Mercedes SL600

IF logic had a great deal to do with the product planning process, the Mercedes SL600 would never have lumbered from the drawing board. When you've already got one 5.5-litre 500bhp SL model that accelerates to 60mph in 4.5 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 155mph, why on earth would you need to introduce another? Especially when it's priced within a few per cent of the existing car, the SL55 AMG? The answer seems to be because Mercedes can.

Of course, at this end of the market, customers are accustomed to getting what they want. Despite the fact that the SL55 AMG is, with almost unanimous agreement, regarded as one of the best cars in the world, Mercedes had a twin-turbocharged 5.5-litre V12 that they were unable to resist fitting to an SL body. It's quite different in character to the urgent supercharged V8 the SL55 uses, instead offering a little more refinement but no less get up and go. Priced at £93,000, the SL600 is, in the light of its achievements, still something of a bargain, especially when compared to cars like the Aston Martin Vanquish, the Ferrari 575M and the Lamborghini Murcielago, all of which would struggle to keep up and none of which can hold a candle to the mighty Mercedes' 590lb/ft of torque.

The interior has been appointed with a few more luxury features too, the SL's embossed Nappa leather chairs incorporating massaging multi-contour backrests. The steering wheel and gearstick are trimmed in wood and leather and the COMAND information system has a built-in TV tuner. A Nokia 6310i mobile hands free telephone is concealed in the centre armrest and sound comes courtesy of a very punchy Bose speaker system.

Externally, the SL600 can be identified by its five-spoke 18-inch alloy wheels and the V12 badging tucked into the side air intakes. Chrome trim around the radiator and silver brake calipers also mark out this behemoth. It also feels markedly different as soon as you start the engine. Rather than the hard-edged bark of the SL55's V8, the SL600's V12 settles down into an almost imperceptible hum. It stays muted until around 3,000rpm when it starts to charge and by 5,000rpm it's emitting quite a bellow. The twin turbochargers seems to have an always on' quality about them which means that you're never caught out waiting for them to spool up to speed. It was once inconceivable that there would be an SL that made the SL55AMG seem a bit of an effort to pedal up to speed, but the SL600 manages that feat. With an even more powerful SL62 AMG in the pipeline, we may have to readjust our gyros yet again.

Facts at a glance

CAR: Mercedes SL600

PRICE: £93,000 - on the road

INSURANCE GROUP: 20

CO2 EMISSIONS: 346g/km

PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 155mph (restricted) / 0-60mph 4.7s

FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 19.6mpg

STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side & head airbags, ESP, ABS, ABC, SBC

CAPTION: Despite its comparatively clean social conscience and bargain price, this is a car with supercar sized running costs.