Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG 2010 Review

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges): $464,000
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): N/A
Crash rating: TBC
Fuel: 98 RON PULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 13.3
CO2 emissions (g/km): 311
Also consider: Audi R8 V10, Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, Porsche 911 Turbo

It may come as a surprise to some, but even in this game it's not often you get thrown the keys to half million dollars worth of car and told "Have fun... See you next week".

But that's exactly what happened when one of the very first Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS Gullwings Down Under arrived at Carsales HQ. So yours truly did the only thing he should -- cancelled a swag of meetings, jumped over the foot-wide sill and pointed AMG's first bespoke sportscar's aircraft carrier flight deck of a nose south east to some of my favourite driving roads.

Seven hours and around 550km later, across a mix of the very best roads South Gippsland has to offer -- that the SLS had been nothing short of wicked was no surprise. That I was equally enamoured with the car after almost a week of joy-riding, cruising and God forbid, commuting, was. Once Porsche built the only supersports cars you could own and drive every day. Now Benz makes that club a two-make game.

Even the trademark Gullwing doors have their practical side. The SLS may be shorter overall than a C-Class sedan but it's wider, indeed noticeably so in day-to-day use. The good news is that even if there's just a squeeze of room left either side of the car when you re-emerge to stow the supermarket shopping (and yep, I took the SLS to the local IGA) that's plenty of room to allow the doors to open.

Plonk yourself into the comfortable and multiple-adjustable buckets (just two mind you), rely on the park assist at both ends and you're away... Though the small boot may mean you're sharing the cabin with some of your purchases if you're over eager.

Criticising the SLS for lack of luggage space might seem just a tad churlish. But somehow it's a measure of the completeness of the car that it even comes into the equation.

It's firmly suspended but not crashy; brutally fast but not brutal; scalpel sharp when you want it to be but far from flighty... All of these attributes add up to a car that wants to be driven -- and regularly. It'll be a crying shame if too many owners lock them away for Sunday-only use.

Though perhaps some suspension adjustability would be a boon, this is a car that I would have no qualms about saddling up and heading around the coast road to Sydney, Adelaide or beyond... Hence the comments about luggage space -- despite its $464K price tag, this is a car you'll want to use.

In maximum attack guise the manual mode for the gearbox is the pick. With the torque of the SLS sometimes you don't want that extra downshift and frankly, sometimes even in the intuitive Sport+ mode the twin-clutch gearbox is a tad too eager... No, better to let the chassis' grip carry you through on corner speed and roll on out towards the next bend at the lower margin of the midrange. From there the hand-assembled V8 offers vivid acceleration. Its guttural sound will only egg you on.

Sport+ is very, very capable and will be quickest mode for many but it's not quite as resolved as the system Porsche gifts its rocket sled 911 Turbo. If you're looking for fast carriage without too much stress, however, by jimmy it's quick.

And we'd probably counsel against freeing up the stability and traction control nannies any further than ESP Sport setting. Unless of course you're on a racetrack...This is a car that thanks to 420kW and 650Nm will happily break traction in third gear at less than full noise. Add a bit of cornering load and it's quick to show who's boss. But if you're able to temper that better than Dr Bosch's finely tuned nannies, then call me and I'll organise an F1 contract for you and take my 15 per cent.

Spend more than a few hours in the SLS hot seat however and you'll (eventually) appreciate just how capable, surprisingly cosseting and comely is AMG's first 100 per cent in-house handiwork. There's a wonderful staccato nature to the V8's exhaust note at lower revs and part throttle openings and it's not so muffled that it is not obvious to those inside and outside the SLS. Sure the styling of the car turns heads but so does its visceral sound.

To my ear it's more melodious than the sharp metallic Messerschmitt crossed with NASCAR bark of the McMerc. But not so cultured that it doesn't stir the lions... I mean loins...

Around town, leave the car in Comfort mode and the gearbox and throttle response are close in execution to that of a 'normal' SL. At light throttle openings the seven-speed box shifts up early and stays there -- relying on the car's torque to do the work.

Sight lines are good for a sporty, though at times I found myself pausing to take a second look around the big A-pillar. Though I'd like the standard seats to be positioned a touch lower, a range of bodies had no problem getting comfortable in the Gullwing's cabin. There's more room (especially headroom) than expected.

While the l-o-n-g bonnet is daunting at first, you soon get the hang of placing the car appropriately in traffic and when parking... There's no doubt, however, that kerbs and the SLS's low appendages are sworn enemies.

At this point in the piece I'm supposed to get all logical and lament the SLS's pricetag. But hey -- why? If you can afford the price of admission you're not the slightest bit concerned that this car's end figure starts with a five, a four or even a seven... If you consider the SLS is about half the price of the Mercedes-McLaren SLR alluded to above, does that mean it's a bargain?

Those actually shopping in this marketplace are doing so because they have a penchant for performance or visibility.  And it's here that that the SLS sets itself apart...

In performance terms the naturally-aspirated SLS is arguably bettered by Porsche's absolutely stunning 911 Turbo. The rear-engined wundercar is faster to 100km/h (3.3secs Versus 3.8 for the SLS) and gut-wrenchingly quicker in-gears on the road, thanks to more than 700Nm of torque. The PDK twin-clutch gearbox is arguably better too... But, and it's a big but -- Weissach's finest is simply invisible in comparison to the SLS.

If the AMG's pure elemental engine note doesn't get you noticed... If the standout lone-nosed 'wearing my underpants on the outside' styling slips their mind... If the dinner-plate sized three-pointed icon is somehow invisible... Then nothing this side of a naked supermodel on roller skates is going to grab their attention like those doors... And have I told you how practical they are?

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