Edmunds First Drive: Mercedes SLS AMG
02-19-10, 08:34 AM
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Edmunds First Drive: Mercedes SLS AMG
Ice Dancing in the Arctic With the 563-hp Gullwing
You don't really understand the cold until you've been to the Arctic. In the winter months here in northern Sweden, the sun barely raises its head and the temperature struggles to better zero degrees Fahrenheit. It's a brutal environment and an incongruous place to meet the 2011 Mercedes SLS AMG.
It's incongruous but not unusual, because when the cold weather really bites, the city of Kiruna becomes a playground for Europe's automotive development engineers. The local hotels are littered with men in garish jackets that bear names like Bosch, Continental and Mercedes. And it's impossible to drive for more than an hour without spotting a top-secret prototype bedecked in camouflage clothing. If you're a spy photographer and not afraid of the cold, this tiny town on the fringe of the Arctic Circle is Shangri-La.
riving a 563-horsepower supercar like the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in the ice and snow should be easy, don't you think? No one else up here under the Northern Lights seems to be having any problems. It won't be like driving that Ferrari F430 Spider across Italy like I did a few years ago, or even like whipping that Ferrari 612 Scaglietti across India (with a roll of toilet paper in hand almost all the way), but it should be doable, right?
What have I let myself in for?
South to Alaska
Our 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS rolls out of the truck dressed in bright red. The Mercedes engineers brought it to Kiruna for a final cold-weather systems check before production begins in March and now they're done. I've been tasked with driving the car 250 miles south across the Arctic Circle to the town of Arvidsjaur, which, in terms of latitude, is on a par with northern Alaska.
When I first saw the SLS on its stand at the auto show, I wasn't sure about it. The macho nose looked slightly at odds with the curvaceous rump, which itself seemed an awkward pastiche of the iconic Mercedes-Benz SL300 of the 1950s. But here in the wild, smeared in ice and snow, the Gullwing looks much more effective. The SLS might not have the flamboyance of the cartoonlike Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren — a car I've driven many times — but it still has plenty of impact and those gullwing doors are pure theatre.
We're running on standard winter tires, similar to those used throughout Europe at this time of year. Studded tires would be more sensible for the conditions, but they'd provide less of a challenge for the stability control system and less of a test of my manhood. Today, concentration and finesse top the agenda.
We crawl out of Kiruna, a city of around 18,000 people. Sweden's most northerly city built its fortune on the production of iron ore, but more recently it's diversified into ecotourism and even space exploration — Kiruna has signed a deal with Virgin Galactic to house Spaceport Sweden. It would be easy to imagine the astronauts becoming confused, as so desolate is the countryside that you could be forgiven for thinking you'd already reached the moon.
Point South, Hope for Warmth
Not surprisingly, most locals here travel by Volvo and they're not afraid to push on. If your roads are smothered in ice for seven months of the year, you learn to adapt, so it's little wonder that so many of the great rally drivers hail from this part of the world.
In the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, I'm being cautious. The 6.2-liter V8 musters 563 hp and the slightest tickle of the throttle seems to make the stability control light dance to a disco beat. I pop the seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual transmission into Manual mode and use the shift paddles on the steering wheel to change up early, something the electronics seem surprisingly reluctant to do.
Mercedes is billing this car as a proper GT, a car that owners could use every day, even though few will. This is the first time AMG has been permitted to develop a complete car, but it hasn't been given too much license to get overly frisky with the design. For example, the ultra-conservative cabin could only have hailed from Stuttgart.
Maybe it's too sensible. The infotainment system is pinched from a C-Class and looks out of place here. When you're spending around $235,000 on a car, you don't really expect blank plastic switches. Apart from an awesome Bang & Olufsen stereo system, little inside feels genuinely special. The cockpit of a Ferrari 599 GTB or even the much cheaper Audi R8 4.2 FSI has a greater sense of occasion (as we British automotive journalists like to say).
The Coolest Hotel in Sweden
A few kilometers south of Kiruna we stumble across the area's most famous tourist attraction. The Ice Hotel at Jukkasjärvi is an extravagant igloo rebuilt every winter using 45,000 tons of snow and ice. Now in its 20th year it attracts arty types, ambitious tourists and corporate executives (although Inside Line's Jason Kavanagh was also allowed to stay here when he tested the 2008 Saab Turbo X). We park the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS outside and let the Japanese tourists snap away before they're shooed away by an angry marketing man. Even in the Arctic, you can't escape the brand police.
