FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW SCOOP: Mercedes SLS Sneaks Out Early. STUD or DUD?

I like the front better than the back and the inside better than the outside. Still love it.

Couldn't agree more.

I am not crazy about it either but it will sell all the yuppies up in cali will have it without a doubt. but $200,000 for that i dont se it in the design at all maybe the performance is up to par but the overall design of the exterior is a DUD to me.

this is how to it should have been
http://www.pressportal.com.au/news/528/ARTICLE/3243/2008-09-24.html

It reminded me why I like cars. Beautiful.

I think this car is awesome, if I had the money I would certainly buy one.

-00J

Hmmmm.....I have mixed feeling about it. the interior looks great but the styling seems to be a bit of a mish-mash of Mercedes clues. The front end looks great but i don't like the way the body flows and the roofline seem a little awkward to me.

at least it looks a dozen times better than the previous pics and renderings. the interior is great but the exterior is a matter of taste. let's call this trend: "the panamera syndrom"

A thing of beauty. Enough to draw resemblance to the SL/SLR of the past, yet very forward design!

I don't like it :( typical mercedes watered down design. Mercedes is the german lexus (or is it lexus is the japanese mercedes?), designing conservative cars for old people. This car had so much potential, I was hoping it would be a bold step towards producing a Benz sports car but alas the sportiest thing to come out of benz is the car they got mclaren to design for them.

The GT-R did not ruin it for other supercars. It's a welcome addition to a category of cars with more speed than most people will ever use except as a statistic for bragging--hairsplitting bragging at that. It presents an altogether different proposal for the enthusiast, but by no means is it all things to all people. Besides objective differences like 0 to 60, Nurburgring lap times, price, and exclusivity there is the important subjective matter of style.

On that point, something seems a little disproportionate about the SLS. I was never a huge fan of the shoe-shaped sports cars and that includes the iconic E-type (sacrilege, I know, but I actually liked the more compact shape of it's bastard stepchild, the 240z). This car's got one big honker, but one thing the E-type had was a comparatively clean face. This SLS has so many nooks and crannies in the grill and fender, which, along with the strakes in the various vents, makes it a little busy. I am trying to imagine the grille without that horizontal bar and I can see room for improvement. As is, dud.

"The GT-R really ruined it for a lot of supercars. The SLS has an incredible drivetrain but if it can't beat a $70,000 Nissan..." --unless you drive competitively, or you street race, which is just plain stupid. I don't see any point to your argument. No one will ever be able to extract that kind of performance out of any car to notice the difference. So Nissan built a fast car. Nowadays, with all the technology available, different tuning options, and money, that’s not so special anymore. You basically sound like every other juvenile on this board that needs to get into a pissing match over who is “faster”. You and everyone else sound like my two year old when the next and greatest thing comes out…”That’s MY car”.

So far looking nice, can't wait to see it in person. Also looking a bit like BMW Z series especially Z8.

JUGNU

I like it enough. Could have had more WOW factor sure, but one can definitely see the original SL all throughout the design. I would personally love to see a non-gullwing softtop convertible version hit production.

My guess is that is what the new SL will be.

001

it strikes the right balance between new and old, flash and longevity. This design is compelling and will age gracefully over a long period of time.

Mercedes Benz worst keep secret ever, this car screams classic design pulled forward. Good design.

Dud...too retro. (Ford Thunderbird, sorry) And too heavy, especially the rear pillar and side flanks. And what is up with the all too upright windscreen?

Dear Santa,

I'll take the red one please.

Thanks.

Yawn...........

We've seen this before. Old post,new name.

Heard it generates 1.6g of cornering. Let's see how it performs since the design is certainly hopeless.....

Looks amazing. Good job on the exterior. The interior is nothing special but not bad. Wonder what the pricing will be similar to...

I appreciate the fact that Merc tried to bring back something as stylish as the original gullwing, but I'm a tad disappointed. This proportions just don't seem right and it really held so much promise.

I don't like it. But it's a super-sport MB so unfortunately they will have enough customers. :(

SLS snuck out early because they didn't want to loose any show time to the new McClaren.

Sorry, McLaren.

I find it funny how some people here talk about proportions of the vehicle when they've not even seen the car in person yet. Proportion can only be truthfully rated if we see it in front of us in its 3-dimensional form.

Pictures don't tell us anything, really.


Also, the design is conservative, true, but at the same time it incorporates retro-styling cues from a number of past SL's, especially the Gullwing. The interior appears well-made, sporty and I read somewhere that the designers of the cabin were inspired by aircraft design when they styled the dashboard.

SLS: another lead sled from MB? I looked at an SL recently but could not believe it weighs as much as a Cayenne!!!

From these first pics, I'd say stud. I think it looks fantastic in that dark silver.

