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"SERVICE department review --- I went to Fort Wayne on a business trip, When I was about to head back, I started to hear a squeeking/grinding sound. I had about 160 miles to drive back home, so wanted to get it checked. It was about 4:50 pm. Kurt Knight who is the service advisor picked up the call, and from then on I had the most pleasant trip to a car service, leave alone Mercedes service. Kurt and Mike, who was the technician about to leave, stayed late and put a new water pump on my car. Kurt showed me all the defective parts and explained why they need to be replaced. My car was all set, washed and fixed by around 6:45 pm. If I was living in Fort Wayne, I would take my car there for service all the time. Thank you Kurt and Mike for your excellent service."-Randy

2013 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Set to Debut at 2012 NYC Auto Show

The era of 12-cylinder cars at Mercedes-Benz and its performance partner AMG looks far from over, with news coming out today that a new SL65 AMG complete with a twin-turbocharged V-12 engine is set for debut next month at the 2012 New York Auto Show.

Fears that the car may have been phased out for good arose when Mercedes-Benz quietly dropped the SL65 AMG model from the previous SL lineup last July, though continued to sell its V-8-powered SL63.

However, Car and Driver is reporting that a new SL65 AMG based on the sixth-generation ‘R231’ SL Class is planned and will join its more modest siblings in showrooms later this year.

No mention of what engine will power the new SL65 AMG but we would expect something more than the last-generation’s 604 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. A brand new engine is unlikely given the limited volume of V-12 models sold today, though applications in other models including the new S Class may justify the expense somewhat.

Another possibility is an updated version of the current model’s twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V-12, which develops up to 621 horsepower in other applications such as the most recent versions of the S65 and CL65 models from AMG.

On issue is the fact that a more powerful SL65 AMG will start encroaching on SLS AMG Roadster territory. With pricing kicking in at over $200,000, Mercedes would be stuck with two offerings in what is already a limited segment.

Expect styling to be similar to the latest SL63 AMG pictured above.

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Mercedes SLS Trades Classic Gullwing for $200,000 Top-Down Roar

Highway 101 just south of San Francisco, and the orderly lines of traffic are holding a steady 65 miles per hour (105 kilometer per hour), placid and in no apparent hurry. California calm.

The roof is down on your $224,000 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster and the feral burble of the V-8 engine is even louder than the sharp snap of wind in your face.

That hunk of rumbling metal, with its furious pistons and hot oil, seems to be talking directly to you, a voice that smokes unfiltered cigarettes and gargles whisky.

Let me loose. Free me.

A California highway patrolman on a motorcycle idling on the inside shoulder reminds you why letting the SLS Roadster loose is not a good idea. Yet, it's impossible to shut out its persuasive urgings.

As a reincarnation of the famed Mercedes SL Gullwings of the 1950s, the convertible SLS supercar is a quintessential West Coast ride. The original coupes and roadsters are pricy collectors' items today, defined by clean lines and (in the coupe's case), exotic pop-up doors. You'll rarely see a more beautiful car.

Mercedes introduced the $190,000 SLS AMG coupe in 2009. It was a spiritual successor, with a 6.3-liter, 563-horsepower engine in its belly and a set of top-hinged gullwing doors. Less pretty, far faster.

The 2012 convertible model was recently released and it starts just south of $200,000. The roof is canvas and since the doors can't hang off of it, the car loses the gullwings. That might seem as if you've just negated the whole point, but the SLS makes the transition to a convertible surpassingly well.

 

Wide Body

 

The body is extremely low and wide, as if a titan had squished it down with a massive thumb. These distorted proportions appear even more exaggerated without a top. Same supercar, fewer inhibitions.

Lower the roof electronically in just over 10 seconds, trigger the engine, and the next part of the equation becomes clear. There's no sound insulation between you and the engine.

No surprise, it's best when your foot pins the accelerator mercilessly to the floor. Which might remind you that, like the coupe, the convertible is rated to travel at up to 197 mph.

Too bad there's no road in California where one might do such a thing legally.

 

Rising Tide

 

Even around stoplights, the power of the SLS is irrepressible, like being in the belly of a slow-moving wave way out to sea. It looks placid enough, but there's a deep reservoir of power. The SLS surges through its lower gears, eddying through third and fourth -- but you can cause it to tsunami at a pedal push.

The transmission is only available as a seven-speed double clutch; you can leave it in automatic or click through gears using the steering-wheel paddles. The interior on this particular car is a mix of bright red leather, nice stuff, and carbon-fiber (a $9,000 option). Racy and rich.

Off the highway, for the sake of both a change of scenery and safety of keeping your driver's license, you might head over the hills toward the Pacific, randomly choosing back roads. Even on narrow lanes the ride is firm and dependable, with predictable turns and good steering.

 

Low Nose

 

The car's width is a liability on some lanes, especially a very narrow road that runs along a wooded mountain ridge, passing through Christmas-tree farms lightly shrouded in mist. If you meet another vehicle coming the other way, it will be tough to find a place pull off into the rocky shoulder, especially with the low nose.

(A hotel valet in Monterey can attest to this after returning the roadster with the bottom of the front fascia chewed up and a fresh scrape on the paint.)

It's chilly in the higher elevation, but rather than put the top up, you turn on the seat warmers and Mercedes's clever system that blows warm hair directly onto the nape of your neck from the seatback.

What's a California car without a dash along Highway 1? It can seem like the world's most overrated road until you're actually swinging through the curves, and you recall why it's so beautiful and fun. With the top down, you really get a sense of the crashing waves below you, and the salt in the air.

But then the sun goes away and a few wet dots appear on the windshield. Rain. You could stop and put the roof up. Instead you add in throttle and the car happily responds, going ever faster. The cabin remains dry.

Who says you can't outrun the rain? It might be the best excuse you have for letting the SLS Roadster run free.

 

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster at a Glance

 

Engine: 6.3-liter V-8 with 563 horsepower and 479 pound-

feet of torque.

Transmission: Seven-speed double-clutch automatic.

Speed: 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds.

Gas mileage per gallon: 14 city, 20 highway.

Price as tested: $224,275.

Best feature: Noise, when the top is down.

Worst feature: Trying to keep to legal speeds on the

highway.

Source:SFGate