Circuit Paul Ricard is reckoned to be the safest test track in the world, an ideal place to flog a new car within an inch of its life. It also has the padlocked gates and vigilant corps d'securite to keep spying eyes at bay. Mercedes-Benz has used Paul Ricard for these reasons in the past and has invited us once again to the south of France, this time for an early drive of the 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG, weeks before it made its debut at the Geneva show.

Hold on! We're not beginning our test on the reclusive track, but in full public view, in the heart of morning rush hour, on a busy boulevard along the waterfront in Nice.

Secrecy? Sure, the SL63 wears black camouflage and is shorn of all badges, but nothing can hide the graceful curve of its roofline, the broad haunches stretching over its handsome new 19-inch running gear, the deep slope of the hood. In fact, the SL63 is as stealthy as Halle Berry in a black catsuit, and it seems every cell-phone camera on the Cte d'Azur is pointed our way.

Safety? When Tobias Moers, AMG's director of vehicle development, waves us away from the curb and into the frenetic traffic for the drive to Paul Ricard, it feels as though we've joined the last three minutes of Formula 1 qualifying. Moers surely must be more than paranoid watching his handbuilt baby disappear into the swarm of traffic.

Until we pull into Paul Ricard, the SL63's most striking element is the hand-assembled V-8's roar, passing relatively unfiltered through an exhaust system that sounds as if it were stolen from AMG's race shop. Time and again we run up the revs and lift off the throttle just to revel in the exhaust's deep baritone burble on overrun. The 6.2's uncommon combination of massive low-end pull and willingness to rev have been well documented, but the SL63 marks its first pairing with Mercedes' new MCT seven-speed transmission.

Currently unique to the SL63, the MCT has a "wet start-up clutch" in lieu of a torque converter and four drive modes instead of three: Comfort, Sport, and new Sport+, which automatically shifts gears as quickly as a driver can manage in the fourth, fully manual mode. MCT also double-clutches to match engine revs during downshifts (but not in comfort mode) and provides active torque management to maintain revs and help stabilize the powertrain's interaction with the chassis under braking.

"The chief advantages of MCT," says Dr. Martin Hart, senior manager of powertrain calibration and electronics, "are a more direct connection between the engine and the driving wheels and a reduction in rotational mass for the entire transmission by about 25 percent, resulting in quicker shifts and more efficient power delivery. This required a new generation of transmission control unit with much more computing power and far more complex algorithms than before."

Because the MCT is more difficult to cool, says Hart, AMG developed two nose-mounted transmission coolers (one uses water from the engine cooling system and the other is an air-to-oil cooler), and a clever method of routing oil through the transmission's six clutches by creating small gaps between the plates for increased flow.

On the test track, manual shifting is the quickest way to exploit the 6.2's 518 horses but the engine spools up so quickly, and about 90 percent of maximum torque is already twisting the rear wheels by 2000 rpm, that we have to be fast with the shift paddles to avoid whacking the tach needle against the limiter. We enjoy the Sport+ mode, which allows us to concentrate on braking points and apexes and take advantage of MCT's ability to downshift from seventh to fourth or fifth to second. It's almost impossible to confuse the process of choosing the proper gear.

Three stages of traction control are available. Leave it alone, and the SL63 is a pussycat, though not without all its claws intact. Push the ESP button once, and the pussycat reveals how those claws handle traction by allowing about 12 degrees of chassis yaw before they dig in and return the chassis to equilibrium. Push it again, the controls are entirely disabled, and it becomes a wonderful handful of powerful creature. At just over 4300 pounds, the SL63 is not the "Sport Lightweight" model that rocked the world in the early 1950s, but its more than adequate power and chassis balance lend it a nimbleness belying the curb weight. The chassis gives plenty of warning before it transitions from understeer to oversteer, and the driver feels connected to all four wheels. We can't remember the last time we felt comfortable throttle steering an SL through a high-speed sweeper, as we do time and again at Paul Ricard.

The SL63's claimed 0-to-62-mph time of 4.7 seconds, smoothened by a new launch system and the quicker shifts of the seven-speed, seems conservative, but there's no doubt it goes around corners like no other SL in memory. The SL63 still delivers Mercedes' vaunted solid ride quality from the remarkable Active Body Control system, but stiffer suspension components and retuned safety and stability systems transmute it into the most capable SL in the twisties since Sir Stirling won the Mille Miglia in an SL. There's some compromise to the ride, particularly when the "Sport" button on the center console is chosen to stiffen the dampers and reduce body roll, but only the roughest surfaces threaten to upset the equanimity of the ultra-stiff chassis.

