SLS New York 2010: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG priced at $183,000 for the U.S.

[Merc1]

I don't know what all this price talk is about. For a Mercedes, clean-sheet sports car the price is dirt cheap. Especially when you look at the SL65 BS and the SLR and how they were priced.

This car will sell like hotcakes and the roadster version even more so. Buyers in this segment aren't looking at performance per dollar otherwise they'd all buy GTRs and ZR1s. Style and exclusivity are just as much a part of this as track times and 0-60 times.

To suggest that this car won't sell because of the GTR or R8 is just plain silly. The R8's sales are already on the decline in the U.S. V10 be damned.


M

 

[adeel2010]

We all know Nissan GTR has already killed both SLS and R8

If Merc wanted to beat the GTR, they would do so.
That is not what this car is about.

 

[Centurion]

Consoling words for the loosing camp(s).

The only loser here is Nissan. As an average car manufacturer they carry zero prestige, have a not-so-praised design team supported by a weak image. In trying to elevate the brand, they poured all their effort and money into developing the GT-R with the purpose of being able to say "my GT-R is faster than your dad's Porsche and therefore it's a batter car".

Sure the car has earned the company a few stripes and deserved head lines, but has the car done much for the brand? No. The Audi R8 has been a much more success project. Not only is it fast, but it looks fantastic and has changed the world's perspective on mid-engined sports cars. It's a much more long term product than the one hit wonder Nissan has desperately developed in order to gain street kudos.

Given that performance is all that mosot GT-R advocates bring up when they speak of the car is a testament to how little substance the car has. When people talk about Ferrari, Lamborghini or the R8 they talk about engine sound, exterior design, technological inventions, character and persona -- while the GT-R is looked upon as a tool for driving fast around a circuit.

 

[LaArtist]

The GTR??
Um..does anything short of a 458 Italia hold a candle against it?

No!!!
So it took the best from the best sports car manufacturer on earth to have it beaten at near 3 times the price..

I dont expect the luxury giant from stuttgart to get in that game..

Maybe BMW should .. they are afterall the ultimate driving machine..lets proove it then..

 

[Sunny]

The only loser here is Nissan. As an average car manufacturer they carry zero prestige, have a not-so-praised design team supported by a weak image. In trying to elevate the brand, they poured all their effort and money into developing the GT-R with the purpose of being able to say "my GT-R is faster than your dad's Porsche and therefore it's a batter car".

Sure the car has earned the company a few stripes and deserved head lines, but has the car done much for the brand? No. The Audi R8 has been a much more success project. Not only is it fast, but it looks fantastic and has changed the world's perspective on mid-engined sports cars. It's a much more long term product than the one hit wonder Nissan has desperately developed in order to gain street kudos.

Given that performance is all that mosot GT-R advocates bring up when they speak of the car is a testament to how little substance the car has. When people talk about Ferrari, Lamborghini or the R8 they talk about engine sound, exterior design, technological inventions, character and persona -- while the GT-R is looked upon as a tool for driving fast around a circuit.

That post says more about what a snob you are than anything about GTR or Nissan.

The price of SLS has nothing to do with GTR and what it has to offer and in the interest of not taking this thread more off topic, I will stop here.

 

[adeel2010]

That post says more about what a snob you are than anything about GTR or Nissan.

.

Come on now.. lets play nice

 

[cawimmer430]

Price aside, the SLS will also have a strong symbolic meaning to some potential buyers. I'm willing to bet that a lot of wealthy buyers going for an SLS will feel they're buying into the heritage and legend of the original 300SL Gullwing and in a sense they're getting just that in a modern package: the SLS.

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

The asking price is impressive, it's just a matter of the options and the, almost guaranteed, insane mark-up that dealers are going to place on this car. I have very little doubt that this car will sell well in the States. But it does go to show the effects part sharing has on keeping prices lower.

 

[Untertürkheim]

Let's see how that compares with some others in the class, as it were.

• Mercedes-Benz SLS: $183,000
• Audi R8 5.2 FSI: $150,200
• Ferrari 458 Italia:$225,000
• Lamborghini Gallardo:$208,000
• Chevrolet Corvette ZR1:$107,830
• Aston Martin DB9: $179,450

Here is a thought for considering these cars, GT-R and 997TT / GT2 included. The SLS will outlast every other car here by at least five fold. It is the only one I would consider for something like the Gumball or everyday use simply because it would continue on forever. It will probably be the only one of the group where examples with X00.000 miles will change hands to eager new owners.