Back on the road, I'm feeling more confident. The stability system offers a Sport setting that allows a few degrees of oversteer before the electronic killjoys intervene. On a dry racetrack it's not always easy to feel the benefits of such a system, but here on the ice you really notice the difference. It's the automotive equivalent of a rock climber's harness — you're allowed to play but you alleviate the risk of a painful excursion.
The benefits of the electronics are self-evident the moment you turn them off. It is now comically easy to slide the SLS at almost no speed. Apply a couple of degrees of lock, prod the accelerator and prepare to countersteer. It's spectacular fun and it offers a fascinating insight into the car's character. The engine is mounted so far back in the chassis that 53 percent of the weight is over the rear wheels. On the ice you can really feel the moment of inertia as the car gets crossed up. At heart, the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS is really an old-fashioned bruiser.
We push on into the night in search of Arvidsjaur, past tiny communities that do who-knows-what for entertainment. We're in 7th gear and the big V8 is barely ticking over, its deep bass woofle subdued but ever-present. The SLS might lack the allure of the McLaren name, but it's a massively better car than the SLR and costs half the money besides. It's much more consistent and it genuinely feels like it was developed by one harmonious team instead of two different companies with competing philosophies.
But the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is expensive, and its competition lies with cars like the Aston Martin DBS, Ferrari 599 GTB and Lamborghini Gallardo, all of which promise greater exclusivity if not greater competence and quality. There are times, particularly in the design of the cabin, when the SLS seems like a mainstream Mercedes-Benz dressed up for the prom.
Even so, you can't deny the depth of the Gullwing's ability. Even after nearly 300 miles and with the temperature plummeting still further as a cold front approaches, I still want to drive on.
Source: http://www.insideline.com/mercedes-b...mg-on-ice.html
You don't really understand the cold until you've been to the Arctic. In the winter months here in northern Sweden, the sun barely raises its head and the temperature struggles to better zero degrees Fahrenheit. It's a brutal environment and an incongruous place to meet the 2011 Mercedes SLS AMG.
It's incongruous but not unusual, because when the cold weather really bites, the city of Kiruna becomes a playground for Europe's automotive development engineers. The local hotels are littered with men in garish jackets that bear names like Bosch, Continental and Mercedes. And it's impossible to drive for more than an hour without spotting a top-secret prototype bedecked in camouflage clothing. If you're a spy photographer and not afraid of the cold, this tiny town on the fringe of the Arctic Circle is Shangri-La.
riving a 563-horsepower supercar like the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in the ice and snow should be easy, don't you think? No one else up here under the Northern Lights seems to be having any problems. It won't be like driving that Ferrari F430 Spider across Italy like I did a few years ago, or even like whipping that Ferrari 612 Scaglietti across India (with a roll of toilet paper in hand almost all the way), but it should be doable, right?
What have I let myself in for?
South to Alaska
Our 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS rolls out of the truck dressed in bright red. The Mercedes engineers brought it to Kiruna for a final cold-weather systems check before production begins in March and now they're done. I've been tasked with driving the car 250 miles south across the Arctic Circle to the town of Arvidsjaur, which, in terms of latitude, is on a par with northern Alaska.
When I first saw the SLS on its stand at the auto show, I wasn't sure about it. The macho nose looked slightly at odds with the curvaceous rump, which itself seemed an awkward pastiche of the iconic Mercedes-Benz SL300 of the 1950s. But here in the wild, smeared in ice and snow, the Gullwing looks much more effective. The SLS might not have the flamboyance of the cartoonlike Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren — a car I've driven many times — but it still has plenty of impact and those gullwing doors are pure theatre.
We're running on standard winter tires, similar to those used throughout Europe at this time of year. Studded tires would be more sensible for the conditions, but they'd provide less of a challenge for the stability control system and less of a test of my manhood. Today, concentration and finesse top the agenda.
