First Drive: 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster

Clipped wings

Does removing its doors take any of the magic away from AMG's supercar? By John LeBlanc MONTE CARLO —When is a Gullwing not a Gullwing? When it’s the new SLS AMG Roadster, the convertible version of the SLS AMG Gullwing hardtop coupe that replaced the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren as the German automaker’s top-line performance car two years ago. Just like the original 1952 300 SL “Gullwing” race car, the current two-seat, rear-wheel-drive SLS AMG Gullwing has its doors hinge at the top, which — when seen from the front or behind — looks like a bird in flight. But in making the clothtop convertible version, Mercedes’ high- performance AMG division has had to make do with doors that open like your aunt’s C-Class sedan. Don’t worry, though. If you think the SLS AMG Roadster’s conventional doors remove any of its appeal, you would be mistaken. Retaining the coupe’s classic long-hood-short-rear-deck proportions and ending with a sleek, boat-tail-like rear-end, the convertible looks leaner, meaner and less bulbous when the top is down. One week after seeing the SLS AMG Roadster make its world debut at this year’s Frankfurt auto show, I was invited to drive the car in and around the tony heart of the French Riviera, between Nice and Monaco. Official Canadian pricing isn’t available yet. But when the new Roadster starts arriving in Canada later this year, I expect it to carry an approximate $10,000 premium over the $198,700 pricetag of the Gullwing. If that sounds like a lot of dough, it doesn’t even make the SLS AMG Roadster the most expensive car in Mercedes’ lineup. That honour is still held by the few remaining (if any, at all) $238,500 2011 SL 65 AMG Roadsters. Also know that the SLS AMG Roadster competes, performance-wise, in the same stratosphere as the tens-of-thousands-of-dollars more expensive Aston Martin Virage Volante and Ferrari California. In profile, both Gullwing and Roadster look eerily similar, mainly because both body shells were developed at the same time. This enabled AMG — a subsidiary of Mercedes — to essentially take the weight of the now-gone metal roof and put it right back into stiffening the now-open body, which weighs only 40 kilograms more than the 1,630 kilograms Gullwing. With all their efforts spent on the Roadster’s roofless-ness, the company did diddly-squat underneath its long, vented hood because it didn’t have to. By using the Gullwing’s 563 hp and 479 lb.-ft. of torque, 6.2-litre V8 and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, the Roadster’s extra kilos allow Mercedes to claim zero performance losses. Zero to 100 km/h in the clothtop takes 3.8 seconds — equal to the hardtop. Although the congested roads along the Mediterranean coast and into the Alps didn’t allow me to get up to the 230 km/h I experienced last year while driving a Gullwing in rural Mexico, Mercedes says the Roadster will match the coupe’s 317 km/h top speed. More impressive, the Roadster is a rare, open-top car that doesn’t suffer from a shaking cowl, which allows the open-roof car to steer and handle just like the hardtop. Also like the Gullwing, the Roadster’s personality can be found via a variety of console-mounted buttons and dials. Its electronically adjustable shocks offer three settings — from around-town cruiser to Alpine mountain road racer. While the droptop matches its preceding hardtop sibling in objective performance, the Roadster has more subtle, subjective qualities. The biggest difference when motoring around in the Roadster compared with its Gullwing brother is the extra noise. Whether the triple-layer clothtop is up or down is immaterial: the V8 shouts and bellows at every up- or down-shift and burbles like one of the cigarette boats that can be found in Monaco’s harbour. Forget top speed: I found myself toggling through the gears on the steering wheel-mounted shifters if only for the sheer joy of hearing this engine rev, then waiting for the subsequent exhaust “pop.” The SLS AMG convertible also equals the coupe’s ability to be an easy car to live with day-to-day. When a gas leak in Monaco essentially shut down traffic for the morning, leaving me to crawl through the narrow, steep roads for more than two hours, the Roadster’s autobox was smooth as butter. And like the Gullwing, there’s plenty of room for its two occupants. And by doing without all the mechanics of a retractable hardtop (like its SL brethren), the Roadster offers the same 170 litres of trunk space as the Gullwing. For me, by removing the Gull-wing’s roof, Mercedes-Benz has made a better car. The Roadster is arguably better looking. You don’t have to worry about dinging your head on the Gullwing’s low-hanging doors and you get to enjoy the mellifluous sounds of the AMG mill more readily. 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster WHAT I LIKED: Hollywood star looks, sweet-sounding V8, multiple driving personalities, relative value. WHAT I DIDN'T: Autobox can be finicky when making low-speed parking manoeuvres. BASE PRICE: $208,700 est. ENGINE/POWER/TORQUE: 6.2-litre V8; 563-hp/479 lb.-ft. COMPETITION: Aston Martin Virage Volante, Audi R8 V10 Spyder, Ferrari 458 Italia Spyder, Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 Spyder, Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet

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