What is it?
Mercedes Benz SL 500 and SL 55 AMG
What's special about it?
As the top-of-the-line luxury roadster from one of the world's most prestigious manufacturers, the SL represents the pinnacle of automotive technology for Mercedes-Benz, if not the world. The SL 500 is the standard model that's anything but standard, while the SL 55 is the ultra-high-performance AMG model.
Both models feature Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC), an advanced braking system that foregoes the mechanical connection between the brake pedal and the brake mechanisms in favor of an electronic signal. This allows for amazingly fast brake response in addition to improved integration with the vehicle's other dynamic control systems. One system, known as Active Body Control (ABC), monitors and adjusts the vehicle's suspension to reduce body roll in corners, while another, called Electronic Stability Program (ESP), can sense when the vehicle is deviating from its intended path and selectively apply individual brakes to restore control. When brought together, these systems give both the SL 500 and SL 55 unparalleled levels of safety and performance.
Typical of cars of this caliber, power underfoot is ample. The SL 500 employs a 5.0-liter V8 with just over 300 horsepower. The high-powered SL 55 features a supercharged 5.5-liter V8 that produces a thundering 476 horsepower, the most ever offered in a Mercedes production car. Also exclusive to the SL 55 is a manual shift mode that employs steering wheel-mounted shift levers for executing precise driver-controlled upshifts and downshifts. Extensive use of aluminum throughout the body gives both cars supreme stiffness and lightweight, allowing the SL 55 model to accelerate from 0 to 60 in just 4.7 seconds, another record for a Mercedes production car.
With so much power and technology under the hood, you would think that the SL couldn't possibly offer anything more, but of course, what's underneath is only half of the picture. Touch one button on the dash, and the graceful coupe transforms itself into an open-air roadster, the folding hard top disappearing into the trunk in just 16 seconds.
Why should you care?
Care isn't really the word. With a price tag that will likely push the limits of the five-figure range, few will be able to afford this technological masterpiece. However, like most new technology, once features like electronic braking systems and actively controlled suspensions prove their worth when it comes to improving vehicle safety and performance, you can bet that these systems will trickle down to cars with less dignified pedigrees and significantly cheaper prices. — Ed Hellwig
Mercedes Benz SL 500 and SL 55 AMG
What's special about it?
As the top-of-the-line luxury roadster from one of the world's most prestigious manufacturers, the SL represents the pinnacle of automotive technology for Mercedes-Benz, if not the world. The SL 500 is the standard model that's anything but standard, while the SL 55 is the ultra-high-performance AMG model.
Both models feature Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC), an advanced braking system that foregoes the mechanical connection between the brake pedal and the brake mechanisms in favor of an electronic signal. This allows for amazingly fast brake response in addition to improved integration with the vehicle's other dynamic control systems. One system, known as Active Body Control (ABC), monitors and adjusts the vehicle's suspension to reduce body roll in corners, while another, called Electronic Stability Program (ESP), can sense when the vehicle is deviating from its intended path and selectively apply individual brakes to restore control. When brought together, these systems give both the SL 500 and SL 55 unparalleled levels of safety and performance.
Typical of cars of this caliber, power underfoot is ample. The SL 500 employs a 5.0-liter V8 with just over 300 horsepower. The high-powered SL 55 features a supercharged 5.5-liter V8 that produces a thundering 476 horsepower, the most ever offered in a Mercedes production car. Also exclusive to the SL 55 is a manual shift mode that employs steering wheel-mounted shift levers for executing precise driver-controlled upshifts and downshifts. Extensive use of aluminum throughout the body gives both cars supreme stiffness and lightweight, allowing the SL 55 model to accelerate from 0 to 60 in just 4.7 seconds, another record for a Mercedes production car.
With so much power and technology under the hood, you would think that the SL couldn't possibly offer anything more, but of course, what's underneath is only half of the picture. Touch one button on the dash, and the graceful coupe transforms itself into an open-air roadster, the folding hard top disappearing into the trunk in just 16 seconds.
Why should you care?
Care isn't really the word. With a price tag that will likely push the limits of the five-figure range, few will be able to afford this technological masterpiece. However, like most new technology, once features like electronic braking systems and actively controlled suspensions prove their worth when it comes to improving vehicle safety and performance, you can bet that these systems will trickle down to cars with less dignified pedigrees and significantly cheaper prices. — Ed Hellwig
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