First verdicts: Mercedes SL65 AMG Black Series

While the standard SL65 is a convertible, Mercedes has made a host of changes for the SL65 Black, giving it a fixed carbon fibre roof to reduce weight by 250kg in total over the regular SL65.

Despite the power hike, the Black Series is greener than the SL65 thanks to the massive weight loss – averaging 19.6mpg as opposed to 18.7mpg.

But it does cost £100,000 more.

Just 350 SL65 Blacks will ever be built and only eight will find homes in the UK, making it rarer over here than the Bugatti Veyron.

We’ve scoured the world of motoring journalism to find out the first verdict on the Mercedes SL65 AMG Black Series.

First verdicts:

Steve Sutcliffe, Autocar:

“So you thunder out of a tricky left-hander that leads on to the back straight, in third gear, and then you nail the SL Black up then hill. And it takes your breath away with the acceleration and noise it generates – a crazed but unique mixture of traditional V12 rumble, underscored by a more ominous collection of fizzes and chatter from the two turbos.

“To begin with, you wonder whether it might actually take off over the crest if you go much faster up the hill, so enormous is this car’s raw thrust.”

(Extract from magazine)

Ben Barry, Car Online:

“The SL is epic. As you’d expect, it rides so firmly that passengers of a weaker constitution will soon feel sick.  The throttle might be edgy during low-speed manoeuvres, but the gear shifts manage to be both refined and pretty quick.

“The SL might not have the badge kudos of a Lamborghini or Ferrari – and, let’s face it, it’s more expensive than the costliest model from either Italian manufacturer – but it is an extremely accomplished and breathtakingly hardcore machine.”

Owen Mildenhall, Auto Express:

“The effortless nature of the Black Series’ incredible straight-line acceleration is hard to believe. Few other cars can deliver performance like this.

“The car’s grip levels are so high that this (understeer) is only apparent on the track; on the road it never feels anything other than planted to the tarmac.”

Sky Motoring:

“In a straight line, the Black really is a bit special. The way it reduces long straight to short bursts of full-throttle acceleration is quite extraordinary, and although it understeers, the body control is excellent, ditto the steering, and the steel brakes are more than up to the job.”