From the perspective of Chris Davies,this car makes no sense.Davies is the Brit who's pushing a European Parlamient initiative to limit the top speed of all cars in Europe to just over 100 mph.Since the Mercedes SLR Mclaren roadster can do about twice that,it has to be near the top of the list of "boy toys" that Davies wants to ban.
There's something to his position,but not for the socioenvoironmental reasons davies cites.traveling at speeds of more than 100 mph in any top-down automobiles gets to be uncomfortable,and that applies to the SLR more than most,thanks to the basso bark of its side pipes,relentlessly reminding occupants of every combustion event in the 5,4 liter SQHC 24-valve V-8 engine.With supercharging and intercooling,these are eye-widening events,and they produce eyeball-flattening resoults:617 horsepower at 6500 rpm,a prodigious 575 pund-feet of torquw,0 to 60 mph in a little under four seconds,the quarter-mile in a little aver 11 seconds at about 125 mph.
The roadster may hit these marks a smidge slower than a hardtop,due to its slightly greater mass.Mercedes reports that the roadster weights about 100 more pounds than the 3858-puond coupe.But that won't matter to the deep-pocketed few.The roadster is about style and exclusivity,high speeds or low.
In fact,Klaus Nesser,head of exclusive products for Mercedes,expects drotop-SLR buyers to be more inclined ti cruising than racing.An open car provides more opportunity to been seen and envied.Just drop the automatic top,which takes about 10 seconds.
Nesser says the convertible conversion was easy:"All we had to di was remove the roof."Herr Nesser was joking,but only a little.The roadster's body uses a stronger carbon-fiber weave than the coupe(triaxial weave versus biaxial),and there are hefty steel beams in the A-pillars.But beyond that,the body shell needed no reinforcement.If there's any compromise in chassis rigididy,it's subliminal.
Chassis rigidity is the corner stone of agility,and the roadster's credentials on this score are hard to fault.Grip is abundant,responsses are mongoose quick,and the carbon ceramic brakes are equal to the power,which is both vast and seductive,
Still,the SLR's dynamics are aslo hard to love at first drive.The steering is overly weighted,a little short on feel,and quick at 2.3turns lock-to- lock: a tricky blend.And the brakes-by-wire system is too eager by half.It's hard to be smoth with this car.
But whaddya want for a half-million bucks?The SLR's capabilities are slightly outrageous,and it's curbside presence even more so.Exclusivity never comes cheap.
Here are tehnical specifications:
vehicle type:front-engine,rear-wheel-drive,2-passenger,2-door roadster
Estimated base price: $500,00
Engine type:supercharged and intercooled SQHC 24-valve0V-8 aluminium block and heads,port fuel injection
Displacement..........332 cu in,5439cc
Power(SAE net).....617 bhp @6500rpm
Torque....................575 lb-ft@3250rpm
Transmission:5-speed automatic with manumatic shifting
Dimensions:
Wheel base:106.3 Lenght:183,4 in
Widht:75,1 in Height:50,4 in
curbweight:3960 lb
Performance(MFR'S EST)
zero to 60 mph.............3,8 sec
top speed(limited)......207 mph
Projected Fuel Economy(C/DEST):
EPA city driving...........12 mpg
EPA highway driving....17mpg