For those hard-core types who might consider the SL63 still to be more of a luxury GT than pursang sports car, AMG is reportedly preparing a lighter-weight Black Series that should be able to run with any exotic in the world. If that's too far off (or too dear) for you, the SL63 can be ordered with a Performance Package that includes a limited-slip differential with 40-percent locking; 15.3-inch-diameter front rotors in place of the standard 14.2-inch brakes; stiffer settings for ABC; a smaller-diameter flat-bottomed steering wheel; and staggered-width tires on twin-spoke 19-inch forged alloys.

We drive both our prototype in the catsuit and an undisguised car (imagine Halle Berry without the camo) with the Performance Package at the track, and the optional gear makes a tangible difference in the SL63's handling, offering crisper turn-in, more stability under heavy braking and even closer communication with the chassis. We'd gladly add on this option to the MSRP, which is expected to run around $130,000 when the SL63 goes on sale later this year.

Even in basic form, the hardtop convertible is a most capable sports car that loses none of its appeal when subjected to the stresses of the track. This is a quality shared by just a few other cars and assures the Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG its proper place at the head of a long lineage of exceptional roadsters.

On the test track, manual shifting is the quickest way to exploit the 6.2's 518 horses but the engine spools up so quickly, and about 90 percent of maximum torque is already twisting the rear wheels by 2000 rpm, that we have to be fast with the shift paddles to avoid whacking the tach needle against the limiter. We enjoy the Sport+ mode, which allows us to concentrate on braking points and apexes and take advantage of MCT's ability to downshift from seventh to fourth or fifth to second. It's almost impossible to confuse the process of choosing the proper gear.

Three stages of traction control are available. Leave it alone, and the SL63 is a pussycat, though not without all its claws intact. Push the ESP button once, and the pussycat reveals how those claws handle traction by allowing about 12 degrees of chassis yaw before they dig in and return the chassis to equilibrium. Push it again, the controls are entirely disabled, and it becomes a wonderful handful of powerful creature. At just over 4300 pounds, the SL63 is not the "Sport Lightweight" model that rocked the world in the early 1950s, but its more than adequate power and chassis balance lend it a nimbleness belying the curb weight. The chassis gives plenty of warning before it transitions from understeer to oversteer, and the driver feels connected to all four wheels. We can't remember the last time we felt comfortable throttle steering an SL through a high-speed sweeper, as we do time and again at Paul Ricard.

The SL63's claimed 0-to-62-mph time of 4.7 seconds, smoothened by a new launch system and the quicker shifts of the seven-speed, seems conservative, but there's no doubt it goes around corners like no other SL in memory. The SL63 still delivers Mercedes' vaunted solid ride quality from the remarkable Active Body Control system, but stiffer suspension components and retuned safety and stability systems transmute it into the most capable SL in the twisties since Sir Stirling won the Mille Miglia in an SL. There's some compromise to the ride, particularly when the "Sport" button on the center console is chosen to stiffen the dampers and reduce body roll, but only the roughest surfaces threaten to upset the equanimity of the ultra-stiff chassis.

For those hard-core types who might consider the SL63 still to be more of a luxury GT than pursang sports car, AMG is reportedly preparing a lighter-weight Black Series that should be able to run with any exotic in the world. If that's too far off (or too dear) for you, the SL63 can be ordered with a Performance Package that includes a limited-slip differential with 40-percent locking; 15.3-inch-diameter front rotors in place of the standard 14.2-inch brakes; stiffer settings for ABC; a smaller-diameter flat-bottomed steering wheel; and staggered-width tires on twin-spoke 19-inch forged alloys.

 

I think its a terrific car and I absolutley love the fresh new look, If I was going to get a new car this may be it due to the many new features such as launch control and fast shifting gearbox.

I viewed other video's on youtube and it sounds phenomenal, still has a deep bark as well.

 

nice pictures. not a huge fan of the car though

 

I like it a lot.

 

It justs needs to be lowered.
More of a cruising sports car to me to be driven around town and on bumpy roads.