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| Mercedes' impressive facility at the historic Brooklands site in Surrey. |
As part of a new initiative to keep motoring journalists in
touch with the huge range of cars it offers, Mercedes-Benz UK is putting on
press days throughout the rest of the year, each with a main theme. The brain
child of new PR top dog, Angus Fitton, the first theme he dreamed up was AMG. Naturally.
An efficiency theme and a trip to Mercedes’ new driving
centre at Silverstone are in the pipeline, but what better way to capture test
hacks’ imaginations that with an array of other worldly machines capable of not
just blowing your socks off, but rearranging your face and redefining your idea
of fast. Alton Towers on tap, if you will. On the day, the least
powerful AMG there was the new SLK55 with a paltry 416bhp.
Taking place at Mercedes-Benz World in Surrey, its vast
visitor car park played host to no less than 38 cars, most a muscle bound
representation of AMG’s insatiable desire to create the most intoxicating cars
possible under the guidance of Mercedes-Benz. There also happened to be a
certain racing legend on hand giving passenger rides, going by the name of
Bernd Schneider. You may also know him as Mr DTM.
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| All the AMG trimmings on the 5.5-litre V8 powered SLK55. |
With around 80 motoring journalists expected, the ratio of
cars to people was a favourable 2:1, and having got there early enough, I was
rewarded with the brand spanking new SLK55. It may have a small footprint but
within that short wheelbase lies the power of over four C250s, and I don’t
doubt it as I dare to stoke the motor with a firm prod of the throttle in the
car park. Wearing a bib is highly recommended.
The latest R172 SLK has received mixed reviews from the
press, its attempt to appeal to drivers sapping it of some rolling refinement
that buyers of the old models loved it for. And yet despite this, it still won’t
worry a Porsche Boxster or BMW Z4 through the twisties, making its existence
somewhat confusing – what exactly is the SLK trying to be? That said, styling
and build quality inside and out make the old cars look half finished.
The AMG version goes some way to rectifying the SLK’s
confused identity with heavier steering (the standard rack on the normal SLK is
surprisingly loose), tauter suspension and of course, a V8 complete with
cylinder shut-off function to save juice. It's wonderfully tractable, the eight-pot motor, and capable of making the car’s
arse squirm in second gear even with all the safety systems switched on.
Yet there is no getting away from the fact the engine is pinned
to an inherently underwhelming chassis. Attack a few bends and you’ll get a
hint of understeer, a surprising amount of shake through the body and rack, and
a general feeling of unrest. Ease back though, and everything makes much more
sense. For instance, the steering’s otherwise disappointingly dead feel around
centre makes progress using solely your fingertips a happy pursuit. As a point
and shoot machine, the brutish SLK55 is simply unbeatable in its class, its
soundtrack capable of producing an adrenaline hit all by itself.
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| A great car in standard form, the latest AMG SL delivers and then some. |
The all new SL63 AMG, however, is an utter revelation. Its
ride is as soft as cheese yet body control is as tight as an Olympic gymnast’s.
Powered by the same 5.5-litre V8 found in the SLK, but with two turbos that
haven’t muffled the thumping soundtrack in any way, the grand roadster covers
ground so quickly and with so much panache that it almost makes you wonder why
you’d have the SLS AMG Roadster.
Speaking of which, I happened to sample just such a car and
if you can afford the droptop SLS, the SL63 simply doesn’t figure. The SLS is
an absolute monster, but its cabin – circa 2009, don’t forget – is starting to
look a bit old hat; the new SL’s is far, far sweeter and packs way more
electronic wizadry.
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| Useable but still so capable, the SLS AMG Roadster is simply thrilling. |
Still, once you’ve found a road long enough, mashed the SLS’s
floor hinged throttle pedal and heard the rippling, supersonic blare of its
6.2-litre lump partnered by the DCT’s gunshot like upshifts, you forget about
the mediocre cabin. You forget about everything in fact, your brain entirely
focused on computing your velocity and making sure your limbs don’t do anything
ridiculous. At full chat, I wouldn’t blame a passenger for sticking their arms
in the air and WOOO-ing just like
they would on a roller coaster. I’d do the same but I’m too busy hanging onto
the circular handle bar in front...
More subtle in its approach and not entirely convincing
despite my test car’s £149,000 price tag, is the CL63 AMG. Based on a plush,
otherwise laid back coupe, it packs that stonking great V8 biturbo motor in its
nose but the revamped air springing devoids the car of all the traits that made
it so brilliant in the first place. Yes, the AMG V8 adds more character, but it’s
otherwise raucous snorting is absorbed by layers and layers of bodywork and sound
proofing material. I’d honestly rather have the far cheaper, more comfortable and
hardly any slower 500 model.
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| Both have four seats, but the CLS63 (left) makes more sense than the CL63. |
Sharing the same engine, the CLS63 AMG comes close to
feeling redundant given its base car’s pillow soft character, but its sharper E-Class
underpinnings warrant a boost in power and fettling of the suspension. Endowed
with the AMG Performance Package, it produces 549bhp and 590lb ft torque,
seeing off 62mph in 4.2 seconds. Call up third gear using the sexy aly
paddleshifter and it’ll fire from 50 to 100mph in an eye-widening six seconds,
by my reckoning. Check out the video below and see for yourself (sorry about
the shoddy quality).
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| Five-time DTM champion, Bernd Schneider turned up, too. |
