No way around it! Waxing your car is work. But it’s satisfying work that will help keep your car looking new. Car wax preserves paint by slowing oxidation and forming a barrier against bird droppings, sap, and pollution. Plus driving a nice shiny car is just plain fun.
Recent SLs may have been magnificent automobiles, but it’s been a long time — since the 1960s’ SL230/250/280 by my cynical judgment — since “light” and SL fit comfortably in the same sentence. Once the pinnacle of Mercedes’ sporting pretensions, the SL became the very essence of a sports hero gone to seed. Yes, one could still see tell-tale signs of the muscularity underneath, but the overlying layers of fat tended to blunt performance. George Foreman could probably deliver serious whoop-ass to many of the so-called professional heavyweights in boxing today, but his Buddha-like corpulence that we all find so cuddly is a far cry from the Adonis who once prowled rings like a caged cat looking for fresh meat.
Well, Mercedes has finally taken action and put the SL through the automotive equivalent of Foreman’s Lean Mean Spin Frying machine. For cars — especially cars such as the SL, unwilling to give up even a modicum of their sumptuous luxury — that inevitably means a switch to an aluminum chassis. Indeed, the SL’s underlying framework is now entirely aluminum, the switchover letting Mercedes reduce the weight of the body-in-white (essentially the unibody stripped bare of all accoutrement) by 110 kilograms. That’s a lot of performance-enhancing, fuel-consumption-improving, corner-flattening avoirdupois shed (the 2013 SL 63 has dropped 125 kg in all) without sacrificing one iota of hedonism. As such, Mercedes can be forgiven for adopting a boastful “win-win” mantra.
And, like a body builder similarly having to cut up for competition, not only has the SL cut the fat, but it’s bulked up the underlying muscle as well. Gone is the normally aspirated 6.2-litre V8, replaced with the M157 5.5L bi-turbo V8 making its way through all of AMG’s upper-echelon product. Thanks to those twin turbos, there’s now 13 more horsepower (530 in all) and a whopping 125 pound-feet of extra torque.
If Ron Popeil were selling Foreman’s fryer, he’d be yelling, “But, wait, there’s more,” as Mercedes is also offering a performance kit — as if anything boasting 530 hp and 590 lb-ft or torque really needs a performance kit — that sees those figures boosted to a seriously outlandish 557 ponies and 664 lb-ft.
I’m not exactly sure who needs all those pound-feet, but I can tell you that I had a whole bunch of fun playing with them in the hills overlooking France’s summer playground. Indeed, the new SL 63 is a mass of contradictions. On one hand, it howls with an almost NASCAR-like bellow whenever the turbochargers get enthusiastic. On the other, it can purr as sweetly as any Mercedes while cruising St. Tropez’s trendy boulevards. It accelerates as if being chased by the very hounds of Hades (Mercedes claims a zero-to-100-kilometres-an-hour time of 4.2 seconds, but it feels faster — much faster).
The seven-speed MCT transmission shifts so smoothly that butter is no longer an adequate metaphor. In between, it barks through the turbochargers every time the MCT shifts up at 6,000 rpm and glides at 2,000 very silent rpm (well above Canada’s highway speed limits in seventh gear) in equal measure.
If the SL 63’s performance is a huge step forward — it is coupled with a 30% increase in fuel economy as well — then its handling is a revelation. SLs, even the AMG kind, have always been wayward beasts made partially sporting by a copious infusion of controlling electronics. You could always go fast in the car, but there was always a question of who was in control of your trajectory — you or AMG’s electronic nannies.
By contrast, the 2013 edition feels as if the basic chassis has gone on a Charles Atlas program, with the electronics along more in a supervisory capacity. Mercedes’ Active Body Control suspension all but eliminates body roll, the “all but” very important, says Tobias Moers, AMG’s director of vehicle development, because, if the car stayed completely flat during hard cornering, it would feel “synthetic,” with little feedback to the driver.
As is, the SL 63, especially in Sport mode, feels fairly glued to the tarmac, virtually all semblance of Mercedes’ traditional understeer eliminated by the AMG-tuned suspension and revised front steering knuckle, not to mention the AMG-calibrated and adjustable electro-mechanical steering mechanism. Grip from the front P255/35R19 performance radials (there’s P285/35R19s on the rear of the basic SL 63; P285/35R20s on the AMG Performance Studio version I was driving) is so prodigious that even my best efforts at sliding the big Merc were for naught. You’ll run out of bottle before you’ll run out of glue. And the brakes are also up to the task, the 63 coming standard with carbon-ceramic discs and six-piston calipers up front.
