As certainly as day follows night and Kreme follows Krispy,
the launch of a new Mercedes-Benz model will be followed by the intro of its
AMG version. It has been almost a year since we first drove the new SL550, which was followed up a few months later by the SL63 AMG and its 5.5-liter direct-injected twin-cam 32-valve
V-8 with twin turbos, 530 horsepower, and 590 lb-ft of torque.
Much of the SL63’s mechanicals carry over to the new
SL65—except, of course, for the latter car’s 6.0-liter V-12. That engine is
also fitted with two turbos, but it features a single cam atop each head and
three valves per cylinder. Developed from the previous twin-turbo V-12, this
one has new turbos and manifolds, better airflow through the waste gate, a new
engine-management system, and “optimized” cylinder heads, which bring an
increase of 17 horsepower over the previous SL65 engine. That adds up to 621 horses; the V-12
still makes 738 lb-ft of torque and, yes, fans of the metric system, that
equates to 1000 newton-meters. All of this runs through a new seven-speed
automatic with four performance maps: Manual, Sport Plus, Sport, and Controlled
Efficiency. The latter incorporates an engine stop-start function for robber
barons stricken by the faintest tinge of ecoguilt.
 |
Mash the gas on an SL65, and the turbos take about as long
to spool up as you need to think “What the?” The 4450-pound Mercedes then
summarily blitzes for the horizon as if you’d engaged hyperdrive. We estimate
the 60-mph run in 3.5 seconds, 0.1 second slower than the gullwing SLS AMG GT. Mercedes trims the top speed at 186 mph.
Fuel-economy numbers are 14 mpg in the city and 21 on the highway, which is a
tad more efficient than the 12/20 EPA estimates for the Bentley Continental GTC.
Then again, the SL65 is even pricier than a Continental GTC.
In fact, it’s the most expensive Mercedes sports car, not counting the
extremely limited SL65 45th Anniversary Edition, of which just 45 will be
built. Only the $216,205 CL65 is dearer in the three-pointed star’s stable.
The SL65 has some external changes, although the SL550 is
already fairly aggressive. The biggest upgrades are inside where you can enjoy
them, relaxed in AMG sport seats with unique diamond stitching. In cooler
climes, you can raise the side windows and rear wind blocker, turn on the
Airscarf heating system behind your neck, and be comfy top down. Top up, the
cockpit is well-sealed against the elements and noise, all the better to hear
the Bang & Olufsen sound system. Above you is Magic Sky Control—who thinks
up these names? But it’s cool, the glass ceiling going from nearly transparent
to nearly opaque at a button’s touch, thanks to electrochromic technology.
 |
SL65s are so loaded that the only major options are $12,625
carbon-ceramic brakes, a $3570 exterior carbon-fiber appearance package, and
AMG Performance Media, which converts the COMAND screen into a race-car-like
info center for $2500. Mercedes offers black-painted wheels, red caliper paint,
and a wood-trimmed steering wheel, too.
We didn’t get to drive the SL65 on a track, but then
again—and horsepower aside—it is more of a cruiser aimed at buyers who prefer
to spend whatever it takes to have the top-rung model. At $148,005, the V-8
SL63 is maybe 0.3 second slower to 60. And even factoring in $2500 for the
magic roof and $4300 to buy an option package that includes Airscarf, it rings
in under $155,000. But as tempting a (relative) bargain as the SL63 might seem,
for the buyer who wants nothing less than all the boxes checked in the two-seat
AMG realm, the SL65 exists. Mightily.
source: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2013-mercedes-benz-sl65-amg-first-drive-review
No comments:
Post a Comment