Hey gang. For those of you who dont know.....this is what Im talking about.





I found this article....thought it was a good read. 604hp and 738 torque. WOW.

**************************************************

Civilized supercar

David Booth
National Post


Friday, August 26, 2005


Words fail me. I want to put you in the driver's seat of Mercedes-Benz's new monster-motored SL65, to describe what it's like to pull the trigger on AMG's manic, twin-turboed V12.

But my name isn't James Joyce, Tom Wolfe or even P.J. O'Rourke, so metaphors fail me. The best I can come up with are tales of strapping a Saturn rocket to your butt, getting smacked upside the your head with a phone book by Hulk Hogan and something about the alteration of the space/time continuum. I even tried to fashion something that involved a Corvette Z06, zero gravity and crystal meth, but it was all for naught. Like I said, words failed me.

My best bet is to own up to my own limitations and simply state the facts. This latest King Kong of an AMG aberration boasts six litres, 12 cylinders, 22 psi of boost from two turbochargers and 604 horsepower. Yes, 604 hp. And if that's not loony enough, the twin-turbo V12 wrenches out a simply astonishing 738 pound-feet of torque.

What's the fastest car you've ever been in? A Corvette? Probably no more than 400 hp. A Porsche Turbo? A mere 450 hp. Even the mighty Viper only has 505 hp. Pikers all.

Remember your first stoplight drag? The rush of sensations when you last dropped the hammer in what you thought was a fast car? Getting pinned back in your seat as you accelerated from a standstill. The tightness of breath because your diaphragm was constricted. The tunnel vision that inevitably narrows your focus to just the road directly in front of you. And that nagging feeling in the sensible left side of your brain that kept telling you that NOW would be a good time to be lifting the throttle.

Well, that's how the SL 65 feels at 160 kilometres an hour. Or 200 km/h for that matter. Hell, the damn thing might still accelerate like a moon rocket at 240, but I sure didn't have the balls to test it.

No other car in memory makes such a complete mockery of the laws of physics when it comes to sheer, unadulterated grunt. Not Porsche's top-of-the-line Turbo. Ditto for any of the recent Ferraris I've tested. And certainly not anything with a Corvette badge on -- the much and deservedly vaunted Z06 notwithstanding. Nor even Mercedes' own, supposedly top-of-the line SLR. The half-million-dollar, McLaren-manufactured, Mercedes-motored supercar (of which almost 20 have been delivered to Canada) surely has a higher top speed thanks to its lighter weight and superior aerodynamics. And thanks to its aluminum and carbon-fibre, Formula One-inspired chassis, there's no doubt it'll get through corners faster. But for the sheer, unadulterated adrenaline rush that comes from just hammering the throttle wide open at 50, 100 or 150 kilometres an hour and watching the telephone poles fly by, the SL 65 knows no equal. There's the slightest of hesitation as the twin turbochargers sort of gather up their skirts, a piercing whistle as they start huffing horsepower and then ... well, cue those cliched Saturn rocket metaphors once again.

For the record, Mercedes claims the SL 65 scoots to 100 km/h in just 4.2 seconds. But even that incredible number doesn't do the 65 justice, because turbocharged cars are notoriously slow off the line when the dreaded "turbo lag" is at its worst. Having a five-speed automatic tranny instead of a slick-shifting six-speed also doesn't help launch, either.

More impressive, though, are reports for 12-second quarter miles, a seemingly impossible feat for a car that weighs a hefty 2,075 kilograms. Even more incredible is its passing power. Lag is almost nonexistent; the tranny kicks down and even mega-exotics like Carrera GTs get left in its dust.

But what truly makes this AMG incredible, what sets it apart from virtually every other supercar within spitting distance of its performance is that it is every bit as manageable and sophisticated as the garden-variety SL 600. The V12 burbles quietly at idle, never overheats, starts instantaneously with but a whisper and if you never mashed the throttle to the floor it would in no perceivable manner warn you that Mr. Hyde lives under its Dr. Jekyll hood.

The retractable hardtop still does its pas-de-toite disappearing minuet in 17 seconds, the interior's Nappa leather is pure hedonism and the seats -- unlike the McLaren SLR's -- are fully adjustable, not to mention having both heating and cooling systems built in. There's also the niceties of Mercedes' excellent air conditioning, a workable navigation system and some neat luggage carriers aft of the seats.

Even the ride isn't much changed from lesser SLs as long as you keep the Active Body Control on its "comfort" setting. In that guise, Mercedes' active suspension reduces roll by some 68% without ruining the ride. Flip the lower centre console mounted switch, however, and ABC reduces roll during cornering by a whopping 95%, but at the expense of comfort. And, in fact, the stiffer suspension isn't always better for cornering as mid-corner bumps sent a pronounced wiggle through the steering wheel on the stiffer setting that went unnoticed with the softer setup.

Traction is provided by some seriously wide 19-inch, low-profile Bridgestone Potenzas -- 245/40ZR19s at the front and 275/35ZR19s at the rear. The SL 65 needs every inch of 'em. Besides containing the engine's prodigious torque, the front 390-millimetre discs are larger than the wheels on most subcompacts. Gripped by monstrous eight-piston calipers, the brakes are almost the equal of the engine.

But, in the end, it remains that otherworldly engine that is the SL 65's drawing card and the reason the this AMG-tuned SL is so unique. Lesser vehicles may match the SL 65's calm temperament, but wilt when matched against the V12's prodigious intensity. Ferrari's Enzo, Porsche's Carrera and Mercedes' own SLR are almost as ferocious, but none have anything near the civility, driveability and the sheer everyday useability of the SL 65.

It's this incredible versatility that justifies the SL 65's incredible $259,950 price tag. This is the thinking man's supercar and my vote for the best of the lot.

__________________