2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster First Test

So this is what it's about. Until this 72-degree summer night in downtown L.A., after a full day of both intense and relaxed driving, I never fully understood the term "Grand Touring." Thank you, Mercedes, for your informative 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster, and its thorough, sonically charged, real-world lesson. Never have I piloted a drop-top with so much personality, so much vivaciousness. This car taught me a lot in one day. First, to be called a proper GT, a vehicle needs to have stunning looks. Quite obviously, the Roadster is attractive, especially with the top down, and might even be more eye-catching than its (barely) faster gullwinged brother. Designers penciled in the aluminum and magnesium ribbed roof with brilliant skill and proportions.
That "premium" also adds some 128 pounds to the Coupe's curb weight (3765 pounds), but you don't notice it when you hit that AMG-blazoned skinny pedal. Like the Coupe, the 563-horse Roadster is a bona fide, four-wheeled, two-person slingshot. Sorry, I meant bazooka. Fast is fast, and those extra pounds tacked onto a surface-to-surface rocket motivated by a 6.2-liter V-8 with 479 lb-ft of torque make little difference to us non-DTM drivers. Think of that weight as just another crate of Dom Perignon stuffed into the tiny, but still useful, 6.1-cu-ft trunk.

Convertible GT cars, as taught by the SLS, need to satisfy every one of their driver's performance expectations. Setting fastest lap times is of little interest to this segment's buyers, unless they want bragging rights at the country club, nor is it the primary motivation of a car's engineering team. GT roadsters are all about cruising comfortably. But the best of them also have massive pipes that bellow sonically stimulating notes, their four gummy tires sticking securely on every type of twisty pavement put in their path.
But that isn't to say the Roadster isn't fun, or that it's somehow dangerous. With the hardest Sport+ suspension mode engaged it stays flat, but has a tendency to plow when pushed further. Relying heavily on the gigantic 15.3/14.1-inch front/rear floating disc brakes becomes very necessary when hustling this hefty 3900-plus-pound machine around -- good thing they're stuck inside six and four piston calipers (for an extra $12,500 you can opt for the carbon ceramics). Then again, for a quick jaunt on a favorite road, the SLS Roadster is a capable athlete, albeit one that requires caution.
Frankly, that's all right with me, because around town, the Roadster is as tame as an S550, just with a much better exhaust. And it's almost as comfortable. Carbon fiber ($4500 for the basic kit, and another $4500 for the "extended" kit) adorns just about every surface you can see; supple classic red designo-grade leather wraps the dash, doors, and supportive buckets; soft Alcantara trims the headliner. It's truly an impressive environment befitting the brand's exclusive designo designation and the car's GT identity.

2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS Roadster Front engine, RWD, 2-pass, 2-door convertible 6.2L/563-hp/479-lb-ft DOHC 32-valve V-8

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