We crawl out of Kiruna, a city of around 18,000 people. Sweden's most northerly city built its fortune on the production of iron ore, but more recently it's diversified into ecotourism and even space exploration — Kiruna has signed a deal with Virgin Galactic to house Spaceport Sweden. It would be easy to imagine the astronauts becoming confused, as so desolate is the countryside that you could be forgiven for thinking you'd already reached the moon.
Point South, Hope for Warmth
Not surprisingly, most locals here travel by Volvo and they're not afraid to push on. If your roads are smothered in ice for seven months of the year, you learn to adapt, so it's little wonder that so many of the great rally drivers hail from this part of the world.
In the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, I'm being cautious. The 6.2-liter V8 musters 563 hp and the slightest tickle of the throttle seems to make the stability control light dance to a disco beat. I pop the seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual transmission into Manual mode and use the shift paddles on the steering wheel to change up early, something the electronics seem surprisingly reluctant to do.
Mercedes is billing this car as a proper GT, a car that owners could use every day, even though few will. This is the first time AMG has been permitted to develop a complete car, but it hasn't been given too much license to get overly frisky with the design. For example, the ultra-conservative cabin could only have hailed from Stuttgart.
Maybe it's too sensible. The infotainment system is pinched from a C-Class and looks out of place here. When you're spending around $235,000 on a car, you don't really expect blank plastic switches. Apart from an awesome Bang & Olufsen stereo system, little inside feels genuinely special. The cockpit of a Ferrari 599 GTB or even the much cheaper Audi R8 4.2 FSI has a greater sense of occasion (as we British automotive journalists like to say).
The Coolest Hotel in Sweden
A few kilometers south of Kiruna we stumble across the area's most famous tourist attraction. The Ice Hotel at Jukkasjärvi is an extravagant igloo rebuilt every winter using 45,000 tons of snow and ice. Now in its 20th year it attracts arty types, ambitious tourists and corporate executives (although Inside Line's Jason Kavanagh was also allowed to stay here when he tested the 2008 Saab Turbo X). We park the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS outside and let the Japanese tourists snap away before they're shooed away by an angry marketing man. Even in the Arctic, you can't escape the brand police.
Back on the road, I'm feeling more confident. The stability system offers a Sport setting that allows a few degrees of oversteer before the electronic killjoys intervene. On a dry racetrack it's not always easy to feel the benefits of such a system, but here on the ice you really notice the difference. It's the automotive equivalent of a rock climber's harness — you're allowed to play but you alleviate the risk of a painful excursion.
The benefits of the electronics are self-evident the moment you turn them off. It is now comically easy to slide the SLS at almost no speed. Apply a couple of degrees of lock, prod the accelerator and prepare to countersteer. It's spectacular fun and it offers a fascinating insight into the car's character. The engine is mounted so far back in the chassis that 53 percent of the weight is over the rear wheels. On the ice you can really feel the moment of inertia as the car gets crossed up. At heart, the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS is really an old-fashioned bruiser.
We push on into the night in search of Arvidsjaur, past tiny communities that do who-knows-what for entertainment. We're in 7th gear and the big V8 is barely ticking over, its deep bass woofle subdued but ever-present. The SLS might lack the allure of the McLaren name, but it's a massively better car than the SLR and costs half the money besides. It's much more consistent and it genuinely feels like it was developed by one harmonious team instead of two different companies with competing philosophies.
But the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is expensive, and its competition lies with cars like the Aston Martin DBS, Ferrari 599 GTB and Lamborghini Gallardo, all of which promise greater exclusivity if not greater competence and quality. There are times, particularly in the design of the cabin, when the SLS seems like a mainstream Mercedes-Benz dressed up for the prom.
Even so, you can't deny the depth of the Gullwing's ability. Even after nearly 300 miles and with the temperature plummeting still further as a cold front approaches, I still want to drive on.
Source: http://www.insideline.com/mercedes-b...mg-on-ice.html
02-19-10, 09:01 AM
#2
That review seemed relatively lukewarm...even when you consider that he couldn't really push the car due to the conditions. I mentioned the lackluster interior when we saw the first production pictures, and I seem to not be the only one taking issue with a $250,000 car using pieces from a $30,000 entry level sedan.
