The SL500 looks as big from behind the wheel as it does from outside. One sits down inside the cockpit. The dash is relatively high and the hood stretches out before it like a classic automobile from the 1930s. The steering wheel is high, like most German cars, and, though the steering wheel is tilt-telescopically adjustable, lowering it blocks those finely crafted gauges. It also blocks the view of the road immediately in front of the car, but you should be looking farther down the road anyway.The engine starts instantly, with a roar that quickly settles down to a quiet idle. Don't look for temperamental behavior from this engine. If she didn't put her foot down, your meek maiden aunt could drive the SL500 around town. Of course, the SL could attract enough attention to make her your meek aunt, and if she learns to use the right pedal, she'll lose the meek part as well. Although the SL500 doesn't have the Saturn V thrust of the SL600, the 300-plus horses give you the trump card in virtually any automotive confrontation that doesn't involve a police radio. Mercedes reconfigured the exhaust for a throatier tone, though don't expect the rumble of a Z-28. The SL500 is more subtle than that. Full throttle sounds better with the top down because the wonderful exhaust note comes through better without the fabric filter. The standard 5-speed automatic transmission has a zigzag shifter pattern to allow it to be used easily as a semiautomatic. It's not necessary, however. Leaving the transmission in Drive gives buttery smooth shifts whether at part or full throttle. The SL500 is a wide car and it filled the Pennsylvania back roads we used for our test. Steering is precise and the power assist provides enough feedback for the driver to feel the road. The SL500 is an open car and, despite its Mercedes-Benz origin, there is obvious cowl shake over rough roads -- though the chassis is anything but willowy. There's a lot of tire under the SL. Push it hard through a corner and you can feel this car working out. There's two tons of Mercedes-Benz to harness. Under normal circumstances it's almost impossible to break the tires loose from the pavement. Those who do have ESP to help maintain control. On the road, it's hard to get this into action without being terribly foolhardy, but the ESP makes it possible to really power out of a corner without worrying about the rear end sliding out.
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