IT is phenomenal, let’s just get that out of the way. Headline figures of 420 kW and 650 N.m are higher than anything else in this segment, and performance is on par with the best. Welcome to the allnew Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.
SLS… the three letters have no real meaning or historical significance but they do herald Mercedes’ first pure supercar – and what a car it is! SLS was developed and is built by Mercedes-Benz’s own tuning arm, AMG. This makes it is the first car to be entirely created by the in-house high performance division and the first AMG model that is not based on a cooking variety Mercedes.
Sporting models from Stuttgart have always tended towards the feminine side of styling, but not so the SLS. Viewed from certain angles there are hints of delicacy, such as that pert rear end with the slim, flushfitting tail-lamps.
It is undoubtedly one of the most mesmerising stationery sights in the automotive arena, that precise arc traced by the “wings” as they travel fluidly skywards, like a lithe dancer performing a balletic leg-raise above her head. One could watch it over and over and… well, you get the idea. But to concentrate on the SLS’s party trick would be underselling an otherwise fantastic car.
There has been, and undoubtedly will be, much talk of the doors and their unique opening action. But this really is a gimmick – a gimmick, however, that lends this model a unique persona.
SLS’s “gullwings” are in deference to the iconic 300 SL of the mid-1950s. That car had upward sweeping doors for a reason. The metal skin was stretched over a spaceframe with particularly high sills that ruled out conventional doors and hinge mechanisms. Engineers chose instead to mount the hinges in the roof, thereby arguably creating one of the most evocative and charismatic shapes in motoring. Enough of the history lesson, though.
Those uplifting doors are not the only mark of the original Gullwing Mercedes. A low and flat shape with a phallic front end, a greenhouse placed far to the rear and fender vents are all a respectful nod back to this car’s traceable predecessor. Even the (pop-up) rear spoiler has been integrated into the boot to maintain a pert appearance for the tail. The original W198 had dainty and delicate lines whereas its successor displays dimensions that are imposing and the overall look is one of aggression, as was demonstrated by motorists who practically jumped out of the way when they viewed the SLS in their rear-view mirrors. It’s not surprising to learn that the SLS was co-developed with the stillborn new Dodge Viper before parent companies Daimler and Chrysler parted ways.
Some of our testers are not completely bowled over by its beauty but public opinion was unanimous; everyone and their dog loved it. At least if the hooting, smiles and the multitude of thumbs-ups were to be believed.
Under that sexy skin is an allaluminium spaceframe; in fact, all body panels – bar the boot lid, which is made from a plastic composite – the doors and the engine and suspension components are made from the lightweight alloy. The A-pillars are the only components made of steel; liberal use of aluminium means that the body in white weighs-in at a scant 241 kg.
Opening the doors, which are surprisingly light and easy to lift, is a completely mechanical affair with no electrical assistance, gas struts being utilised instead. AMG engineers eschewed electrical frivolity to reduce overall mass and not have any extraneous mass high up, which would negatively affect the centre of gravity. Contrary to initial thoughts, one can actually park the SLS quite close to other cars, walls or poles as only 363 mm is needed for the doors to swing open.
Slide over the wide sill and drop down onto the electrically adjustable sports seat as coolly as you can; we recommend that ladies wear pants lest they expose their modesty when alighting from the SLS. Oh, and do remember to keep your head down when exiting as the lowest point of the overhanging structure is a painful 1,5 metres high as some of our staffers found out.
The cabin, or cockpit if you prefer, is probably the least inspiring aspect of the SLS. Thanks to scalloped door pads there is enough elbow room but the overall feeling is quite snug. Members of our test panel that exceed 1,82 metres (six-feet) found very little headroom to spare and those above 1,9 metres made painful contact with the hood lining on severe bumps.
If you have driven any new Mercedes product in the past few years you will feel at home. AMG engineers raided a Sindelfingen parts bin for the audio/navigation and dual-zone climate controls. The hangdown facia and centre console are made from a solid chunk of satin- finished metal. Air vents located on the facia continue the aero theme with a propeller-like motif.
The interior really gets interesting when you consider the major driving controls. The metal and leather gear selector has an aeronautical feel about it, as do the buttons located along the edge of the console, which are angled toward the driver. Grip the small-diameter, three-spoke steering wheel and your hands are met by “nonslip” Alcantara thumb grips. The rest of the circumference is trimmed in leather. In proper racecar fashion, a pair of chunky brushed metal paddles is located at the 9- and 3 o’ clock positions – left for downshifts, right for up. Behind the wheel are two metallic-look dials. The left one informs you of the ground speed, which, to be frank, is not well graduated, and the right-hand one indicates engine speed.
Between the two dials lies a typical Mercedes digital readout, which in this car includes AMG displays for engine oil-, coolant- and transmission oil temperatures. Located directly above this readout are seven lights to warn of an impending gearshift, no doubt drawing inspiration from Formula One. There is no traditional ignition slot; one only needs to press the illuminated “Engine Start/Stop” button to unleash a cacophonous burst…
Under the hood lies an all-aluminium V8 that thunders like no other. At idle it has a gravelly bellow. Prod the throttle and it sounds like a beast of eye-widening description is about to emerge from under the engine cover. One (senior) tester even admitted to having an “eargasm” when he prodded the loud pedal.
