Pros: Blistering acceleration; head-turning exotic-car looks; impressive build quality and materials; chock full of high-tech high-performance hardware
Cons: Outlandish prices; showy gull-wing doors greatly complicate entry and exit; cramped cabin for larger occupants; minuscule cargo room
CG Says: Mercedes-Benz’s outlandish SLS AMG gets even more exotic for 2014 with the addition of the limited-edition Black Series model. The Black Series gets a host of high-performance upgrades, including a 622-horsepower 6.3-liter V8 in place of the regular SLS’s 583-hp version. Sticker prices are stratospheric (particularly on the Black Series), but the Mercedes-Benz SLS’s performance, build quality, and dazzling “curb appeal” are undeniable, even in the realm of its super-car competition. For most SLS buyers, the ergonomic challenges of the gull-wing doors are more than offset by their “gee-whiz” allure.