As I have always said, this car is almost downright ugly in my eyes. I think they spent too much time trying to engineer trick gullwing doors and thought that would be a major selling point. Personally, I don't care if my doors open from the side, top, bottom, or if they pop off all together- it's a door. The rest of the car is unattractive.
As I have always said, this car is almost downright ugly in my eyes. I think they spent too much time trying to engineer trick gullwing doors and thought that would be a major selling point. Personally, I don't care if my doors open from the side, top, bottom, or if they pop off all together- it's a door. The rest of the car is unattractive.
02-19-10, 09:12 AM
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That review seemed relatively lukewarm...even when you consider that he couldn't really push the car due to the conditions. I mentioned the lackluster interior when we saw the first production pictures, and I seem to not be the only one taking issue with a $250,000 car using pieces from a $30,000 entry level sedan.
As I have always said, this car is almost downright ugly in my eyes. I think they spent too much time trying to engineer trick gullwing doors and thought that would be a major selling point. Personally, I don't care if my doors open from the side, top, bottom, or if they pop off all together- it's a door. The rest of the car is unattractive.
As I have always said, this car is almost downright ugly in my eyes. I think they spent too much time trying to engineer trick gullwing doors and thought that would be a major selling point. Personally, I don't care if my doors open from the side, top, bottom, or if they pop off all together- it's a door. The rest of the car is unattractive.
There is a difference between a lackluster interior and a conservative interior. The reviewer mentioned that he found the interior rather conservative. I've read that the interior design was inspired by 1930s and 1950s sports aircraft, but I don't see how that really figures into the design of the SLS dashboard.
I've seen the SLS at the gigantic Mercedes dealership in central Stuttgart and the interior looks good to me. It certainly doesn't look like an entry-level Mercedes at all, but rather upscale, expensive and sporty. The quality of materials looked great to me, too.
And at the end of the day design impressions are always subjective. Some love it, some don't. It's that simple.
02-19-10, 09:16 AM
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I've noticed for example that the seat control buttons in the Lexus LS600h are the exact same as those found in the current Toyota Landcruiser.
To me and many other, this is not an issue. And to hammer home my point, the radio used in the SLS does its job of playing music etc. I don't think anybody will really care if the radio was taken from a C class or A class because there's more to a car than how the radio looks like.
02-19-10, 09:43 AM
#5
I just want to add, that as a Lexus fan you should be careful of such statements.
I've noticed for example that the seat control buttons in the Lexus LS600h are the exact same as those found in the current Toyota Landcruiser.
To me and many other, this is not an issue. And to hammer home my point, the radio used in the SLS does its job of playing music etc. I don't think anybody will really care if the radio was taken from a C class or A class because there's more to a car than how the radio looks like.
I've noticed for example that the seat control buttons in the Lexus LS600h are the exact same as those found in the current Toyota Landcruiser.
To me and many other, this is not an issue. And to hammer home my point, the radio used in the SLS does its job of playing music etc. I don't think anybody will really care if the radio was taken from a C class or A class because there's more to a car than how the radio looks like.
C Class - $30K MSRP. SLS - $240K MSRP. That would be a $210,000 gap.
At the end of the day, I really don't care that much either and it wouldn't matter to me if the C Class's center stack and audio controls didn't look so cheap in the first place. Mercedes needs to get over their recent obsession with little black buttons because it looks CHEAP and DULL. A piece like that is almost unacceptable on something like a $30,000 C Class, and it's especially out of place on a car like the SLS. The reviewer made a comment about the other cars competing against the SLS having nicer interiors for the same amount of money, so I can't be the only person feeling that way.
I really don't know how Mercedes can charge a quarter million dollars for this car in the first place- the powertrain and transmission are already built in a host of other Mercedes, as cheap as some $60,000 for the C63. Then they use interior bits from the same car. I know the chassis, brakes, exhaust, and the nitty gritty stuff is all new but the most expensive part of a car is the engine and powertrain, which are AMG carryovers.
This whole car makes little sense to me, aside from Mercedes wanting to say, "Hey look, we built a car with gull wing doors!"
02-19-10, 10:03 AM
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I just want to add, that as a Lexus fan you should be careful of such statements.
