Mercedes PowerTrip impressions... (hella-long)
06-17-2001, 12:07 PM
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Mercedes PowerTrip impressions... (hella-long)
Hi guys,
I went to the Mercedes Benz PowerTrip event yesterday at the Chicago Motor Speedway and I'd like to share my impressions of the event. My roommate (also a car geek) and I got there about an hour early (which was good, since we got about 30 min. of bonus drive time). The weather was great: nice and sunny, not too hot, but quite windy (not surprising since we were within 2 miles of Midway Airport).
We first went into the hospitality booth, where I stuffed my face w/ pasta salad and veggie wraps (I guess people rich enough to by Mercs are supposed to eat trendy) and looked over an S-class skeleton that had all the structural safety highlights painted. Pretty neat. There was a cut-away of the steering wheel, so you could see the airbag mechanism. The explosive charge is packaged as pills that look like Extra Strength Tylanols. Next, we went outside where they had several cars on display for us to sit in. They had an S500, E320 wagon, SLK230, CLK320, the new C-class sports coupe and one or two other cars I can't remember available to sit in. All seemed nice and comfortable. However, Merc seems to be going with a different gauge cluster design for each class. I didn't much care for the new theme of central Speedo w/ a periferal Tach (which had the needle swing from 90º at 0 RPM to 0º at Redline). The standard 4-circle gauge pod is much easier to read.
After that, we went over to the Drive-and-Compare course where they had an Audi A4 2.8, BMW 323i, Merc C230 and C320 and the new Sports Coupe and a Lexus IS300 available for comaprison driving on a short road course. The course had cones and debris scattered about to simulate tight low-speed turns, broken pavement ride quality emergency evasive maneuvers, straightaway accel. and emegency ABS braking. The course was nice and varied, but too short (the straightaway was only long enough to get up to ~50 MPH). We wisely spent our bonus drive time here. I had time to drive the IS300 and the C320. My roommate drove the C320 and the new Sports Coupe. Here are the results:
IS300: Looks cool and racy. Maroonish paint looked okay, but not my cup of tea. Interior is nice and the panels and such feel solid as all Lexi do. This appeared to be a base model, as it had perforated cloth interior. The steel ball shifter was neat in a retro sort of way. The course was too short to play w/ the shifter buttons on the steeing wheel, though. The seats were comfortable, but felt a bit thin, padding-wise. The chronometer-style gauge cluster was cool. I didn't find it confusing. A matter of taste, I guess. The steering was too light, but was very accurate. It handled pretty well w/ not much body roll (this was at about 30 MPH, though). The ride over the debris retured a controlled, but slightly lumpy ride. The engine lacks power (I don't see why owners think they can race S4/M3's with this car). The emergency braking section showed off the great brakes of the car (you brake over sand, which will send the ABS into action). All-in-all a nice car for the price (low $30K's), but needs more muscle.
C320: Okay, this car was a MAJOR disappointment. First, there's the silly gauge cluster design. Then, there is the overly heavy steering (heavier than the S4 or M3!!) that transmitts little feedback. Then there is the power, or lack thereof. I buckled up and one of the course supervisors signaled me to go to the starting line. I pressed the accell. and the engine revved, but nothing happened. I figured the parking break must still be on, so I pulled the release, but it was already off. WHAT THE HELL? I stepped on the gas harder (hard enough that I would have run someone over if this were the S4) and the car reluctantly rolled to the starting line. After getting the go signal, I went through the course again. The heavy steering made even the low-speed turns difficult to negotiate. The debris section returned an embarressingly lumpy ride (even the M3 is more muted than this, and it has handling sKiLlz to compensate). The straightaway showed the lack of low-end power, but the brakes were good. All-in-all a poor showing for close to $40K.
By this time the presentation for our session was starting, so we went back into the hospitality tent. They showed off an S500 and a CL600 (BLING BLING!!!) and demonstrated the coverage of the Merc First Class Lease by taking a hammer to the rear quarter panel of an E430, which elliscited many a graon of pain from the audience (if a credit card covers the dent/scratch, Merc will eat the cost at the end of the lease). We then went outside for a demonstration of the Merc. Skid control on a CL500. They first did a slalom at 50 MPH w/o skid control on and the car spun out. They then turned the skid control on and hit the slalom at 75 MPH and the car did not skid, as expected. They then turned us loose.
