Monday 14 July 2014

First drive: Mercedes SLR McLaren

You read it here first: the long-awaited, 208mph Mercedes-McLaren is a truly great supercar, says Tony Dron

Mercedes SLR McLaren 

The day before I set off for South Africa to drive the new Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, I rang McLaren designer Gordon Murray.

Somehow, I had convinced myself that this new SLR would be merely the world's fastest boulevard cruiser. Could it really be a true supercar as well? Clearly, I needed an authoritative view.

This is what he said: "We have kept the heart of the car as a sports car. The electronic traction and stability controls do not cut in too early. The SLR can be driven on the edge without turning them off.

It embodies the qualities expected in a Mercedes-Benz with the performance expected of a McLaren. It's been four years and a long, hard road but we are pleased with it. We see it as the first ever crossover supercar."

Crossover supercar? That's industry shorthand for a supercar that can also be used as a road car. As we flew towards Cape Town, I began to wonder. Could he be right?

We knew that the SLR would have a boot big enough to take two golf bags. And you can't do that with a Ferrari Enzo, nor with any other machine that I know of in this exotic corner of the market.

It was not long before I found out, and it soon became clear that Gordon had given me the unvarnished truth. This SLR reveals something deeper in the Mercedes-Benz psyche, something that goes back a century, something over and above a simple desire for Teutonic luxury and power.

It reflects a real hunger for devastating performance, using the best technology available to overwhelm the opposition.

Although the new SLR is not intended for racing, those famous three letters are not misapplied here. They stand for "Sport, Light, Racing" and this new application deliberately evokes memories of the Mercedes-Benz SLRs that dominated international sports car racing in the mid-1950s.

Most famously, perhaps, Stirling Moss - navigated by the late Denis Jenkinson - won the 1955 Mille Miglia in an open SLR.

Just two 300SLRs were built for the 1956 season but the factory then announced its withdrawal from racing. So technical director Rudolf Uhlenhaut used them himself, driving to work in Stuttgart and occasionally demonstrating them to selected journalists around Europe.

Road cars capable of 185mph seemed the stuff of science fiction in 1956 and those "Uhlenhaut Coupés" became a legend. Back in the summer I told the story of driving one of them in the Goodwood Festival of Speed. I learnt then that the company had received a serious offer of $25m for one of them - either of them, in fact. But nobody flinched: they are not for sale.

That makes the UK on-the-road price tag of £313,465 for the new SLR seem almost a bargain. The muscular styling, combining the spirit of the old car with recognisable references to the modern Formula One McLaren-Mercedes, has serious presence.

The revival of the name may not involve an intention to race this time but McLaren's input has ensured that cutting-edge race technology runs right through the 2003 SLR.

It's the first series production car to have a carbon-fibre bodyshell for a chassis. Apart from impressive aluminium-alloy subframes around the engine, the entire main structure is in carbon-fibre.

Forty per cent lighter than a steel equivalent, it is extraordinarily stiff and would be remarkably safe in a serious accident. It's also the first production road car to have full ground-effect aerodynamic downforce.

The emergence of those shiny exhausts on each side ahead of the doors is no designer's gimmick. It was the only way to ensure an unobstructed, flat undertray for the ground-effect diffusers to work. It also has a small, movable air brake, which increases drag and downforce on the back end.

Again, it's not for romantic reasons of history that the engine is ahead of the driver. It's there to maintain stability when driven hard. With an engine of such size and power behind the cockpit, rapid spins can result if the tail is allowed to get critically out of line. The new SLR is still technically mid-engined, however, for the engine is well behind the front wheels.

It had to provide an accessible driving experience. It does that but I suspect some customers will be very surprised, probably pleasantly. The luxury feel is there when you get in but it goes much more like a racer than you would ever believe.

The performance comes from the 5·5-litre, supercharged V8 engine, unique to the SLR, which produces 617bhp and a mighty 575lb ft of torque: true supercar figures, without question. The top speed is 208mph and it gets there fast: just imagine 0-186mph in 28·8seconds.

Mercedes-Benz personnel emphasised the new supercar's dual personality. It's a fair point, considering the interior design and the relatively huge boot for this class of car, but when you release Mr Hyde and exercise this full-blooded, ground-effect-assisted device you find that it has race-style cornering powers, exquisite handling and the most astonishing braking power.

On the road it's hard to scratch the surface of its potential. It's like a fettered tiger among rabbits: half open the throttles for a split second and you have to back off immediately.

It has a superb sound system that reacts to noise; if you make more noise by speeding up, the volume of the music rises automatically. You don't notice this, you just hear the music. Personally, however, I'd rather leave it turned off and listen to the engine's growls and the supercharger's whine.

The SLR feels deliciously like a racer. The ride is admittedly very firm and the tyres thump over cats' eyes but it is never harsh. Having said that, great care needs to be taken over speed humps. This is no softies' supercar after all: it's the real thing.

