Automotive Einstein

High-performance SUVs seem to be the answer to a question no one asked. An ultrafast vehicle with a center of gravity higher than some sports cars’ rooflines and weighs as much as several sports cars combined? Sounds like a recipe for a rollover. Nonetheless, automakers have found the concept rather popular — and profitable — and we can’t deny that these vehicles can be impressive performers.

Photo Gallery: Driven: Five High-Riding, Sports Car Beating Tuner SUVs – Automobile Magazine

The Lexus LFA and the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG are about as different in approach and ability as a muscular sprinter is from a sinewy long-distance runner. It’s a clash of characters along the lines of a Suzuki Hayabusa sportbike taking on a BMW K1300S, a Moog synthesizer compared with a Steinway piano, or techno music as opposed to Beethoven. This is a little surprising when one compares the almost identical DNA of the two supercoupes. Both cars are front-engined; are powered by high-revving, normally aspirated engines; feature a well-balanced transaxle layout; rely on lightweight body structures; and make do with nonadjustable suspension and steering setups.

Photo Gallery: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG vs. Lexus LFA – Automobile Magazine

It’s hard to justify the cost of a luxury wagon when an SUV gives you more room, is cheaper, and in some cases, drives better. The Mercedes-Benz E350 4matic wagon is a nice car, but with a $66,775 price tag, it’s not very logical.

Photo Gallery: 2011 Mercedes-Benz E350 4matic Wagon – Editor’s Notebook – Automobile Magazine

World-class luxury and mind-altering performance, a rate combination of traits that few automakers are capable of bringing to the table. Mercedes-Benz is one such automaker and its latest creations, the AMG versions of the new 2011 CL-Class, certainly fit the bill.

Photo Gallery: 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG and CL65 AMG – First Look – Automobile Magazine

Some people refuse to get with the program. They will not go with the flow. Ignoring trends, they do-and buy-what they want. When it comes to cars, no group swims against a stronger tide than the people who buy station wagons. So while the arrival of a new Mercedes-Benz E-class wagon is an absolute non-event for the vast majority of America’s new-car buyers, for one tiny, independent-minded group of traditionalists, it is no doubt a reassuring symbol of constancy in a fast-changing world.

Photo Gallery: 2011 Mercedes-Benz E350 4Matic Wagon – First Drive – Automobile Magazine

My evening with the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG began when Mike, the car geek who mans the tollbooth in our parking structure, gave the SLS the once-over. Here’s where the gullwing doors actually came in handy: the departure lane is of course relatively narrow, so anytime I’m in a car that interests him, Mike’s usual view is solely through the open driver’s window. But with the SLS, I just cracked the driver’s door, he confirmed that there was plenty of clearance, and I thrust it upward, giving him a panoramic view of the SLS AMG’s striking interior: red leather with carbon fiber trim over black carpets, in the case of our test example. I put the transmission in Park and gave the 563-hp, 6.2-liter V-8 a good blip: the resulting gnarly growl and the snap-crackle-pop of the exhaust absolutely made Mike’s day – and probably his week.

Photo Gallery: 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG – Editor’s Notebook – Automobile Magazine

With the arrival of the 2011 CL-class, Mercedes-Benz has the opportunity to show off its latest advancements in powertrain, luxury, and safety, all wrapped in a two-door package. The big news for Mercedes’ freshened coupe is under the hood of the CL550 4Matic, with the introduction of a new 4.6-liter V-8 producing 429 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, coupled to a seven-speed automatic transmission.

Photo Gallery: 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 4Matic – First Look – Automobile Magazine