Mercedes-Benz SLS

If you're about to pop out and buy a Mercedes SLS, may we suggest a brief pause to read this review first? Because AMG has just launched an updated SLS, slightly confusingly called the SLS GT, and the revisions make the ‘normal' SLS feel a bit, well... normal. Or as ordinary as any gull-winged coupe can be.

The GT gets a new inlet manifold releasing an extra 20bhp, which helps drop the 0-62mph time by 0.1 seconds to 3.7. There are also revisions to the gearbox software and the suspension. These sound like minor changes, so is it actually any better? In short, yes. The key alteration is the gearbox software - both upshifts and downshifts on the dual-clutch gearbox are now quicker, by as much as 60 per cent. In auto, the 'box blends shifts more deftly- so the GT cruises better - yet in manual mode the changes are snappier and the throttle response sharper - so the car feels much more interactive. Overall, the GT broadens the SLS's appeal.

It's still not perfect. There are times when the manual mode isn't actually completely manual because it refuses to change up when you want it to. Let's say you're pottering around town and the engine is ticking over at 2,000rpm - the 'box won't let you shift up to make the motor more relaxed. Merc says there are durability reasons for this odd programming, which is fair enough, but with all this power and, crucially, torque on offer (583bhp and 479lb ft), we feel it could afford to be a tiny bit more relaxed about it.

The suspension alterations have also helped. The springs and dampers have all changed, and there's no comfort setting on the adjustable dampers, but don't panic - this hasn't made the ride worse. All the changes have apparently done is sharpen up the car, so the nose turns in better and the rear feels more secure. The net effect? The SLS is now ever so slightly better at the dual roles of... er... GT and sports car.

On the outside, there are some subtle visual tweaks, like darker light surrounds and black fins in the side gills. Inside, the carbon-fibre dash has been replaced with piano black, and there are still seven shift lights in between the dials. So, yes, the styling changes are very minor, but it's not like there was much wrong with the SLS in the first place anyway.

Most buyers will probably plump for the GT version just because it's the most expensive. And in the USA, Mercedes-Benz will now only sell the GT. The exact cost hasn't been confirmed for the UK yet, but it's likely to be about £180,000, or roughly £12,000 more than the standard car (which will continue to be sold here). So it's not a cheap option, but it is the better car. Our advice: go pricey.

Piers Ward
The numbers
6208cc, V8, RWD, 583bhp, 479lb ft, 21.4mpg, 308g/km CO2, 0-62mph in 3.7secs, 199mph, 1695kg

The verdict
 A series of minor alterations from AMG add up to make the SLS more drivable than ever. The GT is the SLS you'll want.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Coupe

The SLS AMG, as if we need to remind you, is fast and quite sporty. The SLS AMG GT? Besides an alphabetical mouthful, you can consider it an SLS on uppers. It’s also the latest fruit of a variant-focused product strategy for the AMG supercar that saw the standard car joined shortly after launch by a roadster. This new GT version, which supplants the non-GT here but augments it in Europe, is an attempt to make both SLS coupe and convertible more track ready, more hard core. (If it’s not brutal enough, allow us to point you to the SLS AMG GT3.)

Our now-departed regular-grade SLS had 563 hp from its high-revving, naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V-8, enough to get the car to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds in our testing. The GT gets 20 more hp for a total of 583. (Torque stands pat at 479 lb-ft.) Only those who notice the matte-black-trimmed wheels and subtle GT lettering appended to the decklid logo will know you’re packing that little bit of extra ammo.


Unfortunately, this burly, wonderful 6.2-liter engine is on its last legs, with the SLS and C63 being its only remaining standard bearers. All other 63 AMG cars—the misnomer is a homage to AMG’s racing engine of the 1960s and ’70s—have switched to a smaller-displacement, forced-induction 5.5-liter V-8 as a nod to fuel efficiency and emissions regulations. That’s a shame, because the 6.2’s wide power band, immediate throttle response, and instant surge of power and torque are among the most impressive we’ve ever experienced. And the sound—oh, the sound! (Hear it here. Now.) Let’s pour one out for this great engine, shall we?

But back to the SLS GT. The extra grunt ought to shave a 10th off the sprint to 60, which is significant only for barroom arguments; the previous car felt stupid quick from the driver’s perch, and this one does, too. Top speed remains a lofty 197 mph, another beer-soaked statistic relevant only to a select few owners, given the speed limits in most SLS markets.

