Road Trip: 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG down Mexico way

[svgallery name="2010_MB_SLS_hirez"] By John LeBlanc OAXACA, Mexico—Before I was handed the keys to a shiny new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG “super” sports cars, officials from the German automaker warned me that driving here would be different. Especially given that our planned route was a section of Mexico’s historic La Carrera Panamericana road race, an event the SLS AMG’s historical inspiration — the 1952 300 SL Gullwing racecar — won in its debut. It’s also one of the most dangerous road races in history. Slower cars (and even slower trucks), donkeys, horses, chickens, children — as well as Mexico’s infamous “topes,” or speed bumps — were all pointed out as “things to look out for” while driving on the roads. What wasn’t communicated was that for the day’s run from the industrial city of Puebla, just east of Mexico City, to the more tourist-friendly Oaxaca, about 450 km south, members of the Mexican Policia Federal — or Federales — would sweep the mainly rural roads ahead in their Dodge Charger police interceptors. With their lights flashing and sirens blaring, our escorts gave clear warning to any of the aforementioned slower cars (and even slower trucks), donkeys, horses, chickens, children, and “topes,” etc., allowing the SLS AMG to “cruise” along between 200 and 230 km/h, non-stop. Imagine the movie Smokey and the Bandit, but with the Bandit trying to catch Sheriff Buford T. Justice. After an hour and a half cruising at speeds well over 200 km/h, our Federale pace car pulled over for a scheduled stop, right before our route headed off into more twisty mountain roads. Getting out of our respective cars, Smokey and Bandit congratulated each other on some fine, spirited driving. I then found out that our friendly Federale hot shoe is an old hand at this. Off-duty officers provide the same type of service for the entrants of the modern Carrera road rally (think Mexican Targa Newfoundland), held each October on these same roads. Imagine one of Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Julian Fantino’s finest providing the same service — not! Driving up to 230 km/h on open public roads (the 1950 La Carrera Panamericana winning Oldsmobile 88 averaged 142 km/h) may sound extremely reckless. But the Mercedes sports car was more than capable of faster. Low wind noise, and a chassis that never felt skittish made the SLS AMG a calm place to be, even at such speeds. Given enough space, the SLS AMG can go up to 317 km/h, according to Mercedes. Ignoring the less tactile yet more expensive $238,500 SL 65 AMG Roadster, the SLS AMG is replacing the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren as the automaker’s top-line performance car. Like the old SLR, the SLS AMG sports a front/mid-mounted engine design. But instead of a supercharged V8, there’s AMG’s ubiquitous naturally aspirated 6.3-litre V8 under the hood, mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox (first Mercedes of this type) producing 563 hp and 479 lb.-ft. of torque to the rear wheels. Performance is SLR-like: 0-to-100 km/h in less than four seconds. Yet starting at less than $200,000, the SLS AMG is a slam-dunk bargain compared to the $500,000 SLR and many other 500-plus horsepower “super” sports cars, like the $290,000 Aston Martin DBS, $250,000 Ferrari 458 Italia, $245,000 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 or $375,000 (U.S.) Lexus LF-A. However, some question the credibility of any new Mercedes sports car. Some think Mercedes hasn’t made a genuine driver’s car since the 300 SL in the 1950s, and consider most of the automaker’s two-seaters from the past 40 years better suited to shopping excursions than Mexican road races. But from the start, the SLS AMG was created to be a different kind of car for the German brand. First, it was designed and made by Mercedes’ hot rod AMG gang, who also announced during this event that they will build and sell to customers an SLS AMG racecar for next year’s FIA GT3 sports car series. And while the big and heavy Benz can’t match the back road nimbleness of, say, a $173,000 Audi R8 5.2 or a $165,300 Porsche 911 Turbo, it’s way ahead of the old SLR as a driver’s car. Between the meaty steering, reactive throttle and balanced chassis, the SLS AMG can be tailored to most driving styles. Particularly when you’re trying to stay on the tail of a Mexican police officer’s Charger, on the sinuous mountain roads closer to the end of our day near Oaxaca, where the notion of guardrails seems to have been lost on local road engineers. Unlike most Mercedes cars, the SLS AMG’s steering isn’t pinky finger-light. The speed-sensitive, variable-assist power setup delivers proper feedback. The new dual-clutch autobox needs to be in Sport Plus to get the quickest and most responsive shifts. However, even in full-on manual mode, shifts are slower compared to other dual-clutch gearboxes. And although my example wasn’t fitted with the optional ceramic brake package, the standard setup is plenty strong. At first, the SLS AMG tends to understeer when entering corners too hot. But the right gear, a simple poke at the torque monster lying underneath its long hood creates more balanced handling. You have to be careful, though. Even with the electric stability on, too much throttle can cause the big Benz sports car’s rear end to come around. When the first Canadian 2010 SLS AMG owners start taking delivery of their cars next month, the likelihood of an over-200 km/h OPP escort will be slim to none. But a trip down Mexican way may be just the cure to exploit what is most roadworthy Mercedes sports car to date. And if you do happen to run into any Federales, just tell them John from Canada sent you. 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG PRICE: $198,000 ENGINE: 6.2 L V8 POWER/TORQUE: 563-hp/479 lb.-ft. FUEL CONSUMPTION: (as tested) 19.6L/100 km to 28.7L/100 km COMPETITION: Audi R8 V10, Ferrari 458 Italia, Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4, Porsche 911 Turbo S WHAT’S BEST: Playful chassis, strong-like-bull brakes, first “real” sports car from Benz since the original `50s SL. WHAT’S WORST: Transmission could be sharper, interior not bespoke enough, headroom is dear WHAT’S INTERESTING: Almost 60 years after the debut of its historical predecessor, Mercedes will start selling the SLS AMG GT3 racecar to customers for the 2011 sports car racing season

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