My roommate and I headed straight to the hot laps section where you took a ride around the race track in the AMG cars w/ a pro driver. They had the E55, S55, CLK55 and ML55. The Chicago Motor Speedway is a small oval, so they were only getting to about 110 in the straights. I first went in the S55. Very large car, but w/ 389 HP, it still moves. The driver was a bit conservative, driving w/ ESP on and leaving the "TouchShift" in "D." He explained that the course was too short to take that car w/o ESP since the extra weight would induce too much drift. Still, for a car that big, it hauls major a$$. I then got in the E55 (the one I really looked forward to) with another guy. He got to the car first, so he got in front. Back seat room in the E55 is pretty good and the seats are nice, esp. w/ the two-tone (Navy/Grey) perforated leather. The E55 driver was more nuts. He had the ESP off and used the "TouchShift" to flip between 1st and 2nd to keep the revs high. He did a m4dD burnout as we left and kept right on the *** of the CLK55 that left before us. He went hard into the apexes and gladdly swung the tail out when he made the U-turn to return to the starting line. This car felt much better. You could feel the reduced weight making the car more tossable. When we got out, it seemed that noone else wanted to go for a run in the E55, so I switched seats w/ the other guy (who had to shoe-horn his rather conciderable frame into the rear seat) and got in front. WOOHOO! This car is rad! Madd burnout and tail-swingin' action ensued. I asked the driver if he had to break-torque the car to spin the wheels on a launch and he said that if you turn off ESP, then no. He wasn't too thrilled w/ the "TouchShift," though. He said it was too reluctant to downshift and the left-right shift action was counter intuitive. When I mentioned that the S4 had up-down shifting and steering wheel buttons, he said that is what Merc should have done. Props to the S4!! We wanted to take a run in the CLK55, but it was out of gas, so it was removed for re-fueling.
My roommate and I then took the shuttle bus accross the street to the Merc. driving section. Here, they had a CL500, CLK430, SLK320 w/ 6-speed shifter, S430, E430, an older SL500, an ML320 and an ML430 for us to drive. I was all about the CLK430 and CL500. They were pretty much letting us beat the crap out of those cars. They were making sure that we had the ESP on at the starting line (the track was kinda slick and the tires were running low on tread). These factors did lead to some great tire-squealing fun, though. This track was larger than the other one, but still could have been larger. After a quick slalom section, there was an emergency ABS braking section. Again, this was over some sand. Since you come to a stop here, it was a perfect opportunity to switch off the ESP (HeeHee!!). I made the CLK430 my BITCH! I break-torqued that ***** to close to 5K. I'll bet the torque converter was cursing my ancestors. The sandy part led straight into a sweeping fight-hand curve. With that much break-torquing and no ESP, the wheels were spinning and the rear end came to life. I was swinging it out like a dance. Despite this, the car remained quite controlable with the throttle. I was able to brake late into the turns and squeal the tires for all they were worth. I did the same thing with the CL500. The increased torque of the big 5.0 made the break-torquing even more fun. I got it up passed 6K before I let go of the brake (!!) and the rear end swung out again. WHO IS YOUR DADDY AND WHAT DOES HE DO, BIATCH?! I actually felt kinda bad doing that. Despite the size and weight of the big CL, it handled admirably. Both the CLK and CL had light steering feel, but were acurate and both were easy to control, even w/o ESP. Naturally, I turned the ESP back on when I got back to the starting line.
i then went for a ride w/ my roommate in the SLK w/ 6-speed. I'm not sure if his technique is poor or he was just shifting to high hell, but he certainly had more fun in that run than I did. If driving a manual car is that ragged, you can keep your stick-shift. I ran the CLK and CL again and smacked those hoes up pretty good again. :-) The last car we were able to take out was the SL500. This car was older and the weight and less-refined chassis were quite apparent. I couldn't find the ESP switch immediately, so I just left it on to see what happens. Well, let's just say that the older ESP is not aggressive. Not only did I spin the wheels after the ABS section, but the tail came WAY out on the ensuing right-hand sweeper. I started to spin and had to counter-steer to the left to keep from swapping ends. I almost ended up perpendicular to the track. I felt the front tires starting to scrub just as I brought the car back under control (did not feel that w/ either the CLK or CL), but I didn't hit any cones. MADD TIRE SQUEALIN' FUN! I was half expecting to be spoken to by the pro guys about my near spin-out, but they either didn't notice, or felt that I recovered well enough.
