The Spanish team of km77.com has tested yet another performance car on its obstacle course: the latest Mercedes-AMG SL 63 did a slalom and a lane switchback known as the moose test. Despite a host of high-tech electronic aids, the drivers were unable to do a single clean run above 75 km/h (46.6 mph), meaning that the convertible failed harder at the test than the cheap Ford Focus.
The car in the video wore 21-inch wheels shod in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires for the test. It had a stock 4.0-liter V8 rated at 585 PS (577 hp / 430 kW), AWD, 4WS, adaptive suspension and active sway bars.
The test crew had attempted the most test in two modes: Comfort and Sport+. Surprisingly enough, the Comfort setting proved more responsive and let the driver reach a higher speed while maneuvering. In Sport+ mode, the car lost its handling precision and ended up hitting traffic cones.
In contrast, the best Slalom run was performed in the Sport+ mode, largely owing to a faster throttle response. With a result of 22.8 seconds, the AMG SL performed slightly worse than the Tesla Model S, Alpine A110S and Porsche Taycan GTS.
Commenting on the tests, km77.com pointed out that the car was precise and predictable most of the time, but admitted that the different drive modes felt very disconnected from each other and needed some getting used to. Not only that, but drivers who feel like stepping on the acceleration in the new Mercedes-AMG SL must have extensive experience to keep it stable. Only after learning the quirks and the habits of the car and learning to use all of its strengths can drivers hope to keep it stable on the road if they suddenly need to swerve an obstacle.