Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster business car test review
Car review: Sam Hardy
What is it?
The SLS AMG Roadster loses the famous gullwing doors and swaps them for an electric canvas roof. Other changes include new suspension changes and adaptive dampers which certainly improve comfort levels. Everything else is pretty much the same – with the star of the show being the mighty 563bhp 6.3-litre AMG-developed V8 engine driving the rear wheels through a seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox.
What’s hot?
- Those looks. The Roadster is even more glamourous than the coupe
- That hood is a work of art too. Made of three layers, it’s very quiet inside when in place…
- …and takes only 11 seconds to raise or lower, hardly taking up any bootspace
- When lowered, it puts you even closer to the fury of that V8…
- …which sounds incredible; a bassy roar under power, with pops and bangs from the exhausts when you lift off the accelerator
- It rockets the Roadster from 0-62mph in 3.8secs and onto 197mph
- The roof only adds 40kg to the SLS’s weight and with suspension tweaks…
- …plus adaptive dampers, it handles even better than the coupe, feeling more comfortable and more fluid through corners
- Mercedes’ clever Airscarf system blows warm air onto your neck to keep out the cold
- The brakes are incredible
- Roof-up, it’s a fabulous high-speed GT cruiser too
What’s not?
- At £176,895, the SLS AMG Roadster is £30,00 more than a Ferrari California…
- …and almost as much as a 458 Spider, not to mention £70k more than a Merc SL63 AMG
- It’s a very wide car and threading your way through narrow streets can be nerve-wracking
- There’s an annoying delay in the response of the gearbox when you pull the paddles on the steering wheel
- The steering is meaty but it’s not as precise as a Porsche or Ferrari system
Business Car Manager Road Test Verdict
It’s not often that a convertible manages to be better than the hardtop version – but the SLS AMG Roadster really is. Putting the drop-top roof down puts you closer to than ever to that amazing V8 engine, which has to be one of the loudest, most characterful engines in the world today. More on p2…
Of course, the SLS Roadster is hugely expensive to buy and run – better not to think about the pence per mile. It’s a very long way indeed from a standard company car but it’s an extremely desirable machine for the successful small business owner who can ignore all our business car advice.
Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster – the low down
P11D Value | £175,840 |
Monthly business rental (ex VAT) | From £2860 (3 years/30,000 miles) |
Tax Bands 2012/13 to 2014/15 | 35%, 35%, 35% |
Benefit in kind 2012/13 to 2014/15 | £61,544, £61,544, £61,544 |
Engine | 6.2 litre V8 petrol |
CO2 Emissions | 308g/km |
Power/torque | 563PS/650Nm |
0-62mph/top speed | 3.8 secs/197mph |
Economy (official) | 21.4 mpg |