All in all, it was a fun day. I really liked the E55, but we couldn't drive it. :-( oh well. Merc. makes nice cars, but only the higher end ones. The CLK430 was my favorite. It is a very nice car with a sweet V8 growl and surprisingly good handling. I just wish I could have taken the S4 out there.
I saw two other S4's in the parking lot. One was a Silver w/ sport mirrors and the other was Shon's car (Nogaro w/ SSR Comps. I think I saw Shon as well.)
I went to the Mercedes Benz PowerTrip event yesterday at the Chicago Motor Speedway and I'd like to share my impressions of the event. My roommate (also a car geek) and I got there about an hour early (which was good, since we got about 30 min. of bonus drive time). The weather was great: nice and sunny, not too hot, but quite windy (not surprising since we were within 2 miles of Midway Airport).
We first went into the hospitality booth, where I stuffed my face w/ pasta salad and veggie wraps (I guess people rich enough to by Mercs are supposed to eat trendy) and looked over an S-class skeleton that had all the structural safety highlights painted. Pretty neat. There was a cut-away of the steering wheel, so you could see the airbag mechanism. The explosive charge is packaged as pills that look like Extra Strength Tylanols. Next, we went outside where they had several cars on display for us to sit in. They had an S500, E320 wagon, SLK230, CLK320, the new C-class sports coupe and one or two other cars I can't remember available to sit in. All seemed nice and comfortable. However, Merc seems to be going with a different gauge cluster design for each class. I didn't much care for the new theme of central Speedo w/ a periferal Tach (which had the needle swing from 90º at 0 RPM to 0º at Redline). The standard 4-circle gauge pod is much easier to read.
After that, we went over to the Drive-and-Compare course where they had an Audi A4 2.8, BMW 323i, Merc C230 and C320 and the new Sports Coupe and a Lexus IS300 available for comaprison driving on a short road course. The course had cones and debris scattered about to simulate tight low-speed turns, broken pavement ride quality emergency evasive maneuvers, straightaway accel. and emegency ABS braking. The course was nice and varied, but too short (the straightaway was only long enough to get up to ~50 MPH). We wisely spent our bonus drive time here. I had time to drive the IS300 and the C320. My roommate drove the C320 and the new Sports Coupe. Here are the results:
IS300: Looks cool and racy. Maroonish paint looked okay, but not my cup of tea. Interior is nice and the panels and such feel solid as all Lexi do. This appeared to be a base model, as it had perforated cloth interior. The steel ball shifter was neat in a retro sort of way. The course was too short to play w/ the shifter buttons on the steeing wheel, though. The seats were comfortable, but felt a bit thin, padding-wise. The chronometer-style gauge cluster was cool. I didn't find it confusing. A matter of taste, I guess. The steering was too light, but was very accurate. It handled pretty well w/ not much body roll (this was at about 30 MPH, though). The ride over the debris retured a controlled, but slightly lumpy ride. The engine lacks power (I don't see why owners think they can race S4/M3's with this car). The emergency braking section showed off the great brakes of the car (you brake over sand, which will send the ABS into action). All-in-all a nice car for the price (low $30K's), but needs more muscle.
C320: Okay, this car was a MAJOR disappointment. First, there's the silly gauge cluster design. Then, there is the overly heavy steering (heavier than the S4 or M3!!) that transmitts little feedback. Then there is the power, or lack thereof. I buckled up and one of the course supervisors signaled me to go to the starting line. I pressed the accell. and the engine revved, but nothing happened. I figured the parking break must still be on, so I pulled the release, but it was already off. WHAT THE HELL? I stepped on the gas harder (hard enough that I would have run someone over if this were the S4) and the car reluctantly rolled to the starting line. After getting the go signal, I went through the course again. The heavy steering made even the low-speed turns difficult to negotiate. The debris section returned an embarressingly lumpy ride (even the M3 is more muted than this, and it has handling sKiLlz to compensate). The straightaway showed the lack of low-end power, but the brakes were good. All-in-all a poor showing for close to $40K.
