RE: Driven: Mercedes SLS AMG In The UK

RE: Driven: Mercedes SLS AMG In The UK

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Discussion

zakelwe

4,449 posts

197 months

Thursday 21st October 2010
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DB9VolanteDriver said:
britsportscars said:
Good to hear it's a proper drive. I find the SLS a bit underwhelming to look at though, am I the only one??
You're not the only one. Not very attractive. It's like two different design teams did the front and back. A 458 or DB9/DBS are miles ahead in terms of appealing design.
I kind of agree, thw back is rather strange, the front is very good though. It certainly does look a lot different from the normal supercar, so thumbs up for that.

Andy

James Dean

1,349 posts

164 months

Thursday 21st October 2010
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Didn't like these so much first.
Then I saw one at a local M-B dealer. Now I really love it, even though M-B's never does it for me, though with few exceptions. cloud9

ajoellew

1,432 posts

220 months

Thursday 21st October 2010
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I'm not normally one to get over excited about exotic machinery but I think these are totally epic. One of the few examples of a sequel living up to the original.

slarnge

364 posts

190 months

Thursday 21st October 2010
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Love this car, and have been very lucky to drive one.
Its a MONSTER !!

mickyveloce

1,035 posts

235 months

Thursday 21st October 2010
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We've just got one in the family, and it's an extraordinary ,wonderful monstrous car . Everything about it is just incredible ; noise , presence (width!) and performance of course . It toured back to the UK from the factory at 22mpg too , so almost sensible at the pumps .
I've a 96 C36 which is definately part of the family after many years ! Hopefully have some pics of both in the Merc owners club gazette soon.

Gizmo!

18,150 posts

208 months

Thursday 21st October 2010
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Fascinating. It's a car that I am fairly lukewarm to - in terms of bonkersness the S63/S65 V12s and arguably the C63 outstrip it, at least on first glance.

But unlike the McMerc SLR, everyone in the motoring press seems to love this thing, so it's got to have something. And I can't believe that something is simply 'it's got funny doors'.

Wish I could get a go in one...


BlueMR2

8,643 posts

201 months

Thursday 21st October 2010
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I think i'd go 2nd hand Bristol Fighter over this for a few reasons if i wanted those style doors.

I've seen an SLS in silver a few times and it looks unbelievably dull. No charisma at all and quite disappointing. The picture in another thread of a metallic dark blue one looked much better but probably quite a while till one in the flesh will be around.

The Fighter is much more appealing.

Harry Monk

5,187 posts

236 months

Thursday 21st October 2010
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The use of the word 'sward' enlivened this review beautifully.

LukeBird

17,170 posts

208 months

Thursday 21st October 2010
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Stunning! thumbup

I really, really want one!

DrRazzle

91 posts

192 months

Thursday 21st October 2010
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TommyBuoy said:
Saw my fist 'in the flesh' SLS yesterday - got to say the front view is amazing, but I just don't like the rear - the front looks so agressive and purposeful, but the rear reminds my of a peugeot hatch.
That has got to be one of the all time great typos. hehe

ALfooy

331 posts

194 months

Friday 22nd October 2010
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DrRazzle said:
TommyBuoy said:
Saw my fist 'in the flesh' today, got to say, amazing.
That has got to be one of the all time great typos. hehe
lol fixed it laugh

DrRazzle

91 posts

192 months

Friday 22nd October 2010
quotequote all
ALfooy said:
DrRazzle said:
TommyBuoy said:
Saw my fist 'in the flesh' today, got to say, amazing.
That has got to be one of the all time great typos. hehe
lol fixed it laugh
"...but I just don't like the rear"

bigburd

2,670 posts

199 months

Friday 22nd October 2010
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TommyBuoy said:
Saw my fist 'in the flesh' SLS yesterday - got to say the front view is amazing, but I just don't like the rear - the front looks so agressive and purposeful, but the rear reminds my of a peugeot hatch.
Saw mine in June smile ... a rare sighting as it was the SLS e-cell prototype

Wayney

626 posts

205 months

Friday 22nd October 2010
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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, not a good looking car in my opinion, sorry

Sierra Mike

877 posts

194 months

Friday 22nd October 2010
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After doing a few miles in an SLS, I thought I'd throw in some of my observations:

The first thing I noticed when I sat in the driver's seat was how long the bonnet is. The second thing I noticed was how wide it is. The third thing I noticed was how poor visibility can be. The windscreen and rear window are quite shallow and the door windows are rather small; you get used to it.