Naturally, this being an AMG-enhanced vehicle, there are other big numbers. In the completely revised — and much more luxurious— cabin, there are 900 watts of ear-bleeding Bang & Olufsen audio system sound available should you be willing to pony up the bucks. Speaking of which, the 2013 SL is likely to cost around the same $166,000 the current version commands. It doesn’t sound like much of a bargain from my lowly demographic, but, considering how much the car has improved, there’s far more bang for the buck.
Complaints are few. Styling-wise, the new SL is gorgeous from every angle but straight on; the front end looks just a little too blunt. Blame European safety regulations that protect pedestrians for requiring a greater distance between the hood and the top of the engine to prevent head injury (the hood now acting like a springy air bag). Enhanced safety may be a laudable goal, but there’s no doubt the SL sacrifices some form for this function.
The other niggle is that the SL, especially in 63 guise, may be becoming a little too complicated for the common person. Besides the Comand computer control system, which seems to have no end of submenus, the buttons controlling engine and chassis performance offer too much choice. Besides the multi-position electronic stability program, there’s the adjustable suspension’s controller and the engine/transmission selector, which offers four options — Comfort (which is also an Eco mode, shutting the engine down at stoplights), Sport, Sport+ and Manual. It’s sometimes hard to tell exactly what all this customization does other than alter shift points.
You could just do what I did, which was play with the buttons for five minutes until the novelty wore off and then leave it in Sport mode, revelling in all that horsepower and grip. Lightness may not be its own reward, but it sure does bring with it some truly sporty virtues.
Source: National Post.
Here are some things to remember as you pull it out of the dealer’s lot:
- During the break-in period, typically the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km), keep your speed under 55 mph (88 kpm) or to the speed recommended by your car’s manufacturer.
- Avoid heavy loads on the drive train, such as towing trailers, and loading the roof rack or trunk with heavy construction materials.
- Do not allow your new car to idle for long periods — this is good advice for the life of your car, but especially during break-in. The oil pressure generated by doing so may not be sending oil to every part of your engine.
- Use only light to medium acceleration, keeping the engine rpms below 3,000 for the first few hours of driving.
The Mercedes-Benz S350 Bluetec is one of the ultimate guilt-free indulgences. The S-Class is the epitome of well-engineered aspirational vehicles that are still grounded in reality. It looks awesome and is obviously expensive, yet it's not snooty and has no condescending vibe. The Bluetec diesel engine is icing on the cake, as it pushes fuel economy to around 20 mpg even during the city commute, making this car almost a responsible choice. You won't alienate any friends with this car, and the spacious back seat will keep them happy wherever you go. Except for the inconsistent brake feel (it's never worrying), and the annoying placement of the cruise control stalk exactly where the turn signal control should be, this Mercedes would be just about perfect. – Paul Hagger
The 2012 Mercedes-Benz S350 Bluetec is the clean diesel version of Mercedes' top-shelf luxury sedan. The S350 Bluetec delivers all the style, performance and technology expected from the S-Class, but with mileage figures of 20 mpg city/30 mpg highway -- a huge improvement over what is typical at this level. The S350 Bluetec is a big car, and it feels big, but the diesel engine has so much torque that its drivability is excellent in spite of its size. From a standstill, the throttle response of the diesel is a little different than the gasoline versions, but once it's moving there is abundant, smooth power available any time you need it. The ride is well-controlled but comfortable, and the air suspension and 4Matic all-wheel-drive keeps the S350 stable in adverse conditions. – Mike Meredith
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is arguably the benchmark for luxury sedans. With a ride that feels solid and smooth, the S-Class is well appointed with top-level materials. Driver and passenger are kept comfortable in soft-leather seats that feature heating, cooling and massaging. And the heated seats don't just cook a small portion of your backside - the heat radiates throughout the seat back and bottom for the ultimate in comfort. The dynamic seat bolsters that inflate in corners seemed like a gimmick, but I found I missed them when in another car. Many S-Class models are chauffeured, so it's no surprise that the rear-seat passengers get similar amenities as those in front, but with plenty of legroom. Perhaps most impressive is its fuel-efficient diesel engine. The Bluetec clean-diesel system provides more than adequate power, and I saw 26 mpg in combined city/highway driving, not bad for a very large luxury sedan. The diesel is much quieter than expected - you forget it's a diesel unless you're standing outside the car, where the diesel sound is barely noticeable. It's a great combination of luxury and fuel economy, but it doesn't come cheap - our tester topped out at just over $100,000. – Perry Stern
Source: MSN Autos