By this time the presentation for our session was starting, so we went back into the hospitality tent. They showed off an S500 and a CL600 (BLING BLING!!!) and demonstrated the coverage of the Merc First Class Lease by taking a hammer to the rear quarter panel of an E430, which elliscited many a graon of pain from the audience (if a credit card covers the dent/scratch, Merc will eat the cost at the end of the lease). We then went outside for a demonstration of the Merc. Skid control on a CL500. They first did a slalom at 50 MPH w/o skid control on and the car spun out. They then turned the skid control on and hit the slalom at 75 MPH and the car did not skid, as expected. They then turned us loose.
My roommate and I headed straight to the hot laps section where you took a ride around the race track in the AMG cars w/ a pro driver. They had the E55, S55, CLK55 and ML55. The Chicago Motor Speedway is a small oval, so they were only getting to about 110 in the straights. I first went in the S55. Very large car, but w/ 389 HP, it still moves. The driver was a bit conservative, driving w/ ESP on and leaving the "TouchShift" in "D." He explained that the course was too short to take that car w/o ESP since the extra weight would induce too much drift. Still, for a car that big, it hauls major a$$. I then got in the E55 (the one I really looked forward to) with another guy. He got to the car first, so he got in front. Back seat room in the E55 is pretty good and the seats are nice, esp. w/ the two-tone (Navy/Grey) perforated leather. The E55 driver was more nuts. He had the ESP off and used the "TouchShift" to flip between 1st and 2nd to keep the revs high. He did a m4dD burnout as we left and kept right on the *** of the CLK55 that left before us. He went hard into the apexes and gladdly swung the tail out when he made the U-turn to return to the starting line. This car felt much better. You could feel the reduced weight making the car more tossable. When we got out, it seemed that noone else wanted to go for a run in the E55, so I switched seats w/ the other guy (who had to shoe-horn his rather conciderable frame into the rear seat) and got in front. WOOHOO! This car is rad! Madd burnout and tail-swingin' action ensued. I asked the driver if he had to break-torque the car to spin the wheels on a launch and he said that if you turn off ESP, then no. He wasn't too thrilled w/ the "TouchShift," though. He said it was too reluctant to downshift and the left-right shift action was counter intuitive. When I mentioned that the S4 had up-down shifting and steering wheel buttons, he said that is what Merc should have done. Props to the S4!! We wanted to take a run in the CLK55, but it was out of gas, so it was removed for re-fueling.
My roommate and I then took the shuttle bus accross the street to the Merc. driving section. Here, they had a CL500, CLK430, SLK320 w/ 6-speed shifter, S430, E430, an older SL500, an ML320 and an ML430 for us to drive. I was all about the CLK430 and CL500. They were pretty much letting us beat the crap out of those cars. They were making sure that we had the ESP on at the starting line (the track was kinda slick and the tires were running low on tread). These factors did lead to some great tire-squealing fun, though. This track was larger than the other one, but still could have been larger. After a quick slalom section, there was an emergency ABS braking section. Again, this was over some sand. Since you come to a stop here, it was a perfect opportunity to switch off the ESP (HeeHee!!). I made the CLK430 my BITCH! I break-torqued that ***** to close to 5K. I'll bet the torque converter was cursing my ancestors. The sandy part led straight into a sweeping fight-hand curve. With that much break-torquing and no ESP, the wheels were spinning and the rear end came to life. I was swinging it out like a dance. Despite this, the car remained quite controlable with the throttle. I was able to brake late into the turns and squeal the tires for all they were worth. I did the same thing with the CL500. The increased torque of the big 5.0 made the break-torquing even more fun. I got it up passed 6K before I let go of the brake (!!) and the rear end swung out again. WHO IS YOUR DADDY AND WHAT DOES HE DO, BIATCH?! I actually felt kinda bad doing that. Despite the size and weight of the big CL, it handled admirably. Both the CLK and CL had light steering feel, but were acurate and both were easy to control, even w/o ESP. Naturally, I turned the ESP back on when I got back to the starting line.
