Test Drove An SL65 AMG Black Series Today - Pics and Impressions

Barrister · #1 03-13-2010, 11:35 PM

Today my son's school had a charity event to support the relief effort in Haiti.

As part of this event they had a small car show and invited some of the parents to bring their cars and display them. It was sponsored by the school's car club - The Boost - that my son is a member of. They asked me to bring my Ferrari 360 Modena down and I happily agreed.

When I got to the school there was a large tow truck in the quad where we were going to display the cars. It was unloading a brand new Mercedes SL65 AMG Black Series! It had been brought over by Mercedes Benz of Laguna Niguel who graciously helped sponsor the charity event. I was amazed by the car. It looks so mean in person. I snapped some photos - which are below.

The event was a lot of fun. Once it came time to go I went over to the gentleman from MBLG who was acting as a chaparone for the SL65 AMGBS. His name was Kekoa Dapitan and was a really nice and well-spoken young man. We started to chat about the car and just life in general. When we shook hands to leave he looked at me and said, "would you like to drive the car?" I was a bit shocked. The sticker on the window put the beast in at a little over $300 K! At first I said no but he insisted. He told me that it had never been out of the showroom and that it never leaves the dealership. I pounced on the opportunity and hopped in the driver's seat. The odometer read less than 30 miles. I may have been one of the first people to ever drive the car.

The car is pure class inside and out. The interior is beautiful and comfortable. The first thing you notice when you drive the car is the incredibly linear power delivery. It is very docile at low RPMs. But give it just a little gas and it surges forward. It does not leap like my Porsche or Ferrari. It is much more refined. I was able to give it some pretty nice straight line runs up to about 90 mph. The torque curve is just insane. Out of respect for Kekoa, I never really put the pedal down hard. But the few times I gave it some gas the car gave me a small sense of what it is capable of. The exhaust really opens up at higher RPMs and makes a nice gurgling roar. The car felt pretty light in the turns for a Mercedes but still has that slightly sluggish feel of a heavier car. Not as agile as a Ferrari or Porsche but just as brutishly fast. The car brakes on a dime and gives you total confidence.

In the end, the car felt very much like the other high powered Mercedes I have driven before - just on a much larger scale. I wouldn't put it in the same category as a Scud or Murci, but it has its place. I was very impressed.

It was a great opportunity and I want to thank Kekoa for the chance to drive such an amazing car.

It was a great time had by all and raised a lot of money for charity.

Here are the pics.

Here are some general shots of the show.

I thought this was cool - an SLR McLaren with an SL65 AMGBS. A rare sight indeed.

I don't normally get too into Mansory modifications, but this Vantage was cool.

Gratuitous shot of my own car.

JonA85 · #2 03-13-2010, 11:40 PM

SL black is so sexy. I was lucky enough to see one, simply amazing. Dana you are very lucky to have driven one. Great write up as well, enjoy reading members reviews. Nice post!

DJ · #3 03-13-2010, 11:45 PM

What's better then you back behind the wheel man!
Excellent post, will facebook feature it tomorrow!

Barrister · #4 03-13-2010, 11:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ »

What's better then you back behind the wheel man!
Excellent post, will facebook feature it tomorrow!

Thanks brother!

It really was a unique opportunity.

GuessWho · #5 03-14-2010, 01:42 AM

Very cool Dana, I love this car and can not wait to see one in person!

jenk12m · #6 03-14-2010, 01:56 AM

ive seen one in person and they are truly awesome

Barrister · #7 03-14-2010, 03:01 AM

For those who remember, this makes up for the whole AMG_Black member experience . . .

Alzilla · #8 03-14-2010, 03:16 AM

Thanks for sharing your experience Dana! Looks like the SL65BS would be a good MB replacement for your SLK55...

Barrister · #9 03-14-2010, 03:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alzilla »

Thanks for sharing your experience Dana! Looks like the SL65BS would be a good MB replacement for your SLK55...

There is no substitute . . .

MeanMachine · #10 03-14-2010, 08:18 AM

Thanks for sharing, I've been in a Black series before it had the club sport euro seats. The car looks very wide, I like the side profile very much. I wasnt driving it but I was in the passenger seat, an SLR 722 felt slightly faster and sounds better.