Las Vegas Performance Tour impressions
10-30-2013, 11:15 AM
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2008 Saab 93 TurboX SC (BSR stage 1)/2014 E63 S Wagon (Rebellion Tuned/Renntech Sport Mufflers)
Las Vegas Performance Tour impressions
It's already time to checkout of the Vdara in Vegas after a great 2 day trip. Purpose: try out AMG products on a track.
Spring Moutain Motorsport Ranch:
This complex is really a superb place to do an event like that. It is built by car nuts for car nuts. They just built a new section of track and the AMG event was the first one on the track. Pristine surface makes pushing these cars so much fun compared to the "less then perfect" roads in Montreal! There is a great variation of turns where it's possible to test the limits of the car's traction. Nice elevation changes makes things even more fun.
The instruction:
As always (it's my 4th AMG event) the team of instructors lead by Danny Kok is really competant in giving you the tips to improve your driving. The amount of class time is limited to the essential and the majority of the day is spent in the cars and on the track. The morning session is spent on cornering exercices as well as slalom and braking exercices. Seat time is shared with fellow driver in these exercices. I was fortunate enough to be alone in my car since a participant called in sick in the morning! In the afternoon the time is spent lapping. 2 groups alternate on-track times so you are alone in the car and the other driver relaxes in the class. It starts pretty slow but speed build up and at the end we were lapping at pretty good pace. The straight is long enough to flirt with 200 km/h in almost every vehicule. If the other drivers are slower it sometimes limits the lap speed but it was not a big annoyance.
The cars:
CLA45
Bang for the buck this little car is going to be a success for sure! They had the first north american car there (not even plated yet) with an early production model sticker on the center console. The look in person is impressive. It looks like a baby CLS. Interior is nice looking but materials are a little less quality inspired than the rest of the fleet. Startup sound is not as exilarating as a big v8 but throttle note under acceleration is nice, with blurping and snapping on gear change (most noticeable from outside of vehicule). It feels light and is quite impressive for a little 2 litre turbo engine. The thing that stood out was the DCT transmission. Fast, efficient shifts without hesitation on up and downshifts with perfect rev matching blips were a blast.
Verdict: a person or couple without kids who needs (or wants!) an affordable performance car backed up by years of engineering experience will certainly find this car interesting.
SLK55
A go kart cart with attitude! It was probably the less powerful felling car of the fleet but the nimbleness of the chassis is awesome. A perfect little performance convertible... For the wife maybe?
C63 507 Edition
Coming off a C63 it was fun to refresh memories! The 507 editions looks amazing. The wheels are particularly nice and arguably the nicest AMG wheel. The 30 hp bump from the pp car I owned is noticeable. Nothing beats the NA fealing of the C and SLS, no matter how good the 5.5 TT is! For me it is still my favorite but the poor winter driveability was a killer for me. Another critic after driving the CLA and SLS is that the MCT transmission is not as impressive as the DCT transmissions, sometimes searching what to do especially on manual mode but also in S+, wich was a surprise as i've read that it was awesome in that mode.
Verdict: DCT in a C63 507 edition and I lay down and cry to get one!
E63S sedan and wagon
I'm alraedy sold to the wagon so it was my favorite car in the fleet. Feels a lot lighter than it is and that was the most impressive finding. Same goes for the sedan. A nice touch that I noticed while sitting in the car behind the wagon is the led backup lights (the guy in front tried to put car in park but was in reverse... Until he found the P button!). I played a lot with the seat adjustment and was able to find a decent support level but not as nice as my good old C63 seats. The seat cushion extension option did not seem to do a thing... Maybe it was broken but I tried it in every E and same results. The CLS on the other end seemed to really augment support for the tighs... Weird since they are supposed to be same platform! Again big dissapointment is MCT. I'm sure the dissappointment is increased from directly comparing it to the DCT. Maybe when i get the car I will have forgotten the feeling but I doubt it!
Verdict: the wagon is the car that suits my needs most right now, with the 2 youg kids and all the stuff I need to carry for family and pleasure (windsurfing, mountain bike, skiing... And Costco groceries...) and the 4matic was the main reason I ordered one... Oh and also the 577hp!
CLS63S
For some reason it feels heavier than the E. Headroom with a helmet is too tight and i'm not that tall (5'10"). As mentionned the seats seemed to offer more support in the front then the E. It left me cold. Looks are awesome though.
ML63
Always a blast to push this big SUV on a track. A great learning tool as it magnifies every mistake you make. I was giggling down the straight being able to follow the other cars in this big machine. I probably is the most comfortable AMG for long trips. Maybe the S is also verry comfortable but was not available for test drive.
Verdict: i would get one if it was not for the high body roll and inferior driving dynamics compared to a car. Cargo space in the E wagon is almost on par with it so it was a no brainer.
SL63
The sleeper... I was not expecting anything so it's the car that impressed me the most. This thing does everything well and looks awesome too! When the kids leave home there is one in my driveway for sure!
SLS
A completely irrational animal that goes like there is no tomorrow. I can only imagine how monstruously fun the black series should be. It's totally not practical but if i had 250k to spare it sure is a fun car... I just found that the buttons for the seat adjustments located in the front of the seat are making it uncomfortable.
