Mercedes-Benz SLS 2012 review

If you fancy a nifty, not-so-thrifty top-down car, this could be the one for you. (If you don’t have a spare $1500 for every 1 km/h of speed you want to squeeze out of a car, look away now.)

Good

Top speed is 317km/h. The base model costs a fraction shy of $490,000. But boy, is it fun. Very naughty. But fun. Rocket-like acceleration. The raw figures — from 0-100km/h in 3.8 seconds — don’t do it justice, especially if you have the top down.

This is an awesome, fire-breathing dragon, and it sounds like one when you press the ‘start’ button to ignite the engine. Chief engineer Scotty from the Starship Enterprise would struggle to get more warp speed out of this beast. It makes a sweet and deep noise from the exhaust when you floor the accelerator. 

Three modes of driving — comfort, sport and sport plus. I had it in sport for most of the time. It hares off as if dragged by wild horses. The torpedo-like bonnet is a beauty to behold. Snug and sumptuous inside while still being sporty. Nice brushed metal switches and tactile feel to the leather interior and dashboard.

You sit low as if you’re a pilot, in a spacecraft-like cockpit. This car will certainly get you noticed. I attracted an inordinate amount of female attention (and not all down to my stunning good looks). The car’s pulling power had something to do with it.

Bad

Let’s face it, unless you are a top footballer or a business chief with enough spare wonga to splash out the equivalent of a one-bedroom flat in a desirable suburb, forget it. The base price of this car is $487,500, but there is a long list of extras that can be loaded on to it. AMG ceramic brakes or the AMG Designo metallic silver paint will each set you back close to $30,000, carbon fibre engine cover is $12,600, cabron fibre interior styling package is $11,025..,that's just a taste of the top shelf options.

And at 13.3L/100km — and 20L/100km around town — it’s a true gas-guzzler. It certainly awakened the inner ‘flash git’ in me. But it also raises the ire of other drivers. They really don’t like you. Best to wear shades. Amazing how many white-van men and young punks with their seats set low and their baseball hats high want to race you. Get a life. Rise above it. You can’t compete.