The SLS is amazing in every way discussed: handling, driving dynamics, power, engineering, and aesthetics. Most of all, the car will continue to deliver all of these traits far beyond the expiration of the others here.

 

[Potential]

SLS would be 2nd last, in front of Chevy, on that list for me...

 

[go0gle]

It is priced very well and sales will be good. The car has "win" written all over it...

the 458 Italia, which I see as the only real competitor for the SLS, will be at least 50k more after options and all.. and there will be less of them around, so demand will be potentially higher.

Not all people, but most, that consider buying a 458 or the SLS, don't even think about the GT-R as a comparable alternative. We are social/self conscious beings, hence social status (unfortunately) is very important to us.

If I am driving the SLS or the 458, and someone parks next to me with a GT-R and tries to say something... I will just tell him to go park his little altima somewhere else. End of story. At that point no one cares how capable the GT-R is. You can call me a snob, but this is how the real world works..for now.

 

[Centurion]

It is the only one I would consider for something like the Gumball or everyday use simply because it would continue on forever.

The 911 Turbo beats it in that regard. It has a much more spacious cabin, you can recline the seats if you want to and getting in and out of the car is much easier than the SLS.

As for the price you listed, the SLS might be just under the 200k mark but the option list is adsurdly expensive, as in Ferrari expensive.

 

[Untertürkheim]

The 911 Turbo beats it in that regard. It has a much more spacious cabin, you can recline the seats if you want to and getting in and out of the car is much easier than the SLS.

As for the price you listed, the SLS might be just under the 200k mark but the option list is adsurdly expensive, as in Ferrari expensive.

Most of the cars in this category have ~$75k in options. I estimated the price of an SLS I would actually buy to be around $250k, which is still a good buy in this range.

I do not think a 911 Turbo can hold up in longevity anywhere close to MB engineering, and the flawed design of the 911 cars (rear engine, RWD/AWD) makes the Boxter/Cayman line the only possible sport choices from the company.

I see the 911 as more of an SL competitor anyway, and I would take a 65 any day.

 

[Wolfgang]

Barry Spyker reviews the SLS:




Review: 2011 Mercedes SLS AMG poised to become icon

Barry Spyker | GrandForksHerald

For just one moment, if you possibly can, forget that the 2011 Mercedes SLS AMG is a spectacular looking supercar, with a long hood and gull-wing doors and sizzling top speed of 197 mph.

OK, all that is impossible to forget, even for a moment. But I wonder this, being a classic-car guy and proud owner of a 1981 DeLorean for 10 years, is this SLS ready to follow in its tire prints? A classic waiting to happen?

No question, if you listen to Mercedes: "Our aim with this interpretation is to create the classic car of the future," said design chief Gordon Wagener.

Sports Car Market magazine felt it was worth a story in itself, though their conclusion was more wishy-washy than Mercedes. "The SLS doesn't look much like the car that inspired it (300SL)," it said. It then surmised that it could appreciate, and maybe even in the near term.

I say it has classic written all over it — at least as a second-generation classic like the 40th anniversary Mustang. But, heck, buy it for today, not tomorrow. It's worth the $183,000, if you're the type who isn't aghast at those figures.

The SLS marks the first time Mercedes' sport folks at AMG built a car from scratch. It blends the heritage styling of its 1950s kin, with its gull-wing doors and grille, with the sophisticated technology of today like an aluminum space-frame shell and a 6.3-liter front-mid V-8 engine that can do awesome things with the road and your senses.

Suffice it to say, it's a head-turner, too.

OK, for those impatient ones, let's get to the meat: This thing will do 0-to-60 in 3.8 seconds and has a top speed of 196 mph which, by the way, is electronically limited by Mercedes. They're just looking out for your safety.

And its resonating growl announces what this car is capable of.

Its looks scream classic sports car: a six-foot-long hood, short rear and extendable spoiler (it automatically rises at 75 mph or at the touch of a button), wide track and short overhangs are all prerequisites for a stunning sports car.

The SLS engine not only is new but represents a whole new engine family for Mercedes. It has an output of 563 horses at 6,800 rpm, making it one of the most powerful in the supercar segment. It's a naturally aspirated powerplant, and it provides an enormous 479 pound-feet of torque at 4,750 rpm.

