This is very unusual as most supercars, indeed most modern cars, have DOHC and 4 valves per cylinder, but it keeps with the recent trend in modular V engines from Mercedes Benz and decreases engine emissions. The Twin-screw type supercharger and the 2 aluminium rotors have a maximum speed of 23,000 rpm. It is mounted between the two engine banks and uses 120 bhp at maximum capacity.
Unlike most of its contemporaries, its engine is front-mid mounted. McLaren took the original concept car designed by Mercedes and moved the engine fully 1metre behind the front bumper, and around 50 cm behind the front axle. They also optimised the design of the centre firewall.
Mercedes-Benz claims that the car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds (0-60 mph in 3.4 seconds at 98 °F), 0-200 km/h in 10.6 seconds, and 300 km/h in 28.8 seconds, and has a top speed of 334 km/h (207 mph) which made it the fastest automatic car in the world until 2005, when the Bugatti Veyron arrived. The car uses carbon fibre for its body construction which makes it lighter. The car is, however still quite heavy at 1768 kg due to the numerous luxury items included in it. It has never reached a higher speed than 210 mph.
Car and Driver got a 0-60 time of 3.6 seconds, and a quarter-mile time of 11.6 seconds at 125 mph. These are during a test session that took place in the late afternoon, when October temperatures were on the decline. C&D suggests the times may be even lower if temperatures were higher. Car and Driver got top gear acceleration 30-50 mph and 50-70 mph times of 1.7 and 2.4 seconds, which are the fastest ever recorded by the magazine in a production car. The SLR also pulled 0.97 g on the skidpad.
The German magazine Auto Motor und Sport, in 2004, tested the SLR at the Nardo test track in southern Italy. They reported that the SLR accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, 200 km/h in 10.7 seconds, and 300 km in 30.6 seconds. The car's 400-meter time and 1 km time were found to be 11.5 seconds at 207 km/h, and 20.5 seconds at 269 km/h, respectively.
Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
This class was first offered for sale in Europe in autumn 2004. The model uses the Mercedes-Benz W219 designation, and borrows the platform of the contemporary E-Class sedan. It is six inches(152 mm) longer than the E-Class. The car was designed to slot between the E-Class and the S-Class, and compete against the BMW 6-series, Cadillac STS and Lexus GS, along with other fastback sedans.
Marketed as a 'four door coupe,' the CLS recalls the fastback sedan designs of Robert Opron in the 1970's. According to a Mercedes-Benz press release, the CLS-class was produced to combine the "strong, emotive charisma" of a coupe with the "comfort and practicality" of a sedan. Due to the popularity of the CLS-Class, other manufacturers are offering similar designs. Audi plans to release a 4-door coupé called the A7, Porsche will have the Panamera, Aston Martin is showing off its Rapide.
During its development, Mercedes-Benz executives nicknamed the CLS the "Jag fighter," hoping that it would be the type of vehicle that Jaguar customers would be attracted to. Jaguar, however, has not launched a four-door coupe to compete with the CLS.
The CLS-class was first displayed as the Vision CLS concept at the 2003 Frankfurt International Motor Show. The production version CLS 500 made its debut at the 2004 New York International Auto Show. A new AMG model was introduced at the 2004 Paris Motor Show, the CLS 55 AMG. Only 3,000 CLS 55 AMG cars will be built each year.
The CLS was first offered for sale in the United States in January 2005; only the CLS 500 and CLS 55 AMG are sold in the United States. The CLS 500 has a base price of US$65,620, with the CLS 55 starting at US$87,320.
CLS63 starts at $92,500 for a "base" model, and is offered with steering wheel mounted paddles (F-1 style), and huge 19" wheels for the US market.
The CLS 350 and CLS 500 have a 7-speed automatic transmission. The CLS 55 features Mercedes renowned five speed automatic gearbox that can be shifted manually or automatically.
A diesel version, CLS 320 CDI, is available for the European market with a 3 liter V6 producing 224hp (167kw) and 510 N.m (376 lbf) of torque.
IVM Automotive, a subsidiary of German roof system specialist Edscha, developed the entire vehicle from the Vision concept to the production version. More than 150 IVM engineers were involved, making the CLS the largest vehicle development project in the company's history.
Mercedes-Benz has planned a yearly production of 30,000 units worldwide, of which about 10,000 will be allocated to the U.S market.
For the model year 2007, Mercedes-Benz has replaced the CLS 55 AMG with the CLS 63 AMG. The CLS 63 uses the newly developed AMG M156 naturally aspirated V8 engine capable of 514hp (378kw) and 630 N·m (464 ft·lbf) of torque.
Although the CLS63 AMG weights 4,210 lbs, it can reach 60 mph from a stand still in 4.3 seconds, faster than many sports cars. The 550 does it in 5.4 seconds, relatively fast also.
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