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Mercedes-Benz has a new super car called the SLS AMG. With starting prices of around one hundred and eighty thousand dollars it is priced to directly compete with the likes of Porsche, Ferrari and Aston Martin. Aside from all the usual performance comparisons there is one thing this car has that the others do not - the gull-wing Mercedes is back. Entertainment: well, there is a 6.2 liter engine in the front providing a rumble to match anything to come out of Detroit. With over five hundred and fifty horsepower the SLS would be an entertaining drive even if the handling was poor. Fortunately that is not the case. It's agile, poised and although its feels quite stiff on the road the combination of engine of handling provides a fantastic drive.

In term of practicality the car is a bit of a mixed bag. Mercedes have obviously considered how this car is going to be used and the SLS comes with typical features to provide everyday usability like sat-nav and a decent stereo. However the gull wings, as iconic as they are, make it a pain to get in and out of the car, make the car very wide and you really have to stretch to pull the doors down once your inside. The design also means headroom is fairly tight as well.

The gearbox is a dual clutched affair which works notably well. There's a slight delay whenever you flick the paddles yet in general it feels very responsive and sharp. The car is quite definitely rear wheel drive. The seating position is very back and harks back to old school, honest GT's and blended with the sharp steering you've whole faith in exactly where the front of the vehicle is gonna go. This super car can easily go round edges very, very quick - in case you try hard enough you could actually compete with a four-wheel drive 911 Turbo. It's also really quick in a straight line - indeed outstanding for a heavy, front engined Grand Tourer.

Looking at value for cash - can any car at this selling price be regarded as fair value? Probably not but put along with its peers it is well priced. Let's look at it one other way - against the Mercedes McLaren SLR, the Mercedes SLS is quicker, handles better and is less costly to the tune of nearly 200,000 dollars.

Tuco is a car enthusiast and a fan, writes about car news and reviews, videos and pictures of a huge database of cars and car manufacturers. You can read information on Mercedes SLS at his blog: Mercedes SLS.

Detail Mercedes SLS AMG GT3:

The car pictured here features a heavily revised body which includes the front bumper with large central intake and lower splitter, canard air foils, hood, fenders with deep wheel well vents, huge side sills, that massive carbon rear wing integrated into the boot lid, fuel filler pocket in the quarter panels and rear bumper with purposeful diffuser. www.worldcarfans.com

Automobile fascination paired with spectacular race car design - that is the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3. The racing version of the SLS AMG has been conceived as a customer sport vehicle for participation in race series based on FIA GT3 regulations. Meticulous lightweight construction and optimized chassis, brakes and aerodynamics deliver uncompromising dynamics. The extra special Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG will make its race track debut in 2011. www.netcarshow.com