Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Mercedes SL 65 AMG Black Series
Prices: £215,000 – on the road [est]
Insurance Group: 20
Emissions: 370g/km [est]
Performance: Max Speed 199mph / 0-60mph 3.9s
Fuel Consumption: (combined) 17mpg [est]
Safety: Twin front, side & head airbags, ESP, ABS [est]
Dimensions: Length/Width/Heightmm 4532/1827/1298 [est]

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AMG, the tuning division of Mercedes-Benz, has come up with the defining Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series that is sure to turn quite a few heads. The car boasts of some truly magnificent engineering, a swanky albeit a little over the top style, and a heavy body that moves really fast.

The interiors of the Black Series are jet black, with carbon fiber racing seats in front and small lockers taking the place of those occasional rear seats. The roof of the Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series is a fixed carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic panel. There's more carbon-fiber in the body in the form of the skirts, the bonnet and the boot lid incliners. The front side has a splitter that can pass air into the engine, helping in its cooling. The front wheels are an inch smaller than the 20-inch rear wheels. The car has a powerful feel with freshly designed suspension, very well-balanced chassis, coil-over-damper units, adjustable platform, stronger driver shafts and hubs mounted with ball-bearings. Going with AMG's recent strategy of building lighter cars, the Black Series weighs 250kg lighter than the standard SL65. At 1870kgs, it's still quite heavy, though.

AMG has chosen steel brakes for the Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series, in place of traditional ceramic brakes, keeping in mind the high temperature fluctuations. The twin-turbocharged, 661bhp V12 engine makes very little noise under that bonnet. The maximum speed and the torque output are electronically limited to 199mph and 738lb ft respectively. The Black series moves 62mph in just three seconds, that's pretty fast! The car has a five-speed gearbox and two automatic modes (Comfort and Sport) and two manual modes. A ride in the Black Series can leave you with mixed feelings. There are a few things to cheer about, like the fuel efficiency and those dependable tires and chassis, while the passengers may feel a bit claustrophobic inside the cabin when the driver is in high speed acceleration mode.

The Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series has been designed keeping in mind the fuel efficiency. The car moves 50 miles in just a quarter of a tank full of petrol, with EU combined fuel consumption of 19.6mpg. The CO2 emissions are 344g/Km. All in all, you won't be complaining much about the running costs once you have acquired your Black Series at an on road price of £250,000.

The AMG is currently preparing the launch of its first complete car, to be unleashed in the Geneva Motor Show 2010. The company is building as many as 175 Performance centers around the world to showcase their new sports coup. With the launch in mind, AMG off late has been trying to concentrate more on driving pleasure by offering more powerful, faster and lighter cars. One cannot really say the Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series to be a perfect implementation of their strategy. The car, nevertheless, is sure to entice a few super-rich.