How tight was the suspension? I am prejudiced on Merc's based on a old E430 I had. It floated like a Buick. I have to assume that the SLS AMG drives amazingly. I had come from a BMW 5 series and I could never get over the ponderous feel of that E430.

All that said, amazingly beautiful car and I wish to he'll I had one to play with for a few years.

 

What an interesting thread I've sparked!!! Nice to see the passion coming through

 

The wheelbase was longer than our 997's and it seemed more luxurious to me for that reason. 997 is 92.5" vs. SLS 106". This was done to optimize balance on the SLS. As you can see from the pic there's plenty of room in the engine compartment. That said, it was still very low slung and connected to the ground from what I could feel on the short ride. I can feel every expansion joint (and pebble for that matter) in my S (especially in sport). It wasn't like that but the owner did say the ride can be too harsh for his taste at times. I was probably spared because of the roads we traveled.

One caveat is that the interior materials were excellent (holy fit and finish) and I must assume uber sound insulation was used throughout. Dont' get me wrong, plenty of grumble permeated the cabin but the insulation added to the luxury. If that monster 6.3 V8 was in our 997's we'd be deaf after a weekend jaunt.

 

I've driven the SLS on the track and my impressions were similar.

It's strange how the car seems large and heavy, but it's actually reasonably light and has very good handling with plenty of grip and very little roll. I find that puzzling to this day, and I prefer a car that actually feels light.

The V8 (actually 6.2, not 6.3) really does sound awesome, with a menacing burble that reminds me of the good ol' days. The 3.8 in the 911 seems a bit wimpy by comparison, though it gets the job done.

As far as space inside, I actually found it a bit tight, and I had to put the seat all the way back at 6'-1", which is surprising given how long the car is overall.

My one big issue is that I'm not sure the car is worth $200K. In that range, you start to compete with exotic supercars and higher-end 911s, some of which I'd probably like better.

But the SLS definitely offers a very different experience from a Porsche, so it's something to consider for anyone looking for variety.

 

That is a gorgeous car. That said, I too don't care about .4 increase shifting speed, dual auto-clutch, quick launch... as other's obviously do. I don't race, rip, track or "lauch" my Box. I drive and find the process of the manual transmission fun although in the Boxster you only really need 2 or 3 gears to drive in most city traffic.

 

I stand corrected on the engine displacement. Shame on me!

 

No, it's Mercedes' fault.

The labelling on the car says 6.3 V8, but the displacement is actually 6.2. It's the same with my C63 (which has a somewhat detuned version of the same engine), and it's pretty annoying. I still don't know why they did that.

 

Makes two of us!

 

Because everyone does it.

 

beautiful colour combo too!

 

Gorgeous car, thanks for sharing! Really a worthy follow-on to the original gullwing...
IMHO, btw!!

 

I drove the SLS last year as part of the AMG driving academy, and the car is a beast. I'm not a huge fan of the AMG automatic (the PDK is faster and firmer, IMHO), but it does do a great job for what it is. Meanwhile, the handling and engine are simply fabulous. It does a great job of hiding that 4k of weight. Its also fast...VERY fast.

I was at Road Atlanta this weekend for the PCA DE and I was surprised to see I was only pushing 110 or so at the midpoint of the back straight. Granted, I was not going full out as I was riding with an instructor and working on my brake points, turn in, and down shifts - but during the AMG classes I was pushing 140+ in the same area without running hard.