The SLS AMG was inspired by the 1950s Mercedes-Benz 300 SL gull-wing coupe and designed to go toe-to-toe with the best exotic sports cars in the world.
The brand also stumbled with the Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR supercar and Maybach uber-luxury sedans, none of which has sold as expected.
It was the progeny of a joint venture between Mercedes and Britain's McLaren Cars, the world-renowned Formula 1 racing power, which was also contracted to build the SLR. The 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG will be a different animal. HWA may also build the SLS. Mercedes liked AMG's efforts so much that it eventually bought the company.
The SLS AMG is a looker, though most observers agree the rear view is its least impressive. Mercedes cars typically have a Cd below 0.3. That mileage rating also incurs a $1,700 gas-guzzler tax.
The right formula has always been there: rear-wheel drive, decent weight distribution, ample power and any number of advanced technologies, some of which Mercedes itself invented. The SLS is the first model built from scratch by Mercedes' AMG performance division, which has tuned up many existing models and teamed with McLaren on the SLR. Though the SLR McLaren was formidable, I was never able to get over its electro-hydraulic brakes, a supposed innovation that also plagued the E- and SL-Classes until Mercedes reverted to conventional hydraulic brakes. The SLS AMG's brake pedal didn't blow my mind, but it's more than acceptable, and the standard antilock brakes do a great job of halting this beast. If you're unsatisfied with the standard issue, go for the carbon ceramic brake option for a mere $12,500.
Of course, the SLS isn't about stopping. Mercedes says the top speed is 197 mph. Though the torque rating is 479 pounds-feet, there's ample grunt at low revs to pin you to your seat from the word go.
For the record, Mercedes calls this engine a 6.3-liter, even though the displacement is clearly listed as 6,208 cubic centimeters. I'm less enthusiastic about the standard transmission, which is a dual-clutch automated manual, and not simply because it's not a stick shift. The problem is that Mercedes' first attempt at the tech, called AMG Speedshift, needs a little work. If you take your foot off the brake and hit the accelerator immediately, the transmission pops the clutch quickly and you lurch forward. I was also disappointed that the shift paddles don't override the automatic operation as some systems do — if only briefly — when you tap a paddle when barreling into a turn. For example, if you're in 4th and hit the downshift paddle repeatedly, it locks out 7th, then 6th, then 5th, etc. The other three transmission modes are automatic ones: C (Controlled Efficiency), S (Sport) and S+ (Sport Plus). Each successively speeds the shift times and holds onto low gears farther up the engine-speed range. If you turn the knob too quickly, it simply doesn't register.
Cars in this class tend to ride firmly, and the SLS certainly does, too. While Mercedes also offers a track-optimized performance suspension, which is firmer still, I was plenty impressed with the dynamics of the standard setup. For a front-engine car, it carries a lot of weight over the rear wheels. The front/rear weight distribution is 47/53 percent. The car is well-behaved, predictable, controllable. The steering is precise and pretty well weighted.
In some ways, the gull-wing doors ease entry. Because they open upward, they require minimal space alongside the car, allowing tighter parking arrangements. Did you ever find you couldn't open a car door because of a high curb? The most difficult part, I found, was negotiating my right foot past the turn-signal stalk, which I suspect would eventually have snapped off if I'd had the car much longer. You sit low in the SLS, but not much lower relative to the street than in comparable cars. Unfortunately, you sit quite low relative to the raised doors. When set all the way back, the driver's seat is workable for a 6-foot-tall driver. I have a Mercedes-star-shaped dimple in my garage door to prove it. The red leather in our test car was beautifully crafted, and there's a good deal of real aluminum. For one thing, our car had an optional AMG Interior Carbon Fiber Trim package, which covers the center console and adds small trim strips to the doors.
The SLS' cabin isn't long on storage space. There's some covered storage in the form of a glove compartment, but the center console, once again, isn't much help. At worst, the SLS trunk's floor is a little lumpy.
The SLS AMG hasn't been tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. As a high-priced, low-volume model, it likely never will be. The car has eight airbags, including the front pair, two knee airbags, seat-mounted side-impact torso bags and side curtains that deploy upward from the doors, because the usual location above the windows obviously wasn't an option. The door hinges attach via pyrotechnic fasteners — essentially exploding bolts. If the car rolls and comes to rest on its roof, the hinges pop after a few seconds' delay so the doors can be pulled out sideways.
At more than $180,000, the SLS AMG sure isn't cheap. That said, Audi has never been able to command the premium price Mercedes has, regardless of performance. During my time with the SLS, several people said it's about time Mercedes has a supercar. As for the SLS AMG, I guarantee you'll be seeing them wherever exotic sports cars congregate.
Under the broad hood of the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is a strong AMG 6.2-liter V-8, making 563 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. Huge carbon-ceramic brakes provide adequate stopping power for track use, and stability electronics reel it in if you so desire—and on all but the most familiar tracks, you'll want its cushion. To that, this next model year, a 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster will debut—offering open-air driving, but unfortunately without the standard SLS's gullwing doors.
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