Another day, another supercar intro. The outrageous SLS AMG Coupé will spawn a roadster version that will appear in U.S. and Canadian showrooms this fall.
Yes, the droptop SLS obviously loses its gullwing doors that draws oohs and aahs at Costco, but gains a power-folding soft top that can be raised or lowered in just 11 seconds. In addition, it can be operated at speeds up to 50 km/h. Three top color choices will be available to complement the nine paint job colors, including the new AMG Sepang brown metallic.
Trunk space is barely sacrificed by the folding top, from 176 litres in the Coupé to 173 in the Roadster. Inside, leather-wrapped roll bars, a removable glass windblocker and the AIRSCARF head and neck heaters are also included. The expresso brown upholstery colour has been added to match the new paint.
What hasn’t changed—and we’re already wearing out party hats—is that the SLS AMG will keep its dry-sump, 6.2-litre V8 that whips out 563 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque, instead of revering to the newly-developed twin-turbo 5.5-litre mill. The Coupé’s 7-speed double-clutch transmission is also a carryover, as is the AMG drive unit with its three-mode suspension setting.
A multimedia system called AMG Performance Media has been added, which displays various telemetric data such as lateral and linear acceleration, engine data and racetrack lap times. Also new is a redesigned shift lever.
Mercedes-Benz claims the Roadster weighs only 88 pounds more than its Coupé sister, so performance shouldn’t be affected. Thicker side skirts with additional chamber as well as dash and console reinforcements keep the car structurally sound despite the losing its fixed roof.
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| 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster (Photo: Mercedes-Benz) |
Yes, the droptop SLS obviously loses its gullwing doors that draws oohs and aahs at Costco, but gains a power-folding soft top that can be raised or lowered in just 11 seconds. In addition, it can be operated at speeds up to 50 km/h. Three top color choices will be available to complement the nine paint job colors, including the new AMG Sepang brown metallic.
Trunk space is barely sacrificed by the folding top, from 176 litres in the Coupé to 173 in the Roadster. Inside, leather-wrapped roll bars, a removable glass windblocker and the AIRSCARF head and neck heaters are also included. The expresso brown upholstery colour has been added to match the new paint.
 |
| 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster (Photo: Mercedes-Benz) |
What hasn’t changed—and we’re already wearing out party hats—is that the SLS AMG will keep its dry-sump, 6.2-litre V8 that whips out 563 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque, instead of revering to the newly-developed twin-turbo 5.5-litre mill. The Coupé’s 7-speed double-clutch transmission is also a carryover, as is the AMG drive unit with its three-mode suspension setting.
A multimedia system called AMG Performance Media has been added, which displays various telemetric data such as lateral and linear acceleration, engine data and racetrack lap times. Also new is a redesigned shift lever.
Mercedes-Benz claims the Roadster weighs only 88 pounds more than its Coupé sister, so performance shouldn’t be affected. Thicker side skirts with additional chamber as well as dash and console reinforcements keep the car structurally sound despite the losing its fixed roof.
 |
| 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster (Photo: Mercedes-Benz) |
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