One place where terminal velocity might actually be explored is of course the SLS’s home turf in Germany, where we drove the GT at the Hockenheim track. There, we found that the only substantive differences in overall character come courtesy of the transmission and suspension. As for the latter, the previous setup has been slightly stiffened by the adoption of AMG’s Adaptive Performance Suspension, and the car feels a bit tauter in each of the two settings. The seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox has been revised, too. In its Normal mode, it changes gears as smoothly as any of Mercedes’ torque-converter units. But select Sport or—even better—Sport Plus mode, and the gearchanges are lightning quick and the programming so in tune with driver needs that the manual mode is superfluous. (But we hope Mercedes never, ever removes manual control. We love holding gears to create glorious burbles and pops on demand.) The SLS GT will automatically execute multiple downshifts when entering a corner, and it also blips the throttle on each one to prevent uncouth driveline behavior—and create righteous noises.

Inside, special Designo appointments are standard and available in one of eight colors, or one can spec the GT Interior package at no cost. That bundle turns the interior sinister with black leather and faux suede upholstery, a red neutral mark on the steering wheel, glossy black interior trim, red seatbelts, red binding for the floor mats, and red contrast stitching on nearly every surface. There are options that cost money, of course, including onboard telemetry via the COMAND system for $2500, carbon-ceramic brakes for a cool $12,500, and carbon-fiber engine dressing for $5400. There’s a $6400 1000-watt sound system, but we can’t imagine why anyone would prefer to listen to any music other than that composed under the hood. Final base pricing has yet to be released, but we’re predicting a jump of about $10K to crest the $200,000 mark. So save your scratch.

Given that this isn’t a huge leap forward from the previous SLS, you can understand why Mercedes-Benz USA decided not to offer both cars here simultaneously. This is a very nice update, though, and one that manages to keep the SLS feeling fresh and vital—and, yes, quite fast and sporty.

Mercedes Benz G550

The G550 couldn’t seem more obnoxious around our editorial office’s ecoconscious Ann Arbor environs. It’s huge, looks like it could eat a Prius, and absolutely stinks of money. But these are classic parts of the G-wagen experience, an uncommon mixture of old-timey road manners, military-industrial styling, and unexpectedly sprightly acceleration. Taken individually, only the styling and acceleration should appeal, but all together, the refreshed-for-2013 G550 delivers a sense of goodness and satisfaction that has typified the G-wagen breed for some time.

The 2013 G550’s updated sameness begins with its butch styling, which looks pretty much the same as last year’s model (awesome), the one before that (still awesome), and the original 30-some years before that (so many years of awesome). Eyeliner-like LED strips added beneath each of the G’s round headlights make up the only exterior changes. The cabin was brought into this millennium by a new dashboard. The G’s rifle-bolt-action door latches return, and the delightfully mechanical and heavy kachunk with which they operate is perhaps more satisfying than sex. (Note we said “perhaps.”)

We’ve tested the previous-gen G550 and the G55 AMG and have driven this latest G550’s high-output G63 AMG counterpart, and they all feel pretty much the same, albeit with varying degrees of accelerative oomph. Yesteryear driving dynamics lend a certain charm, even if the G550 remains something of a challenge to pilot, even at normal speeds. The steering is slow, for example, but a quicker setup in a tall, short-wheelbase SUV would be seriously unstable at speed. The floaty, disconnected feeling afforded by the softly sprung front and rear solid axles and numb recirculating-ball steering mean that keeping the G550 on course is a two-handed affair, and it takes time to acclimate to the exaggerated body roll and comical lack of lateral grip. The G hung on for just 0.56 g around our skidpad; out in the real world, cornering speeds above 20 mph count as spirited.

So you’ll be slowing down a lot to enter corners, a move that requires even more diligence given the way the carry-over 388-hp, 5.5-liter V-8 rockets the big box forward with alarming ferocity. Objectively, the trip to 60 mph takes 5.9 seconds. Subjectively, it feels quicker. Mat the throttle, and there’s a half-second delay as the driveline spools up and the rear suspension squats deeply before the G550 hurls off with a hearty exhaust snort. It’s best to point the G in the direction you plan on traveling before dipping deep with your right foot. Paddle shifters allow for manual shifting, but we think their inclusion with every G550 is a practical joke only German product planners find funny.

Top speed is governed at 135 mph, which has us again questioning the Germans’ humor. At 100 mph, it feels as though a pigeon fart could blow the G550 into the next lane. In addition to a soft brake pedal, we recorded a disappointing 191-foot braking distance from 70 mph, a figure that’s almost a couple of car lengths longer than the 164-foot stopping distance of the G550’s more modern sibling, the ML63 AMG. Even during normal braking, dive is significant—it feels as if all the SUV’s 5689 pounds were bearing down on the front axle.