I've noticed for example that the seat control buttons in the Lexus LS600h are the exact same as those found in the current Toyota Landcruiser.
To me and many other, this is not an issue. And to hammer home my point, the radio used in the SLS does its job of playing music etc. I don't think anybody will really care if the radio was taken from a C class or A class because there's more to a car than how the radio looks like.
I've noticed for example that the seat control buttons in the Lexus LS600h are the exact same as those found in the current Toyota Landcruiser.
To me and many other, this is not an issue. And to hammer home my point, the radio used in the SLS does its job of playing music etc. I don't think anybody will really care if the radio was taken from a C class or A class because there's more to a car than how the radio looks like.
You noticed the buttons? Are you CERTAIN?
It is always amazing to me that its okay for the Germans to get away with such things. If the LFA had the same radio or interior as the SC 430 or IS, the internet would bash the car even more.
That is just the way it is I guess.
02-19-10, 10:22 AM
#7
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I am a Lexus fan, a German fan, and a Benz fan....do I need to watch my tone??? I dont see how it would "create problems"
Kind of a strange statement to make ( maybe I am not understanding your point)
The SLS ia a beautiful car and I am glad benz did the gullwing doors on this car, BUT the SLR is always going to be the ultimate benz. I am amazed that they would even try to drive a RWD car with kind of power on icy roads. The TCS light is probably flashing any time you go near the throttle
Kind of a strange statement to make ( maybe I am not understanding your point)The SLS ia a beautiful car and I am glad benz did the gullwing doors on this car, BUT the SLR is always going to be the ultimate benz. I am amazed that they would even try to drive a RWD car with kind of power on icy roads. The TCS light is probably flashing any time you go near the throttle
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02-19-10, 10:29 AM
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I am a Lexus fan, a German fan, and a Benz fan....do I need to watch my tone??? I dont see how it would "create problems" Kind of a strange statement to make ( maybe I am not understanding your point)
The SLS ia a beautiful car and I am glad benz did the gullwing doors on this car, BUT the SLR is always going to be the ultimate benz. I am amazed that they would even try to drive a RWD car with kind of power on icy roads. The TCS light is probably flashing any time you go near the throttle
Kind of a strange statement to make ( maybe I am not understanding your point)The SLS ia a beautiful car and I am glad benz did the gullwing doors on this car, BUT the SLR is always going to be the ultimate benz. I am amazed that they would even try to drive a RWD car with kind of power on icy roads. The TCS light is probably flashing any time you go near the throttle
2. Is your name DustinV?
This was not addressed to you. MPLexus has posted about many cars, he is not "just a Lexus fan".
Now I suggest moving on.
02-19-10, 11:04 AM
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Oh my gosh. Maybe you should give your GS back and demand a refund. I heard it shares the same screws with an '03 Corolla! Clearly this is unacceptable!
Now, you're defending the same simple pieces of seat button control plastics found in both the LS600h and Landcruiser based on the "small" price gap of these two cars? I'm sorry, but that's hilarious. The production costs of those plastic components are literally ignored in the $ 70K / $ 110K price tag.
Look, I personally don't have a problem with the fact that the Landcruiser and LS600h (or other Lexus and Toyota) sharing similar parts. And I also don't have a problem with the radio from a C class being inside an SLS. Is there a problem with the C class radio? Is it the design? Is there something that says the plastic used to construct the C class radio is inferior to the plastics used in the SLS cabin? You're making an elephant out of a fly.
At the end of the day, I really don't care that much either and it wouldn't matter to me if the C Class's center stack and audio controls didn't look so cheap in the first place. Mercedes needs to get over their recent obsession with little black buttons because it looks CHEAP and DULL. A piece like that is almost unacceptable on something like a $30,000 C Class, and it's especially out of place on a car like the SLS. The reviewer made a comment about the other cars competing against the SLS having nicer interiors for the same amount of money, so I can't be the only person feeling that way.
And I really don't care what the reviewer said about the interior. It's his opinion. Opinions vary, opinions are completely subjective.
Oh, and I used to own a W204 C class and I never thought the interior was cheap. It wasn't flashy, but it was well-made and the materials were and felt good to me.