Displacing 6 208 cm³ the M159-coded motor is similar in concept to the V8 used in other AMG “63” models. Certain tweaks have been made to suit the extreme nature of the SLS, the most notable of which is dry-sump lubrication that helps lower the engine in the spaceframe to deal with the high G-forces that SLS can achieve. New intake runners have been used as well as exhaust headers that are tuned as much for performance as for aural stimulation. Lighter forged pistons and extensive use of aluminium bolts in the engine aid mass reduction. The sum total of the revisions results in peak power of 420 kW, with 545 N.m of torque on tap from as low as 2 500 r/min with the full beans 650 N.m developed at 4 750.
The engine delivers power to the rear axle via a seven-speed manual gearbox coupled with an automated twin-clutch setup. More interestingly, the SLS uses a transaxle layout, which means the gearbox and differential unit are housed in the rear axle assembly. Torque is delivered to the gearbox via a carbonfibre propshaft that turns at engine speed all the time.
The AMG-developed sevenspeed gearbox has four driving modes C (Controlled Efficiency), S (Sport), S+ (Sport plus) and M (Manual). The C setting is the boring auto mode, which tends to be a little undecided and lurchy at low speed, and the S mode is really unnecessary. The fun really begins in the S+ mode, which is ideal for fast road driving, in which it effects snappy upshifts high in the rev-range and quickly selects a lower gear, replete with throttle blip when hard on the anchors. Manual is only really necessary when driving really hard, such as on a racetrack, and the aforementioned shift lights only illuminate in this setting. A lower gear can be selected at any time regardless of the mode, thanks to those meaty, solid shift paddles. And believe us, if you drive an SLS you’ll want to drop a gear, or three, whenever the chance arises to hear the menacing V8 at full chat. Unsighted, one would be forgiven for expecting a pukka racecar – it really does sound like a refugee from the track. Lift off after a wide-open throttle scenario and all manner of eructations spew from the tail-pipes.
Part of the transmission’s electronic programming is a Race Start function, which is essentially a launch control facility. Use this option and, provided you are on a decent surface and unburdened with too much mass, the SLS is purported to rocket from standstill to 100 km/h in 3,8 seconds.
Our acceleration test was not as positive. With two occupants and a full tank of juice, the best time achieved was 4,47 seconds. To place all the emphasis on the zero-to-100 km/h is short-sighted, however. The SLS flew through the kilometre in 21,69 seconds, placing it among the quickest we’ve ever tested, and at a 256 km/h terminal speed the ‘Benz is the second fastest – behind the mighty Porsche 911 Turbo – over that distance. In-gear performance is possibly even more astounding. Mash the throttle while trundling along under 60 km/h and you will approach the national limit in 3,08 seconds. Think about that for a second or three. If you really have to know, Mercedes claims a top whack of 317 km/h.
While on our strip we also tasked the brakes with our usual 10 stops from 100 km/h. Massive 390 mm front and 360 mm rear ventilated discs put up a nearmetronomic performance, averaging is an outstanding 2,62 seconds over the test routine.
But the SLS is not simply a straight line specialist. Show it any twisty road and it will delight even novice drivers. Thanks to a front-mid engine layout – the V8 is entirely behind the front axle line, but ahead of the cabin – the SLS seems to pivot around the driver’s hips. Despite its width – it’s wider than an S-Class – it shows a keenness to turn-in like no other Mercedes and, is certainly among the best supercars we’ve driven. A quick rack steering action, just 2,5 turns lock-to-lock, makes light work of directing the 265 mm-wide front rubber and once the driver is in tune with this aspect all one needs to do is aim the long bonnet and fire.
There is no hint of understeer whatsoever at sane, and sometimes not-so-sane, road speeds. Double wishbones at each corner, aided by coil springs, do an impressive job of maintaining constant contact with terra firma. Even our track exploration displayed a front end that held on tight… Judicious use of the “go” pedal results in more bite from the rear end as the mechanical limited-slip differential doles out torque appropriately to the 295 mm rear Continentals until a hint of oversteer sets in. With the electronic fun-police in attendance, any lateral rear wheel movement is subdued before it can actually happen. Set the ESP to Sport and you can let it hang out, to a point.
The SLS is one of the few cars that wears a threepointed star in which you can totally switch out the electronics, but you need to be very skilled at the helm. Power-on slides require a level of driving ability and accuracy that are not handed out at the nearest K53 driving school. For a car with this level of performance, the SLS is remarkably well behaved when not pressing on. Ride quality is fi rm, but not bone-jarring, and certainly not unbearable on a daily basis.
TEST SUMMARY
Mercedes has thrown down the gauntlet and challenged the established supercar crowd with a full-blown, multi-purpose, firebreathing monster; and it is a real revelation.
The first AMG-built, standalone supercar is spectacular; there’s no doubt about that. It sounds phenomenal, has heaps of power and stops, steers and handles like a thoroughbred. And then there are the looks, immediately recognised and lusted after by all and sundry – we won’t mention the doors again – which have almost given the car instant classic status. Despite a full production run over several years, expect SLSs to be stashed away in private collections all over the world. We’d rather drive ours ALL THE TIME, though!
The SLS has easily made the favourite supercar lists of many of our test team members… We have NO qualms about recommending it to anyone – provided they can afford one – who seeks both a thrill-a-minute driving experience AND everyday userfriendliness.