miles | 4 yrs/50,000 miles | 4 yrs/50,000 mi |
| POWERTRAIN WARRANTY | 4 yrs/50,000 miles | 4 yrs/50,000 miles | 4 yrs/50,000 mi |
| ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE | 4 yrs/Unlimited | 4 yrs/50,000 miles | 4 yrs/50,000 mi |
| FUEL CAPACITY | 18.5 gal | 19.8 gal | 16.9 gal |
| EPA CITY/HWY ECON | 15/23 mpg | 16/24 mpg | 21/27 mpg |
| ENERGY CONS., CITY/HWY | 225/147 kW-hrs/100 miles | 211/140 kW-hrs/100 miles | 160/125 kW-hrs/100 miles |
| CO2 EMISSIONS | 1.09 lb/mile | 1.03 lb/mile | 0.83 lb/mile |
| MT FUEL ECONOMY | 19.8 mpg | 20.9 mpg | 19.8 mpg |
| RECOMMENDED FUEL | Unleaded premium | Unleaded premium | Unleaded premium |
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