2009 Mercedes Benz SL63 AMG

Sorry guys, I'm not sold on the SL63. Sure, the engine is still from the gods but I find the exhaust note in this application a bit over the top and too "glass-pack" sounding. Also, the exterior styling is really pushing the limit. There is enough tacked-on jewelry to bring back memories of Pontiacs from 10 years ago. Plus, the electro hydraulic brakes still are difficult to modulate and the structure of the SL63 is pushed to its limit on Michigan roads with the stiff, AMG suspension setup.

The SL63 is still a very nice car but I feel the SL550 is a much better package. I feel like an AMG package does not need to be added to every single Mercedes model. BMW doesn't make an M version of every one of their cars. The best part of the SL? It's the air scarf heating system in the headrests. This combined with heated seats pushes the top-down season much further. Brilliant.

Oh yah, and the new MCT tranny is quite good with only a bit of clunkiness from the new clutch on take off. I wish they put this setup in my favorite AMG cars, the C63 and the E63 Wagon. Maybe the next generation E63 will get it when it's launched in the near future.