First Test; 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Friday afternoon traffic in LA is not the ideal environment for a $ 217,325 supercar, but that's exactly where I was on my first day with the 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. I also had an eye on my fellow commuters on the face of the Gullwing coupe, turned in the car-crazy, paparazzi breaking the law. The first time in my rearview mirror was a Audi S6, the tailgating driver with both hands the wheel in an attempt to focus snap photos of his iPhone. Ditto the Prius driver on my left. Never mind the risk of a big ticket or the SLS is more than three times thirstier than its fuel-sipping hybrid - his Facebook wall now has an epic picture of the SLS.

This particular SLS wore a matte finish called Designo Magno Monza Grey, but it's actually brown. Despite the relatively stealthy paint job, it was almost impossible under the radar while driving what one admirer later called "a futuristic military submarine on wheels." With traffic still crawling, I decided to check out the boundaries. Depending on your stature - I'm 5'9 "- the A-pillar of the border is about two feet away from your eyes, the roof is even closer to your head, and the door of the waistline is just below the neck cozy. but not cramped like a C6 Corvette. Claustrophobic for extreme, the next roadster is a good substitute if you do not mind sacrificing the doors.

Some SLS' interior bits like the climate control and COMAND interface are essentially pulled from other Benz models. The three-spoke steering wheel also looks like it could have been pulled from another model. Functionally, it's fine -- the steering wheel fits in the hand perfectly and the paddle shifters operate as they should -- but the overall look doesn't scream "flagship." Steering wheel aside, the cabin's overall feel is definitely special thanks to the perforated leather-wrapped AMG seats, optional carbon fiber trim, metallic-like gauges, and Alcantara headliner. Visibility is surprisingly good, too, and the standard Blind Spot Assist system is an added bonus.

At normal highway jaunts, the SLS is more Grand Tourer than supercar. The optional AMG Dynamic Suspension System in Sport mode, the ride feels no different than that of an SL550. The suspension has an admirable job of enjoying everything from Botts Dots to city potholes big enough to make a whining G550. Comfort mode, however, feels strange on the highway, where the back of the SLS bounces uncomfortable. The third and final suspension mode, Sport +, I decided to test out a few winding roads around my childhood home in northern San Diego County.

After a quick pit stop to show my family the Gullwing door, my brother and I dare to take a piece of Highway 78 that runs from Escondido to Julian. The road runs through a good mix of small hills with tight turns and fields with long straights and wide sweeping turns. Speeding up the slopes is easy to hand-built 6.2-liter V-8 engine M159. Although it shares with the lower displacement engine installed in other AMG M156, some tweaks boost power to 563 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. In addition, the use of a dry sump lubrication system allowed engineers to lower the engine mounted in the chassis behind the front axle and excellent distribution of its strong 3765-pound curb weight - 47 percent of the seat in front, 53 percent in the rear.

The engine is coupled to a rear-mounted, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission that sends power to the 20-inch wheels (19s roll on the front), wrapped in sticky Continental ContiSportContact. Acceleration from 0-60 mph takes just 3.6 seconds. A quarter mile in 11.7 seconds come and go at 124.3 mph. The accompanying exhaust note is just as intoxicating, the piercing bark when starting the guttural wail at the 7200 rpm redline. The optimized AMG 7-speed contains three modes, with Sport + is perhaps the best all around, especially when it's time to hit the track or in my case, the corners of Highway 78.

Go hard on the brakes for a corner was met with rev-matched downshifts followed by snaps and pops from the exhaust. Although I am a strong supporter of the third pedal, I find I do not want my own rowing gears. I even gave the manual mode to try, but quickly switched to Sport +.

Despite weighing nearly two tons, the SLS is surprisingly agile through corners and remained the same. Control is excellent and responsive, providing decent feedback on the road. With speed and confidence building after each turn, I debated switching traction control off. Then, warnings from fellow employees MT plays in my head. "The SLS is REALLY happy tail," they said, "Keep traction control!" After the testing gurus had their turn, I was glad I did. While the SLS course have our figure eight in just 24.1 seconds at 0.85 g (avg), reaching that number to require some hard work.

"Put in aggressive enough and slides SLS predictably toward the tip. You need fast hands to catch him, although once you start with the gas, which is very squirrely," says associate editor Carlos Lago test drive. "The SLS, for me is a better car than 8/10ths to 7/10ths or 10/10ths of it. It is much better suited for long, fast drives."

So it is perhaps not the most agile track star in the supercar world, but that's OK. The SLS is still rewarded drivers and casual enthusiasts with a fine as a commuter car - provided they do not mind the attention - and is also a capable canyon carver.