i then went for a ride w/ my roommate in the SLK w/ 6-speed. I'm not sure if his technique is poor or he was just shifting to high hell, but he certainly had more fun in that run than I did. If driving a manual car is that ragged, you can keep your stick-shift. I ran the CLK and CL again and smacked those hoes up pretty good again. :-) The last car we were able to take out was the SL500. This car was older and the weight and less-refined chassis were quite apparent. I couldn't find the ESP switch immediately, so I just left it on to see what happens. Well, let's just say that the older ESP is not aggressive. Not only did I spin the wheels after the ABS section, but the tail came WAY out on the ensuing right-hand sweeper. I started to spin and had to counter-steer to the left to keep from swapping ends. I almost ended up perpendicular to the track. I felt the front tires starting to scrub just as I brought the car back under control (did not feel that w/ either the CLK or CL), but I didn't hit any cones. MADD TIRE SQUEALIN' FUN! I was half expecting to be spoken to by the pro guys about my near spin-out, but they either didn't notice, or felt that I recovered well enough.
All in all, it was a fun day. I really liked the E55, but we couldn't drive it. :-( oh well. Merc. makes nice cars, but only the higher end ones. The CLK430 was my favorite. It is a very nice car with a sweet V8 growl and surprisingly good handling. I just wish I could have taken the S4 out there.
I saw two other S4's in the parking lot. One was a Silver w/ sport mirrors and the other was Shon's car (Nogaro w/ SSR Comps. I think I saw Shon as well.)
06-17-2001, 12:30 PM
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BTW, there WAS a CLK55 for us to drive, but...
one of the Pro drivers damaged a wheel on the CLK55 used in the Hot Laps area. It turned out that there was more damage than just a wheel (they had an 18-wheeler full ouf wheels and tires on the side), so it was put out of commission. Thus, they took the CLK55 from the driving section and used that in the Hot Laps. Of course, it was out of gas when I tried to get a ride in it.
06-17-2001, 02:45 PM
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Hey me too. I had a silver S4. What time were you there? I took some pics...
I was there from 5-9pm (they let us drive until the sun went down) I did see someone wearing a big S4 shirt but I was on line at the hot laps so I didn't come over.
<a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/s4/msgs/372944.phtml">link to pics I took</a>
<a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/s4/msgs/372944.phtml">link to pics I took</a>
06-17-2001, 02:50 PM
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I was there for the 2:00-6:00 pm session. The silver S4 was there at that time.
I saw someone there in a BMW T-shirt. Pretty funny to see that at a Merc. event.
I was the dirty-*** Santorin in the parking lot. If you arrived before 6:00 pm, you may have seen my car.
I took some pics as well, but I have an old-school film camera. Gotta finish the roll first.
I was the dirty-*** Santorin in the parking lot. If you arrived before 6:00 pm, you may have seen my car.
I took some pics as well, but I have an old-school film camera. Gotta finish the roll first.
06-17-2001, 07:42 PM
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it wasn't me or my car! say it ain't so!
Is there another nogaro w/ SSR comps in Chicago?? And I thought I was special...
I went to the powertrip thingy today (Sunday). Met up with a few S4 guys there, and there were more than a few S4s in the parking lot. It was loads of fun! Sounds like you got more driving time in than we did. I think the best part was definitely the hot laps. That E55 really hauls, doesn't it?
BTW, did you get the "slash of honor" denoting too aggressive driving through the cones? I actually took out a few (in the new MB hatchback), much to my shame, and got scolded at the finish.
fun, fun times,
Shon
I went to the powertrip thingy today (Sunday). Met up with a few S4 guys there, and there were more than a few S4s in the parking lot. It was loads of fun! Sounds like you got more driving time in than we did. I think the best part was definitely the hot laps. That E55 really hauls, doesn't it?
BTW, did you get the "slash of honor" denoting too aggressive driving through the cones? I actually took out a few (in the new MB hatchback), much to my shame, and got scolded at the finish.
fun, fun times,
Shon
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At least y'all had fun
06-18-2001, 08:33 AM
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I couldn't see if it had DTM tips or not...
I saw a short asian girl who looked sorta like you (from a pic you posted here), so I put two and two together.
Looks like you've got an evil twin. :-)
Looks like you've got an evil twin. :-)
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