Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG 2011 Best Driver's Car Contender

The spiritual successor to the iconic 300 SL "Gullwing" of the 1950s, the SLS AMG is a pure performance car. Despite its size, the all-aluminum chassis, body, suspension, and engine keep weight down while a hand-built V-8 engine mounted entirely behind the front axle provides stupendous motivation. An all-new, rear-mounted, seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission receives power from a carbon-fiber driveshaft before sending it to the rear wheels. And yes, it has the doors.
It's a lot of fun, but not a terribly well-behaved car. It gives you a little wake-up call every time you turn in for the corner. The turn-in behavior of the car is a little bit frightening. It has a tendency to do a little snap oversteer a couple seconds after you turn in for the corner. You crack the wheel and everything feels really good, and then as the weight transfers and the body rolls over, the tail comes out. When the weight transfers, the rear moves first. It's instant at turn-in. You get an instant "whoop." But in this car it's like "that felt goodWhen it rolls, the tail moves, and that's notrelated to powerWell, maybe it is, because you're arriving at the corner so it's hard to get it slowed down. The car was well-behaved onthe exit as long as I rolled into the power very slowlygently
In track work, the AMG was a little bit unpredictable because the transmission would choose different gears at the same corner in the same place on a different lap. I noticed the gears were different in the hairpin every time. First time it was like second and I had instant sideways. Second time it was third and it came in pretty lazy. Third time it downshifted on the exit. So the transmission shift was not always real consistent. If I could drive it over I think I'd use the manual mode, . Iitjust takes a lot longer to figure that out, in terms of shift points and gear choices. The transmission alone was not smart enough to do it on the racetrack to my satisfaction. The upshifts are superb; quick, smooth. It's really excellent on the upshifts. Beautifulit just doesn't always time it right."It's got some top-end. It has got some serious power, it really does. It just curlsyour mouth into a smile. Boy, does it get somemomentum. That part's so much fun. This car is very, very powerful."The brakes on the SLS don't appear to be a match for its power. I think it still needs more, for track work. It is just so powerful and I think it's very clean aerodynamically. It picks up speed in a hurry and I found it consistently hard to get the car stopped. Tires would help that a lot, but I also felt the brakes were starting to go away. Anybody who's buying that car can afford the carbon brakesThat car generates adrenaline, for sure. Although not necessarily for the reasons you want it to. Wow. That is a great car for scaring yourbeautiful high-dollar girlfriend with. It's really impressive, and I did comout of the car filled with adrenaline, big smile on my face. But a lot of that adrenaline was coming from fear, not from speed. It kept it from being a really satisfying, pleasing car to drive, even though it was really, reallyenjoyable way. It's like riding a bull. You've got areal hairy beast between your legs when you're driving the AMG. It'sextremely enjoyable. It didn't have a refined feel