FOLLOWING yesterday’s leaked photos, Mercedes-Benz has issued a comprehensive release detailing its latest performance flagship the SLS AMG, along with a plethora of images showing the V8-powered supercar in detail.
Poised to launch in Europe in the first quarter of 2010, the 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is slated to arrive in Australia sometime around the middle of next year.
A roofless SLS Roadster variant (recently spied during testing) will arrive sometime thereafter.
Performance numbers have been known for a while; with 420kW of power and a stout 650Nm of torque, the SLS AMG is blisteringly quick. The 0-100km/h run is dispatched in just 3.8 seconds and top speed is electronically limted to 317km/h.
A seven-speed twin-clutch Speedshift DCT transaxle is mounted between the rear wheels and linked to the 6.2 litre V8 via a carbon fibre drive shaft. A mechanical limited-slip diffential is integrated into the transaxle to maintain traction during hard launches.
The rear-mounted gearbox and the engine mounted aft of the front wheels produces a rear-biased weight distribution of 47-53 front to rear.
Combined with the SLS’s all-alloy double-wishbone front and rear suspension, and sizable 265/35R19 rubber on the front and 295/30R20 tyres on the rear, the SLS should boast a high level of agility.
It will also be able to stop as fast as it accelerates. Motorsport-style carbon-ceramic brakes are standard, and feature six-piston calipers clamping 390mm rotors up front and 360mm rotors paired with four-piston calipers at the rear.
Fuel consumption is also one of the SLS’s strong suits. Despite its massive engine and prodigious power output, average fuel consumption on the European combined cycle is an admirable (for a supercar) 13.2 l/100km.
The SLS AMG’s 1620kg kerb weight plays a key part in keeping fuel economy up, and the car’s aluminium chassis - despite being tremendously rigid - weighs just 241kg by itself.
European pricing will start at around €177,310 (AU$298,900) when it arrives in German showrooms early next year. Australian pricing and a precise sale date will be revealed sometime in the first half of 2010.
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I waited with such anticipation but come away with a slightly disappointed view of the front end styling.