There's 40 years of racing that went into this engine.

Oh yes, it gets up and goes. You'll get where you're going before you've had a chance to enjoy the thrill. Still, for those who live for pure speed, know that the SLS could get edged by a fraction when competing with the Audi R8 or the Porsche 911 Turbo.

Shifting is swift and smooth with a seven-speed automatic tranny with automatic double-clutching function. One clutch drives the odd-numbered gears, the other the even. The result is that one clutch is applied just when the other is disengaged. And it all works with automatic shifting or while using the paddle shifters on the wheel.

If you seek simple and pleasurable, the one of four driving modes you want is "C," which starts in second gear. In "S" mode, the engine reaches higher speeds in each gear. S-plus cuts shift times by 20 percent. In "M" (manual) mode, the tranny shifts in under 100 milliseconds, says Mercedes.

Steering is crisp and responsive, with a speed-sensitive power assist. There's probably not a car on the planet that can corner with this one.

On the road you'll find visibility is satisfactory but hampered slightly by a wide B pillar.

Like the sleek and timeless DeLorean, the SLS's outstanding physical feature is its gull-wing doors, which always attract attention. They swing wide open — up by 70 degrees and five feet high from the road — for easy entry. And gas dampers make them feel lighter and easy to open.

Also, just like the DeLorean (John Z. DeLorean was an engineering genius), they actually are better in tight spaces than swing doors.

Of course, taller folks will have to keep an eye on that door. Even I, with all those years of gull-wing access, banged my head on the dang thing.

Stepping inside requires takes a little patience due to SLS' wide door sill. Once inside, you'll quickly see that Mercedes tried to replicate the feel of an airplane cockpit. The first clue: the AC vent-nozzles that resemble jet engines.

The interior is trimmed in nappa leather, real metal and carbon accents. White, circular instrument dials have red pointers; the speedo scales out at 225 mph.

Seats are on the firm side, with integrated headrests and side bolsters, but the backrests are built for the long haul with four-way lumbar support. Comfort in a sports car? What a great concept.

Also rare for a sports car is decent storage. The SLS accommodates with a glovebox plus a storage bin below the arm rest. And there's one behind the console as well as mesh pockets in the footwells.

The 6.2 cubic-foot trunk can handle weekender bags, not much more.

Eight air bags, including knee bags for driver and passenger, help cushion the impact of a collision we hope never happens. Seat-belt tensioners hold tight to occupants if a collision does occur. Traction, stability control, brake assist? Yes, yes, yes.

Mercedes has reminded us all that it still knows the winning formula for a super-sports car. The Robb Report, connoisseur of all things exotic and spectacular, apparently agrees, choosing it as 2010 "Car of the Year." It topped such stars as the Audi R8 V-10, Aston Martin DBS Volante and a Lamborghini Gallardo. (In all fairness, Motor Trend liked the R8 better in its comparison).

If you're still debating whether the SLS is a classic waiting to happen, I say let your kids worry about it. Just love it and live for today.

———
2011 MERCEDES SLS AMG:
—Base Price: $185,750

2011 Mercedes SLS AMG | Grand Forks Herald | Grand Forks, North Dakota

 

[ateekt]

well SLS is better than R8 almost in every aspect

No offense, but that was a typical fan-boy comment. Imo, R8 looks better, performs better & is a better driver's car than Sl-S... by miles.

Sl-S is a step ahead because of its historic fame & the shoes she is filling in. Imo, if compared to its predecessor, its a shame in looks!

 

[bum-man]

No offense, but that was a typical fan-boy comment. Imo, R8 looks better, performs better & is a better driver's car than Sl-S... by miles.

That's funny because your's sounds even more fanboyish. So I'm guessing you've driven both cars back to back to come to your conclusion...

 

[ateekt]

That's funny because your's sounds even more fanboyish. So I'm guessing you've driven both cars back to back to come to your conclusion...

I wish I could do that & if I ever get a chance, you bet, I won't pass it. I've never said anything about my personal experience behind the wheel, or did I?

Like everyone else here, I'm summing up the stories I've read & my personal views.

I think you missed the 'imo' part in my reply, which means it was my opinion & not the real world proven fact which can never happen in an automotive world! Peace.