One of the major advantages with respect to reliability, durability and therefore costs is the duplex chain camshaft drive. Get into a good example (or even an average one) and the doors still clunk like a Mercedes should, sitting square in the door frame, the switchgear is solid and lovely to touch, and the seats usually only hint at the miles the odometer reads. Mercedes-Benz worked its power on that Sprinter’s chassis and even suspensions, triggering an important van the fact that sides with certainty, is still secure at excessive rates of speed and comes back superior comments by way of the controls. The cabinets are bolted to the van with removable fasteners and can be taken out as needed. Sprinter van campers can really run the gamut in terms of price. It uses the same touchpad-style tech found in Audis so you can ‘draw’ letters and numbers into the top of the pad rather than scrolling through a menu on the multimedia screen. Wonder if the current Rolls r&d team requested the same seasonal sojourn?
Other highlights include Rolls-Royce’s Starlight Headliner - 1340 fibre optic lamps light up the roof lining like the night sky, and until now it’s only been an option on bigger Rolls Phantom models. But more importantly, you’ll enjoy peace of mind knowing it’s from Mercedes-Benz. This is the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series, the fifth Black Series since the SLK55 AMG kicked things off in 2006, and closest in spirit to the SL65 Black Series of 2008. At around £230k, it's a solid £60k clear of the regular SLS on which it's based and only a little cheaper than the Ferrari F12. The roofless version of the mighty SLS AMG supercar is tipped for the official premiere next year in September, at the Frankfurt Motor Show (or, best known as IAA). This is the Rolls-Royce Wraith, an imperious super-coupe that will debut today at the 2013 Geneva motor show. Despite the damp weather, today was a positive start to our weekend.
Rolls says the ‘tension in the panels and a raked rear screen evoke the image of a world class athlete poised in the starting blocks’ but despite the styling the Wraith still has a saloon-like boot rather than a hatchback. Front/mid-mounted or not, the engine is still in the nose of this car and understeer is something - no matter how much improved it is over the standard SLS - that you do have to manage. Like the SLS it's based on, the Black Series slots a naturally aspirated 6.2-litre V8 as far back in the nose as possible for a front/mid-mounted location. The nose darts eagerly left and right, super-alert to your steering inputs, just like it does in the standard car, but you can lean on the front end with far more conviction when you get to the corners, placing it far more accurately with the light, accurate and quick - if not particularly tactile - steering.
Rolls says that, together with specifically tuned suspension and steering with extra weight at higher speeds, the Wraith has ‘the most powerful, involving driving experience of any Rolls-Royce in history’. Besides the extra oomph, the Wraith also has a wider rear track and shorter wheelbase than the Ghost, and the roofline is lower too, helping lower the centre of gravity. None of which the average GLC owner is likely to do, but for the challenges the vehicle might realistically encounter - such as deep snow or muddy trails - there's now an extra margin of capability. But rather than the Ghost’s 563bhp there’s a wholesome 624bhp. And instead of 575lb ft there’s now 590lb ft, produced from a mere 1500rpm. The 0-62mph sprint (sorry, waft) is dispatched in 4.6 seconds, three-tenths quicker than the Ghost saloon. And to help out, there’s Satellite Aided Transmission (SAT) technology. The Mercedes-Benz third generation M-Class series is powered and designed with great speed control technology with good road sense.