 Aside from its straight-line acceleration times, though, test-track figures are meaningless to the G550, and we actually dig the way everyday maneuvers require more thought or determination in the G than they do in more modern automobiles such as Benz’s own GL450 or smaller M-class crossovers. Loath as it may be to conventional performance standards, the G550 wears its old-school luxury character on its sleeve, and the extra work behind the wheel makes A-to-B driving at or below legal speeds more engaging than it has any right to be. Plus, it makes our neighbors hate us, which is cool.

Mercedes-Benz GL63

The introduction of the 550-hp GL63 AMG last summer sparked a debate in our business about whether this vehicle is proof that AMG has lost its mind. We say no, no, 550 times no. Remember that AMG’s first race car was an S-class nicknamed the Red Sow. The firm is first and foremost a powerhouse: It transforms Mercedes vehicles into stealth sleds bristling with improper levels of horsepower.

To make this comparatively demure GL into an AMG, Mercedes drops in its talented twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V-8, upgrades the transmission and all-wheel-drive system, and fits a sportier adjustable suspension. The AMG gets larger front brakes tucked inside its 21-inch wheels as well as a couple of cosmetic flourishes such as new front and rear fascias and fender flares. Sport seats fitted up front mean that, if you were so inclined, you could call this a “chairs and flares” package. We wouldn’t.

In daily use, the experience of the GL63 is much like that of the regular GL, only more urgent. Under light load, a reassuring rumble reminds occupants that the GL63 has 550 horsepower, which is 20 more than a Porsche 911 Turbo S and probably not something you want to mention to the other parents in your car-pool group. Under full throttle, a 4.8-second 0-to-60 time reminds you that the GL63 weighs 5812 pounds. Most vehicles with that much stonk weigh less. AMG’s tuning of the seven-speed automatic gives the 63 a flatulent bucksnort on upshifts, and the slowness of the rev-matched downshifts imbues them with a sort of purposeful menace.

To the two steering and suspension settings available in lesser GLs—comfort and sport—the AMG adds a third: sport plus. The range of adjustability doesn’t feel like it’s greatly expanded here compared with the non-AMG GLs, though. The widest is in the steering. It’s too light in comfort, a disconcerting feeling in something this large, heavy, and fast. We spent most of our time in sport plus, as it de-spooks the steering by turning up the resistance. The ride difference is minimal. In any mode, body control is quite good, and with its active anti-roll bars—optional on non-AMG GLs, standard here—the 63 corners laughably flatly for something so massive, up to a respectable limit of 0.84 g. And the larger brakes stop the nearly three-ton truck from 70 mph in just 162 feet, which would have tied for first in our most recent sports-sedan roundup.

Two questions keep gnawing at us. First, who needs this kind of vehicle? Not many ­people. Mercedes says that just 2 percent of GL buyers will opt for the GL63. As for the second question, it has nothing to do with whether AMG should be hot-rodding SUVs. Of course it should. The SUV is the luxury sedan of the modern day.

Mercedes-Benz SLK250 Review

The latest comes from Mercedes-Benz, which is following the trend in various C-Class models, but also now with the 2013 SLK. This is more than a little karmic because the original SLK 230 used a supercharged 2.3-liter with 193 horsepower and on paper, the new car isn’t that far ahead of the original.

TINY 4-CYLINDER UNDER THAT BIG HOOD

The current SLK adopts a smaller turbocharged four-cylinder for its new ‘base’ model in North America, the 250. In this case, a 1.8-liter direct-injection unit that produces a healthy 202 horsepower and 229 lb-ft of torque.

Amazingly, our press car came with the extremely rare six-speed manual transmission; something we believe only existed in theory since no one ever orders them.

The company claims the littlest SLK will run from 0-60 mph in 6.5 seconds with a human handling the shift duties (6.6 sec. with the seven-speed automatic). Top speed is limited to 130 mph in every SLK except the crazy 415-horse AMG model.

Compared with the carryover V6-powered SLK 350, the four-banger weighs 140 pounds less and gets better gas mileage, only using 22 mpg in the city and 32 on the highway (23/33 with the automatic.)

Mercedes-Benz’ manual transmissions are much improved since the original SLK of nearly 20 years ago. The shift action is no longer notchy and balky while clutch take-up is smoother too. However, there were a few instances when the electronic throttle and some turbo lag at low revs made changing gears under light throttle a tad challenging. When giving it the boot, these issues mainly disappeared.