More than just a return to a gull-wing design, the 2011 SLS AMG is the best-performing Mercedes ever made, despite some quirks that should be ironed out over time.
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. With a price less than half that of Mercedes' previous supercar, the SLR McLaren, this one's actually priced to sell.
Exterior & Styling
The SLS AMG is a looker, though most observers agree the rear view is its least impressive. We brought the test car to a local collector who owns a 1955 300 SL gull-wing, expecting the classic to make the new one look bad, but the 2011 held up quite well. Its headlights and taillights are way different, and there's no chrome, but the proportions are similar, from the long hood and short front overhang to the upright windshield, which contributes to the SLS' relatively high, 0.36 coefficient of drag and EPA gas mileage rating of 14/20 mpg city/highway. Mercedes cars typically have a Cd below 0.3. That mileage rating also incurs a $1,700 gas-guzzler tax.
The SLS is also substantially larger than the old SL, with a greenhouse that's wider relative to the fenders. It's a less-distinctive look that you quickly appreciate regardless if you wedge yourself into the classic gull-wing. Seeing the two nose-to-nose showed one omission on the SLS: the rear quarter windows, which complete the original's look.
The car gets plenty of attention to begin with, but throw a door open and every man, woman, child and a fair percentage of nearby animals will turn their heads. Every dog that has ever chased a bird or a car will tremble uncontrollably. There have been several models with this door type, but a surprising percentage of admirers recall the 300 SL as the first. With the SLS, Mercedes is copying no one. Respect the wings.
Best-Performing Mercedes Ever
To put my praise in perspective, I'll need to lay a groundwork of criticism. When it comes to driving enjoyment, Mercedes isn't my first choice. Or even my fifth. 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. All the same, the company's cars haven't delivered as much performance or inspired as much confidence as BMW or, more recently, Audi, Infiniti and Cadillac (the CTS, specifically). Benzes hold their own, but they don't have the feel or the poise at the limits, and their incorporation of electronic aids hasn't been as deft.
So simply saying the latest and most expensive model is the best-performing Mercedes of all time doesn't do the SLS enough justice. It's more than that; it's actually a tour de force, one that's just a touch of refinement shy of competing with the best supercars. There is hope.
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 system definitely stopped the car quickly, but the pedal feel was so numb and difficult to modulate that I wouldn't accept it in a $10,000 car, much less one that cost a half-million dollars, even if it was someone else's money.
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