Blurb by Road and track...



You can put to rest any notion that Mercedes' retractable-hardtop roadster, the SL, has devolved into a cushy, high-profile boulevardier...with one drive of the new SL63 AMG. With 518 bhp from its 6208-cc aluminum 4-cam V-8 and a new 7-speed AMG SpeedShift MCT transmission, this open-top Merc can out-accelerate hard-core sports sedans like the BMW M3, as we're estimating quarter-mile times in the mid-12-second range.

Upshifts are as quick as 100 milliseconds, thanks to its planetary-gear automatic with a twist — drive is taken not through a conventional torque converter, but an 8-plate hydraulically actuated wet clutch under computer control. The driving experience is electric — and we don't mean that in the "electric motor" sense — especially with downshifts in the transmission's Manual mode, where the system actually double-declutches for you and blips the throttle, matching revs with aggression heretofore unseen.

A retuned version of Mercedes' Active Body Control helps the SL63 corner ultra-flat, making best use of its Pirelli P Zero tires (255s front, 285s rear) on 19-in. AMG wheels. Brakes, the fronts featuring 6-piston calipers and 14.2-in. rotors, confidently scrub off the SL63's easily accrued speed; and steering feels considerably more direct than a standard SL's, bucking slightly over small bumps under high g loads.

That you're in the AMG version won't go unnoticed by the impoverished who can only afford Porsche Boxsters, because in addition to the regular '09 changes (a bolder, single-blade grille bar, reshaped lights, twin power domes on the hood), this performance version has the AMG side skirts, a more angular front clip with a considerably larger lower intake, a specific rear fascia/diffuser and a rear decklid spoiler, along with too many detail changes to list here. It's a rush, sitting in the driver's seat. And you should be sitting down for the price, in the neighborhood of $132,000 when it goes on sale in May.

 

I want this car really badly, I believe it fits me and my wants in a nice yet very torquey GT cruiser.

I am so far impressed with the reviews about this car, it has really brought back "sport" to the SL lineup and differentiates its sporty characteristics to the Larger CL which has a more plush type of ride that is very comfortable. I think the new and improved MCT transmition is a phenominal peice on this car, I browsed google and found a video which shows how fast the shifts on this car and how similar it changes the gears like the C63AMG which was the first to feature this quick and responsive setup.

 

Thanks for the share DJ. I'm still not 100% sold on the car yet but the looks are growing on me.

 

+1, what bothered me most about the CLK63BS is the torque converter.

 

I love the new fascia. Looks super aggressive, I'm definitely a fan.