2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Road Test Review

It's all too easy to get caught up in the gullwing door feature of the new 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. In fact, this entire road test could focus on nothing more than the design, construction, use of and reaction to these exotic doors and be quite entertaining. But that would ignore the truly unique aspects of this Mercedes-Benz AMG model. Much better to simply state that the doors are a beautiful example of form following function, with no real issues regarding clearances or entry/exit difficulty, and move on to the good stuff.

See, the gullwing doors, though highly compelling, are far from being the most impressive part of the SLS AMG's total package. The real magic of this vehicle starts when the doors are closed, the 563-horsepower, 6.2-liter V8 engine is fired up and the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is set in Sport Plus mode.

Said transmission is mounted at the back of the drivetrain, between the rear wheels, to shift weight toward the rear of the car. And all of this performance technology resides in a lightweight aluminum shell (weighing just 532 pounds before assembly) that rides on an independent double-wishbone suspension.

Of course, one would expect an exotic car with such a pedigree to deliver world-class driving performance. And it does. But the real treat we discovered while enjoying Mercedes' SLS is what it delivers when not accessing those ultimate performance capabilities.