Mercedes has a new super car known as the Mercedes SLS AMG. With starting prices of approximately 180,000 dollars it is priced to compete with the likes of Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin. Besides all the typical overall performance comparisons there is one thing this super car has that the other cars don’t – the gullwing Mercedes SLS is back. Entertainment: well, there’s a 6.2 litre engine in the front providing a rumble to match anything to leave Detroit. With over 550 horsepower the Mercedes SLS could be an enjoyable drive even if the handling was poor. Luckily that is not the case. It’s really agile, poised and although its feels quite stiff on the highway the pairing of handling and engine offers a fantastic drive.
Regarding functionality the vehicle is a bit of a mixed bag. Mercedes have obviously considered how this vehicle is likely to be used and the Mercedes SLS AMG incorporates standard functions to offer daily usability like sat-nav as well as a decent stereo. Nonetheless the gullwings, as renowned as they are, make it a real pain to get in and out of the car, make the car quite wide and you really need to stretch to pull the doors down once you are inside. The style also implies headroom is fairly tight too.
The gearbox is a double clutched affair which works really well. There is a slight delay whenever you flick the paddles however overall it feels very responsive and sharp. The vehicle is really obviously rear wheel drive. The seats position is very back and harks back to old school, honest GT’s and put together with the razor-sharp steering you have total faith in where the front of the vehicle is going to go. This super car can go round corners really, really fast – if you tried hard enough you could probably keep up with a four-wheel drive Porsche 911 Turbo. It’s also blazingly quick in a straight line – really impressive for a weighty, front engined GT.
Mercedes-Benz have clearly considered how this vehicle is going to be used and the Mercedes SLS AMG comes with standard functions to provide everyday functionality like sat-nav as well as a good stereo. Nevertheless the gullwings, as renowned as they’re, make it a real discomfort to get in and out of the car, make the car quite wide and you really have to stretch to pull the doors down once you are inside. The design also implies headroom is relatively tight too.
Considering value for cash – can any car at this price be regarded as reasonable value? Possibly not but put alongside its peers it is competitively priced. Let us look at it one more way – in opposition to the Mercedes McLaren SLR, the Mercedes SLS is quicker, handles better and is much less costly to the tune of nearly two hundred thousand dollars. So, the Mercedes SLS is really a loud and raucous affair dominated by the enormous powerhouse of an engine – yet at the very same time civilized by the usual high standards of usability and refinement that you would expect from a Mercedes-Benz.