Merc1
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With 518 bhp, dazzling tech and high style, this Benz is one of your fleeter 2-seaters.
Although a perusal of the spec sheets might lead you to believe Mercedes' new SL63 AMG is not a huge improvement over the SL55 AMG it replaces (yes, the SL63's 518 bhp is 8 bhp higher, but the supercharged SL55 had considerably more torque — 531 lb.-ft. compared to the SL63's 465), we'll gladly take the normally aspirated 6.2-liter any day of the week, with its immediate power, invigorating exhaust note and terrific new transmission.
But a more interesting comparison is with the SL63's high-dollar brother, the twin-turbocharged V-12 SL65 AMG. Because despite that car's 604 bhp and 738 lb.-ft. of torque, the SL63 is capable of matching its 4.0-second run to 60 mph (though the SL63 is slower by 0.4 sec. to the quarter mile). The 110-lb.-lighter SL63 also ran through our slalom quicker — 66.6 mph versus 65.8 for the near-$190,000 SL65.
You'd also be hard-pressed to find a more stirring exhaust note anywhere, tuned just perfectly by AMG engineers to "come on song" at higher rpm — it'll wake up Granny, that's for sure! And the throttle blips when downshifting the terrific new 7-speed MCT (Multi-Clutch Technology) transmission, which uses an 8-plate clutch pack instead of a torque converter, send shivers down your spine. While not the smoothest auto in the world, we respect the fact it shifts much more quickly (100-millisecond shifts, to be exact) than the transmission in the C63 AMG.
We're not as enamored of the SL63's ABC (Active Body Control) suspension, which through the use of hydraulics and electronics just about completely eliminates body roll. While normally that's a good thing, it's an unnatural feeling when a 4420-lb. car doesn't lean through turns on tight back roads, giving less sensation as to when the tires will break loose.
Despite a few negatives, and the SL63's absolutely enormous thirst for fuel, this is easily one of the most thrilling and exciting-to-drive M-Bs ever built.
Link, Video:
RoadandTrack.com -- New Car Search - Road Test Update: 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG (8/2008)
That 4.0 sec 0-60 is the lowest I've seen yet.
M