The car looks way better in the flesh than it does in pictures however it can look a little underwhelming in some colours. Whilst I understand people's reservations about the looks, from my experience, people love it and in my opinion, it's an instant classic.

The doors extend out 36cm which is less space than you'd need for a regular car door. That said, the car is very wide so you do need a little more space.

The doors work really well. In my first week it was pouring with rain and getting into and out of the car was not a problem. In fact they they protect the car from getting wet. Driven rain could be a different story. Getting in and out of the car is not so bad once you get used to it but it is a climb in and climb out. Headroom is fine in the driver's seat however the roof is a little lower between the seats so I've knocked my head countless times when looking over my shoulder to reverse. I've also hit my head on the door a few times when reaching into the car because you forget that they're above you.

I'm averaging about 15 mpg in mixed driving (roughly 200 miles to the tank) which I suppose isn't too bad considering what the car is capable of. That said, it only takes 60 miles for the gauge to read half full after filling up; this was quite alarming the first time I saw it! The sound is worth it. The first time I filled the car up, I decided to do so last thing at night instead of in the morning because it can be quite embarrassing opening the doors in front of people. Although it was quieter at night, there were more drunk people who wanted to have their pictures taken whilst sitting on the car! I can now get in and out of the car very quickly so as to avoid attracting too much attention.

The SLS sounds incredible. It roars on acceleration and pops and burbles on deceleration so you're entertained no matter what you're doing. It's the ultimate 'feel good' car. Needless to say, I drive with the windows down as much as possible smile

This car is very rapid. The steering is fast and light but firms up nicely around bends at speed. The car is effortless to drive but that can detract from the overall experience as well. The inside is nothing spectacular since it's virtually straight from the Mercedes parts bin however metal finishes are metal and that helps to give the perception of quality as do some of the other little touches. The SLS is definitely a very special car and, the great thing is, if you want to drive one, all you have to do is book in at Brooklands and take one out for a spin.






TommyBuoy

Original Poster:

1,269 posts

166 months

Friday 22nd October 2010
quotequote all
DrRazzle said:
ALfooy said:
DrRazzle said:
TommyBuoy said:
Saw my fist 'in the flesh' today, got to say, amazing.
That has got to be one of the all time great typos. hehe
lol fixed it laugh
"...but I just don't like the rear"
That's the first time one of my own posts has made me laugh!

DR10

1,849 posts

173 months

Friday 22nd October 2010
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Was at a Mercedes dealer today. Must say, the price listed was somewhat north of what is listed here. Secondly the wheels really don't look right. Nice car overall, but then again, should be for the price!

toohuge

3,430 posts

215 months

Friday 22nd October 2010
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I drove on of these a few months ago and I thought that the visibility was excellent for a performance car. The car drove brilliantly, in fact, pretty much flawlessly. The only problem was that it left me feeling cold, no real excitement.

A very accomplished car all the same and an excellent daily drive.

Max M4X WW

4,789 posts

181 months

Sunday 24th October 2010
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Do you have to bend down and grab the door handle to get in?

Verde

506 posts

187 months

Monday 25th October 2010
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This car is sooo disappointing, but perhaps it shouldn't be. It's big, as in too big. It's odd looking, with too long a nose, a badly sculpted rear, and a misuse of gull-wing doors. It's heavy and thus, no matter how magnificent the engine might be, it's a GT and not a sports car. As noted, it's disappointing, but probably not much of a surprise. The McLaren, the recent SL's, SLK's, etc. None of them are sports cars. They are all cars that show what happens when you ask a sedan company to build a two-seater.
So this new one should really be competing in the 'overpriced fat rich guy car category'. Not competing against Ferrari's and Porsche's. Bummer though. Mercedes clearly has a bunch of brilliant engineers but the company DNA just doesn't allow for the design of true 'sports cars'.