IT reminds me of a DODGE VIPER with gull wing doors. Exterior is different but not as cutting edge as the new models but then however it is suppose be retro. The interior is good looking nothing that makes me shout. I hate the red, love silver but then again MD always look good in silver, I bet black will be smoking hot. The engine bay is well designed and looks like there is room for a larger motor.

Ok Bill, so I guess Dolly Parton's knockers look like raisins in proportion to the rest of her since we haven't seen her in the flesh either? A two dimensional image does not negate the fact that her tits are three times the size of her head, so a picture can show proportion just fine.

Long dong Silver's jimmy must also appear to be about 2.5 inches in print, if you're to be believed lol.

It's too large and heavy looking. It should look like a rocket turned on its side not a lethargic brick lump like a Bentley. The old car was under 2750 pounds this new one should have been really designed like the old one with a more elegant tube space frame or carbon fiber tub to keep it looking retro and not add some designer/Frankenstein Gestapo twist on one of the most iconic cars ever made.

Oh yea the grill is freaking plastic and should be REAL Chrome!!! If Harley can still make modern machines out of mettle why can't freaking car companies!

You crack me up. You complain that the car looks "heavy" and then you expect a chrome grille instead of plastic. Chrome weighs more than plastic and will add more weight. It wouldn't surprise me if certain aspects of this car are even made of plastic such as the trunk lid for example. I know that the trunk lid of the W211 and W212 E-Class was made of plastic for weight-saving purposes for instance.

Nobody aside from maybe Bentley, Rolls Royce and Maybach and a handful of exotics use chrome in their flagship cars anymore. Plastic can be produced to look like chrome and is lighter.

You crack me up. You complain that the car looks "heavy" and then you expect a chrome grille instead of plastic. Chrome weighs more than plastic and will add more weight. It wouldn't surprise me if certain aspects of this car are even made of plastic such as the trunk lid for example. I know that the trunk lid of the W211 and W212 E-Class was made of plastic for weight-saving purposes for instance.

Nobody aside from maybe Bentley, Rolls Royce and Maybach and a handful of exotics use chrome in their flagship cars anymore. Plastic can be produced to look like chrome and is lighter.

DODGE VIPER - Hello they were once all the same company at one time.

Totally obvious.

It looks good. I'm OK with it. BUT, given the source of its inspiration (the orignal gullwing) I don't think MB are doing themselves any good by releasing this car.

It's not better looking than the SLR or the new SL...Don't know where it fits in the line up...

DUD...But a strong DUD....

It's not a beautiful design, but it looks good. It's distinctive and certainly evokes the original. I like it. The interior is really great looking.
BW

Very weird how the same people that love Benz and swoon over anything AMG are crapping on this.

Oh that's right, for some reason it's "cool" to poo-poo the flagship Benz, just like you all did with the SLR for no good reason.

I think the car is kind of boring lookin'.

It looks like a Dodge Viper, but much more conservative.

I'm sure the specs on the car are spectacular andc the gullwing doors are awesome, but I find the new E-Class coupe more exciting.

Not a dud, just boring.

wow! surprised to hear that from you since, according to you, anything from Germany is awesome and God-like. I, in the other hand, find this car just beautiful. I like its uniqueness and slickness. haven't read specs yet but I hope that they match the looks.

I love benz but I am very disappointed with this design....It looks already outdated...horrible profile. The only thing that will save that design of to be another failure as the BMW Z8, could be the performance, nothing else.

The Z8 was NOT a failure. In fact, it is one of the most beautiful pieces of machinery you will see if you are even lucky to catch one in the wild. I'm lucky to live in LA where it's easier to see one (about 1 per year) and I drool every single time.

The Z8 was one of the most gorgeous cars ever made. Used examples still command a very high price. You're a retard.

Its 50/50. It looks dull from some angles and not bad from others.

So it's a SDUD ?

I think it's a failure. The original is so much better looking.

The original has been out for over 50 years. No shit that most people will find it better looking because we've all probably seen one in real life or had plenty of time to look at it.

I'm giving this car my nod once I see it in real life.

Its proportions do indeed appear to be rather like those of the Dodge Viper; but with a nicer interior and an Anglicized rear-end. The DLO is a little strange. I don't know if it is due to the lack of bright-work or what, but it has a slab-like look- particularly on the grey car.

...the more I think about the original, the more I think they really screwed up on this.

Nice G35 headlights there. Other than that the car just looks weird.

Such a Stud. The gullwings are a plus.

I think it looks OK but the price better not be higher than that of the equivalent Maseratti. What I really want is a 2010 E-Class with a 2.5 litre turbo diesel. The top models of Mercedes are always grossly overpriced with incremental value not even close to matching incremental benefits.

BTW, the gullwings are sexy but could make it a death trap in the event of a roll-over.