Nissan 370Z Forum - View Single Post - 2011 Gullwings are back! SLS-AMG

The Weapon · 07-15-2009, 03:30 PM

Source: Road & Track Magazine - Exclusive Track Drive: 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG (7/2009)

Quote:

With the lead/follow exercises completed in C63 AMG sedans, I've now got reasonable confidence that when this SLS prototype launches over a couple of especially intimidating blind crests, there will be asphalt beneath on the landing. That's no small matter considering that I'll be behind the wheel of Mercedes' much-anticipated heir to the legendary 300SL Gullwing.

The Sachsenring, an hour south of Leipzig in the East German town of Hohenstein-Ernstthal, can certainly chew up and spit out the unwary or overzealous, but I'm finding the SLS to be remarkably precise, controllable at the limit and forgiving of the occasional ham-fisted input. Although a tighter circuit best known for hosting the German MotoGP, the Sachsenring's 2.3 miles allow enough straightaways to uncork the 571-bhp M159 V-8, a higher-powered variant of AMG's venerable 6208-cc M156 engine that sits well behind the front axle centerline...and practically rests on the pavement for a low center of gravity, thanks to a dry sump oiling system.

Chunks of sonic energy, a muted NASCAR sound tempered with German precision, fly out the exhaust and bounce off the grandstands as the SLS catapults down the front straight. An array of super-bright square LEDs over the main instruments flashes sequentially, urging shifts of the 7-speed dual-clutch transaxle — which are banged off nearly as fast as you can pull the steering-wheel paddles. AMG claims 0–62 mph in 3.8 seconds and a governed top speed of 196 mph. I have no reason to doubt these figures.

The view through the windshield — itself, far more upright than a Corvette's — affords a great view of the track; although the pontoon-fendered nose is extremely long, it's also extremely low, without the sense of bulk you'd have in a Viper, for instance. The chassis' precision is addictive; you can sense the rigidity of the aluminum space frame, and the efficient transitions that come from squeezing nearly all of the drivetrain mass between the axles. The result is a supercar that feels smaller and more agile than its dimensions and curb weight (roughly 3550 lb.) might suggest.

Roll, dive and squat are checked extremely well, and done through clever suspension kinematics rather than spine-crushing spring rates. And, unlike many cars that corner extremely flat, adhesion at the limit is easy to sense and control, with ultra-predictable breakaway and recovery. The SLS felt especially light on its feet through the track's tightest keyhole section, the 47/53 front/rear weight distribution making for minimal understeer — made all the more obvious by watching development drivers in more front-heavy AMG SL65s deal with the push.

Our SLS wasn't fitted with the optional carbon-ceramic brakes, but the stock Brembo-sourced setup — 6-piston front calipers, 4-piston rears clamping mammoth cross-drilled discs — is more than capable, easily modulated and with a firm pedal. A ride later with DTM racing legend and AMG development driver Bernd Schneider showed off some of the fiercest deceleration short of an F/A-18 carrier landing.

It's a great-handling car. While the SLS may not be the quickest in its category (consider the Corvette ZR1 carries roughly 5.3 lb./bhp, versus about 6.3 for the SLS and 7.3 for the Porsche 911 Turbo), it's certainly among the most rewarding to drive.