2011 AMG pays homage to 'Gullwing'

The steering is firm and direct, and the car turns in quickly with very little lean.

Coming this spring is the first car developed completely by AMG, the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.

The SLS takes the place of the Mercedes-McLaren SLR as Mercedes� modern, high-tech super sports car, but it also reaches back into the past. With �gull wing� doors that open upward instead of outward and a throwback design, the SLS is an homage to the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, the legendary Gullwing. Cues from the 300 SL include the long hood, short rear deck and elements of the face and grille.

An all-out two-seat sports car conceived as a Ferrari fighter, the SLS is designed around an aluminum space frame with a central tunnel that helps provide rigidity. To optimize balance, it uses a front-mid-engine layout and a rear transaxle. The engine sits completely behind the front axle, while the transmission rests in front of the rear axle. The result is a near-perfect 47/53 front/ rear weight balance. Thanks to a dry sump oiling system, the engine sits low and helps lower the center of gravity.

The engine is AMG�s hand-built 6.3-liter V-8. It produces 571 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. That�s 46 horses more than in other AMG products thanks to a reworked valvetrain, different camshafts, flow-optimized tubular headers, a better-breathing intake system and a lessrestrictive exhaust system.

The V-8 is linked to a seven-speed dualclutch automated manual transmission by a carbon fiber composite driveshaft housed in a torque tube. The transmission uses one clutch to hold the current gear and one to ready the next. Gear shifts are instantaneous with almost no loss of tractive power. The transmission can be left in drive to shift like an automatic or shifted manually via the gearshift or a pair of steering wheel paddles.

I had the opportunity to drive the SLS on the twisty roads around Monterey, Calif., and on the 2.2-mile road course at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. One goose of the throttle revealed that the power is monstrous. Floor it and the V-8 barks loudly as it rockets the car from 0 to 60 mph in only 3.7 seconds. The thrust just keeps coming up to an electronically limited to 197 mph. Letting off the gas causes the engine to crackle, pop and burble like a stock car slowing for a pit stop. AMG calls it �controlled backfire.�

I call it cool.

The SLS is also perfectly willing to amble along the boulevard, with only the droning engine note detracting from a relaxed cruise. The transmission helps. It features comfort, sport and sport plus settings that change the shift schedule. In the comfort setting, the transmission shifts at lower rpms to improve fuel economy and provide a calmer driving experience. In the sport and sport plus settings, the shifts are later, making power more readily available.

I used the sport settings on the road and track, and found that the transmission readily downshifted when I jumped on the brakes prior to a corner. In some instances, though, when braking wasn�t necessary but a downshift would have helped, it retained the higher gear. This problem can be rectified by using the steering wheel paddles. My only regret is that Mercedes doesn�t offer a manual transmission.

Handling is downright impressive. The SLS feels solid, like it�s been carved from a block of granite, but it also feels lighter than its 3,500-pound curb weight. Those are the qualities of a stiff and stable body structure at work. The steering is firm and direct, and the car turns in quickly with very little lean. Braking inspires confidence with the base brakes and the optional carbon fiber composite brakes are even better.

Inside, the SLS is typical of a high-end sports car. The gauges, which look like fine watch faces, include a 220-mph speedometer and a tachometer with a 7,250-rpm redline. A line of LEDs acts as a shift light for drivers who want to use the shift paddles, and the trip computer includes a race timer. Mercedes� leather upholstery is standard and the headliner is suedelike Alcantara.

The sport bucket seats have plenty of adjustments to make most passengers comfortable, but wider riders might feel pinched by the aggressive side bolstering. Shorter occupants will also struggle to reach the gull wing doors once seated. An easy remedy to this problem is to grab the door and pull it down as you get in. The trunk, with its 6.2 cubic feet of storage space, has about enough room for two pieces of carry-on luggage.

Mercedes� COMAND control system is standard. It uses a rotating knob on the center console to control the navigation, audio and phone functions.

Mercedes has not yet announced pricing, but the SLS will surely top $200,000. While the vast majority of us could never justify spending that much on a car, the SLS AMG is a world-class super sports car. At home on the track or street, it�s an excellent first complete project by AMG and a worthy successor to the Gullwing legacy.