The 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG may have been the worst choice for our relaxed summer tour of Niagara wine country.
To clarify, this is by no means a slag on Mercedes-Benz’s brilliant reinterpretation of its legendary 1955 300SL Gullwing. In fact, this retro-modern projectile is worth every penny of its $198,000 asking price, in my opinion.
It’s just that my wife, Claire, bless her heart, has a slight aversion to sudden g-forces of the lateral and linear variety; and bellowing V8’s; and heavy right feet. She also has no problem expressing her distaste for hooliganism at the wheel by jabbing said offender in the right shoulder with great swiftness.
2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
Thus my conundrum.
You see, as soon as that gullwing door swung shut I discovered an additional passenger within. That would be the Devil, perched on my left shoulder and goading me towards all kinds of wickedness. “Come on you wimp, plant it! What’s a night on the couch?” It didn’t help that this car was jet black. Temptation, I know thy name.
While the SLS’s party trick is a pair of roof-hinged doors, it’s what lives under that long hood that gives Beelzebub such sway – an AMG-designed, 563-hp 6,208 cc, naturally-aspirated V8 that brings 469 lb.-ft. of torque to the party.
If ever a car could justify its price on sound alone, the SLS AMG might be the one. Pressing the start button on the centre console awakens the hand-built V8, bringing it to an ominous idle. Blip the throttle and the revs jump like there’s no flywheel. From there on it bellows like the hounds of hell, wailing to a metallic 7,250 rpm redline.
But it doesn’t stop here. On overrun, there is a cacophony of burbles, blats and pops spewing from the twin tailpipes that only a conservatively muffled large-displacement bent-eight can provide.
Hell yeah!
As we burbled our way along the bucolic roads of wine country, I told the devil to shut his cake hole, respected Claire’s wishes (and her left jab) and relied on my memory of past road and track experiences in the SLS AMG to enliven the drive.
Despite its appearance, sound and layout, the 2011 SLS AMG is not an untamed rear-drive beast waiting to bite you at the first opportunity. Sure, it’s not the dynamic equal of a Porsche Turbo S or Audi R8, but its brand of retro-brutish performance is easily accessible. It is neutrally balanced, shows astounding grip and very quick turn in. With the standard limited-slip rear differential, you can put the power down hard and early when exiting corners.
And that long hood is not just for show – the dry-sump V8 is nestled low and well back behind the front wheels. It connects to the new 7-speed dual-clutch rear transaxle (developed in conjunction with Getrag) via a 167 cm carbon-fibre drive shaft. The SLS brags a 48/52 front to rear weight bias.
As might be expected, visibility from within is not great, but the simple cabin is exquisitely crafted with deeply bolstered Nappa leather seats, large rotary vents and silver-faced gauges that hark back to earlier times. This car benefited from a $5,100 extended interior carbon fibre trim package on top of the “regular” $5,000 carbon fibre upgrade. Yikes!
With the optional $1,700 AMG sport suspension, the ride is hardly cosseting, but neither does it punish. The steering is surely accurate, although not as tactile as in the Audi or Porsche.
Claire: “Aww, look at the new-born lambs.”
The Devil: “Hey loser. Here comes a big sweeper. I dare you.”
Me: “Shut up!”
Claire: “Pardon?”
And so it went.
A rotary switch on the centre console gives the driver a choice of four shift maps. Controlled Efficiency (C) is the most relaxed – it starts in second gear – while Sport (S) gives 20 per cent faster shifts with rev-matching on downshifts. Sport Plus (S+) further sharpens shift time and Manual gives complete control over upshifting. There is also an RS (race start) launch control setting.
The ESP (electronic stability control) has three levels: normal, the more lenient sport mode and off. Once you’ve tailored the car to your liking, this dynamic cocktail can be stored and called up via the AMG button.
This tester was fitted with the optional $14,200 carbon ceramic brakes. Yup, you read that right. For track work, these lightweight units make sense, but compared to the standard steel units, they are grabby, harder to modulate and are prone to squeak.
After parking on the main drag in Niagara of the Lake, I popped the doors and started taking pictures. Within minutes it became almost a mob scene. The car was surrounded by gawkers and cell-phone snappers. One girl actually jumped in so her boyfriend could take a picture. Did the Devil make her do it?
Time for our getaway: I politely shoed them off, and cleared the crowd with a couple of jabs on the happy pedal.
And then, as I approached the on-ramp to the QEW, it happened. My right hand (involuntarily, mind you) reached down and selected Sport Plus. My left hand tickled the paddle and flicked down a trio of gears. My right foot… well, you know.
The SLS squatted for half a beat, the massive rear 295/30ZR20-inch Contis did a quick sidestep and then we bolted like a raging feral beast, powering through in a beautifully defined arc.
The only thing louder than the exhaust was a strange cackling in my left ear.