I really don't know how Mercedes can charge a quarter million dollars for this car in the first place- the powertrain and transmission are already built in a host of other Mercedes, as cheap as some $60,000 for the C63. Then they use interior bits from the same car. I know the chassis, brakes, exhaust, and the nitty gritty stuff is all new but the most expensive part of a car is the engine and powertrain, which are AMG carryovers.
I really don't understand your way of thinking. You're telling me that they should have developed a brand new engine for this car so potential owners will feel special? The 6.3 V8 is already an exclusive engine to begin with and the SLS has a double clutch transmission which to my knowledge is only found in the SL63 or SL65 AMG. And since it is AMG that developed this car from bottom up, well, then let them use an existing engine that has proven itself in the field.
02-19-10, 11:12 AM
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I've already made it clear that small things like the same seat control buttons found in the LS and Landcruiser mean nothing to me. It's a trivial issue. Hell, it's not an issue (to me). The same is true for the radio found in the SLS.
And what many people fail to realize is that the SLS was produced by AMG, in-house, and not by Mercedes-Benz, which most likely played a small role as a supplier of a few parts.
If the LF-A had the same radio found in an IS or SC430, guess what? I wouldn't care. As long as the radio works, as long as I can hear my music, then it's fine.
02-19-10, 11:21 AM
#11
Whether it was Audi and VW, Toyota and Lexus, or whoever, I have never said I have a problem with platform sharing, part sharing, or cost sharing so long as it is done right. The problem is that the part being shared is UGLY, plain and simple. Yeah it's my opinion and it also happens to be shared by plenty of other people who find the interior of the C Class bland and boring. I'm sure your opinion is otherwise. That's fine.
My first post, the one you chose to disagree with, was an opinion. You disagreed with my opinion and then went off topic and drug the LS and Land Cruiser into this debate, where they had absolutely no place prior.
Getting back to the SLS, I think the issue where you and I don't see eye to eye is expectations. For the price tag, I simply expected a little more than an engine that is available in the C63, E63, ML63, CLS63, SL63, S63, CL63, etc. The engine and powertrain are hardly exclusive when you look at the volume of models it's available in. If I am going to drop $240,000 on a car I think it's justifyable to expect something that doesn't have the radio controls and powertrain out of a C Class. Sorry...that's just me. I'd rather have something like Lambo's V10, or Aston's V12, or a really bangin interior or exterior. Three strikes, you're out Mercedes.
For the SLS, the powertrain (while awesome) is hardly exclusive, the exterior is pretty unattractive, and aside from the C class radio controls, the interior is decent. To me, all of those things don't add up to a reasonable cause for dropping $240,000- especially with Gallardos, 450 Italias, and DBSs waiting around.
The original rumored price for this car, as I read, was $150,000- $175,000. For that amount of money I can swallow the SLS because it's an inbetweener among products like the SL 63 and something like a Ferrari, and in that realm I think the car is justifyable. Take Mercedes' great 6.3L V8, tweak it, put it in a new body, add some new tech, and sell it for a healthy margin over something like the SL 63. Unfortunately Mercedes decided to add almost $100,000 to that forumla and I just fail to see how the car is worth that much money.
My first post, the one you chose to disagree with, was an opinion. You disagreed with my opinion and then went off topic and drug the LS and Land Cruiser into this debate, where they had absolutely no place prior.
Getting back to the SLS, I think the issue where you and I don't see eye to eye is expectations. For the price tag, I simply expected a little more than an engine that is available in the C63, E63, ML63, CLS63, SL63, S63, CL63, etc. The engine and powertrain are hardly exclusive when you look at the volume of models it's available in. If I am going to drop $240,000 on a car I think it's justifyable to expect something that doesn't have the radio controls and powertrain out of a C Class. Sorry...that's just me. I'd rather have something like Lambo's V10, or Aston's V12, or a really bangin interior or exterior. Three strikes, you're out Mercedes.
For the SLS, the powertrain (while awesome) is hardly exclusive, the exterior is pretty unattractive, and aside from the C class radio controls, the interior is decent. To me, all of those things don't add up to a reasonable cause for dropping $240,000- especially with Gallardos, 450 Italias, and DBSs waiting around.