After a day on the road I was easily convinced of that, but I had one reservation: the sensitivity of the brake pedal. The massive, ceramic composite disc system seems indestructible.

The brakes can be used at maximum effort from cold without harm and they can keep going like that without fade or, it seems, wear. Up to 1·3g stops can be performed repeatedly, and stopping like that just once in a road car defies belief.

The only apparent snag, apart from occasional mild pad squeal, is that the electro-hydraulic system makes the pedal feel rather switch-like. I found I was often braking more than I wanted to, and smooth low-speed driving was tricky.

I had this out with the engineers, who insisted that there is sufficient pedal travel and, in time, you don't even notice a problem. I wasn't sure then but after a second day in the car I began to agree. Mind you, for city jams there's a "soft-stop" programme that takes all the effort out of smooth driving anyway.

Stuck in traffic? Just pull the cruise control lever and you don't need to brake again. Move off normally and when you lift off the car will brake to a gentle halt. When you exceed 60kph (37mph) the soft-stop de-activates. It sounds odd but it's extremely easy to use, as is the brake-assisted hill-start system also built in.

The SLR is packed with such wizardry. In the wet, it senses what's going on and applies gentle brake pad pressure to keep the discs dry. Unnoticeable, this does not affect the car's behaviour; it just means that maximum braking power is always on tap.

Soon I was happily accustomed to opening the scissor-type door and inserting myself into the cockpit. The electrically adjustable seats, made from lightweight carbon-fibre and trimmed in red leather like one of those original Uhlenhaut Coupés, can be tailored to individual customers.

It feels safe, comfortable and sporting in there. Everything is finely constructed. There's a large oddments box with a lid, high behind the seats. The main instruments, elegantly simple, are easy to read and use. I like the start-up procedure, too: switch on, lift the flap on top of the gear lever and press the "start" button briefly once.

The five-speed automatic gearbox is ideal. You can select relaxed automatic changes, a sporting automatic or full manual over-ride. There are also three gearchange speeds: "sport", "supersport" or "race".

So far so good, but a circuit is needed to appreciate the full potential of the SLR. We went to Kyalami to be driven around by race ace Chris Goodwin, who has been involved in the SLR's handling development from the start. This was going to be good.

Chris switched off the ESP traction control, shot out of the pits and put the car straight into the first corner at maximum effort. As I had come to expect, the level of grip and the sheer poise and balance of the SLR was superb.

This car can easily hold its own in any company. Chris was able to power slide it out of many of the corners and belt towards the next hazard with supreme ease. There's no limited-slip differential, yet the traction without ESP applied was incredible.

Chris has driven the SLR for 15,000km around the old Nürburgring circuit in Germany, so he knows the car inside out. I was properly impressed. What I wanted to know next was this: what's it like with the traction control switched on? Does it take all the fun out of it? We set off again: this time the power slides were less extreme but the car seemed just as drivable and just as quick.

I remembered Gordon Murray's words: you can push the SLR to the edge, even with traction control active. Exactly. It took a great deal of work to get the software exactly right for full-blooded but safe driving. ESP takes nothing away from the SLR driving experience, but it can get a driver out of trouble if he commits most of the commonly made mistakes.

My cynical fears had been wrong. The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is a truly great supercar after all. The aim is to make 500 a year at McLaren's factory in England. There's a waiting list, so you must order one now for delivery in 2006.

Having placed that order, you get the VIP treatment straight away. You will be invited to the McLaren factory to see the F1 team's home and to see SLRs being made. You will also be invited to a test track to sample the full track driving experience for yourself.

A Mercedes-Benz SLR personal liaison manager will be assigned to you: always accessible before and during your ownership, he will look after everything bar the driving; that's where you come in.

The only other requirement is that little matter of £313,465.

Mercedes slr mclaren

Price/availability: £313,465, on sale now; first deliveries next spring but there's a waiting list until 2006.

Engine/transmission: 5,439cc, supercharged V8; 617bhp at 6,500rpm, 575lb ft of torque at 3,250-5,000rpm. Five-speed automatic gearbox with manual shift options, rear-wheel drive.

Performance: top speed 208mph, 0-62mph in 3·8sec, EC Urban fuel consumption N/A, CO2 emissions N/A.

We like: stunning, high-tech, versatile supercar with a boot!

We don't like: it's hard to brake smoothly at low speeds (at first, anyway...)

Alternatives: Aston Martin Vanquish, from £158,000. Ferrari Enzo, from £425,000. Lamborghini Murcielago, from £168,000. Pagani Zonda, from £285,000. Porsche GT2, from £116,180.

How we moderate
blog comments powered by Disqus

Auto trader search


More from the web


Back to top

© Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2014

Terms and Conditions

Today's News


Style Book

Weather Forecast