The original rumored price for this car, as I read, was $150,000- $175,000. For that amount of money I can swallow the SLS because it's an inbetweener among products like the SL 63 and something like a Ferrari, and in that realm I think the car is justifyable. Take Mercedes' great 6.3L V8, tweak it, put it in a new body, add some new tech, and sell it for a healthy margin over something like the SL 63. Unfortunately Mercedes decided to add almost $100,000 to that forumla and I just fail to see how the car is worth that much money.
02-19-10, 11:27 AM
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I think you're misunderstanding me. In no way was my comment an attack on the poser to whom I responded. I merely wanted to make a point and used the phrase "as a Lexus fan" to bring meaning to my argument.
No offense, but you need to calm down a bit. I've noticed you tend to "overreact" when Lexus is criticized on these boards.
I've already made it clear that small things like the same seat control buttons found in the LS and Landcruiser mean nothing to me. It's a trivial issue. Hell, it's not an issue (to me). The same is true for the radio found in the SLS.
And what many people fail to realize is that the SLS was produced by AMG, in-house, and not by Mercedes-Benz, which most likely played a small role as a supplier of a few parts.
If the LF-A had the same radio found in an IS or SC430, guess what? I wouldn't care. As long as the radio works, as long as I can hear my music, then it's fine.
No offense, but you need to calm down a bit. I've noticed you tend to "overreact" when Lexus is criticized on these boards.
I've already made it clear that small things like the same seat control buttons found in the LS and Landcruiser mean nothing to me. It's a trivial issue. Hell, it's not an issue (to me). The same is true for the radio found in the SLS.
And what many people fail to realize is that the SLS was produced by AMG, in-house, and not by Mercedes-Benz, which most likely played a small role as a supplier of a few parts.
If the LF-A had the same radio found in an IS or SC430, guess what? I wouldn't care. As long as the radio works, as long as I can hear my music, then it's fine.
There is no overreaction. You are on a Lexus forum and talking to a Lexus owner. SO let me flip your words if I was on BenzWorld (which I am a member, have met members, and held meets with them) and said what you said;
Again, you ASSUME he is only a Lexus fan and if it easy to go through his posts that he has been VERY VERY critical of Lexus when he feels appropriate. On top of that he has shared his love of other cars/brands.
What is "trivial" to you might not be to others. Clearly it was NOT trivial to the reviewer or they would not have mentioned it (in regards to the interior).
Now I suggest posting about the cars and in response to what people say and stop making comments about what you THINK about them.
You just did it to me.
02-19-10, 11:30 AM
#14
If a car moves just fine with a 2.0L 4 cylinder then why do we need V8s, V10s, or V12s?
Since cloth seems to cover the internals of a seat just fine, then why do we need leather?
Plastic does a fine job on interiors, so why do we need wood, leather, and aluminum?
Drum brakes did a fine job of stopping so why do we need discs?
Regular halogen bulbs did a fine job of lighting things up at night, so why do we need Xenon and HID?
If a Toyota Yaris does a fine job of transporting a family of 4, then why do we need a Mercedes S Class?
When you buy a Mercedes...there are certain expectations. When you buy a Lexus, there are certain expectations. If you buy an LFA, I sure as hell hope you have different expectations than if you buy an IS 250, and the same goes for the SLS and the C300.
02-19-10, 11:30 AM
#15
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If I am going to drop $240,000 on a car I think it's justifyable to expect something that doesn't have the radio controls and powertrain out of a C Class. Sorry...that's just me. I'd rather have something like Lambo's V10, or Aston's V12, or a really bangin interior or exterior.
For the SLS, the powertrain (while awesome) is hardly exclusive, the exterior is pretty unattractive, and aside from the C class radio controls, the interior is decent. To me, all of those things don't add up to a reasonable cause for dropping $240,000- especially with Gallardos, 450 Italias, and DBSs waiting around.
Besides, the SLS has a historical and emotional connection to the legendary 300SL Gullwing. It's the modern incarnation of a legend. For some people, that's the selling point. There's probably more to the car which I don't know about that will make it work. The people who made this car and market it aren't stupid, you know.
Well, that's your opinion. I respect it and I don't have a problem with it.
The fact is the car will sell. It has its appeal and there are people out there for whom it is a dream car.