So for you who are going soon to Vegas you will have a blast! Enjoy!
Spring Moutain Motorsport Ranch:
This complex is really a superb place to do an event like that. It is built by car nuts for car nuts. They just built a new section of track and the AMG event was the first one on the track. Pristine surface makes pushing these cars so much fun compared to the "less then perfect" roads in Montreal! There is a great variation of turns where it's possible to test the limits of the car's traction. Nice elevation changes makes things even more fun.
The instruction:
As always (it's my 4th AMG event) the team of instructors lead by Danny Kok is really competant in giving you the tips to improve your driving. The amount of class time is limited to the essential and the majority of the day is spent in the cars and on the track. The morning session is spent on cornering exercices as well as slalom and braking exercices. Seat time is shared with fellow driver in these exercices. I was fortunate enough to be alone in my car since a participant called in sick in the morning! In the afternoon the time is spent lapping. 2 groups alternate on-track times so you are alone in the car and the other driver relaxes in the class. It starts pretty slow but speed build up and at the end we were lapping at pretty good pace. The straight is long enough to flirt with 200 km/h in almost every vehicule. If the other drivers are slower it sometimes limits the lap speed but it was not a big annoyance.
The cars:
CLA45
Bang for the buck this little car is going to be a success for sure! They had the first north american car there (not even plated yet) with an early production model sticker on the center console. The look in person is impressive. It looks like a baby CLS. Interior is nice looking but materials are a little less quality inspired than the rest of the fleet. Startup sound is not as exilarating as a big v8 but throttle note under acceleration is nice, with blurping and snapping on gear change (most noticeable from outside of vehicule). It feels light and is quite impressive for a little 2 litre turbo engine. The thing that stood out was the DCT transmission. Fast, efficient shifts without hesitation on up and downshifts with perfect rev matching blips were a blast.
Verdict: a person or couple without kids who needs (or wants!) an affordable performance car backed up by years of engineering experience will certainly find this car interesting.
SLK55
A go kart cart with attitude! It was probably the less powerful felling car of the fleet but the nimbleness of the chassis is awesome. A perfect little performance convertible... For the wife maybe?
C63 507 Edition
Coming off a C63 it was fun to refresh memories! The 507 editions looks amazing. The wheels are particularly nice and arguably the nicest AMG wheel. The 30 hp bump from the pp car I owned is noticeable. Nothing beats the NA fealing of the C and SLS, no matter how good the 5.5 TT is! For me it is still my favorite but the poor winter driveability was a killer for me. Another critic after driving the CLA and SLS is that the MCT transmission is not as impressive as the DCT transmissions, sometimes searching what to do especially on manual mode but also in S+, wich was a surprise as i've read that it was awesome in that mode.
Verdict: DCT in a C63 507 edition and I lay down and cry to get one!
E63S sedan and wagon
I'm alraedy sold to the wagon so it was my favorite car in the fleet. Feels a lot lighter than it is and that was the most impressive finding. Same goes for the sedan. A nice touch that I noticed while sitting in the car behind the wagon is the led backup lights (the guy in front tried to put car in park but was in reverse... Until he found the P button!). I played a lot with the seat adjustment and was able to find a decent support level but not as nice as my good old C63 seats. The seat cushion extension option did not seem to do a thing... Maybe it was broken but I tried it in every E and same results. The CLS on the other end seemed to really augment support for the tighs... Weird since they are supposed to be same platform! Again big dissapointment is MCT. I'm sure the dissappointment is increased from directly comparing it to the DCT. Maybe when i get the car I will have forgotten the feeling but I doubt it!
Verdict: the wagon is the car that suits my needs most right now, with the 2 youg kids and all the stuff I need to carry for family and pleasure (windsurfing, mountain bike, skiing... And Costco groceries...) and the 4matic was the main reason I ordered one... Oh and also the 577hp!
CLS63S
For some reason it feels heavier than the E. Headroom with a helmet is too tight and i'm not that tall (5'10"). As mentionned the seats seemed to offer more support in the front then the E. It left me cold. Looks are awesome though.
ML63
Always a blast to push this big SUV on a track. A great learning tool as it magnifies every mistake you make. I was giggling down the straight being able to follow the other cars in this big machine. I probably is the most comfortable AMG for long trips. Maybe the S is also verry comfortable but was not available for test drive.
Verdict: i would get one if it was not for the high body roll and inferior driving dynamics compared to a car. Cargo space in the E wagon is almost on par with it so it was a no brainer.
SL63
The sleeper... I was not expecting anything so it's the car that impressed me the most. This thing does everything well and looks awesome too! When the kids leave home there is one in my driveway for sure!
SLS
A completely irrational animal that goes like there is no tomorrow. I can only imagine how monstruously fun the black series should be. It's totally not practical but if i had 250k to spare it sure is a fun car... I just found that the buttons for the seat adjustments located in the front of the seat are making it uncomfortable.
So for you who are going soon to Vegas you will have a blast! Enjoy!
Last edited by kart125; 10-30-2013 at 11:20 AM.
10-30-2013, 11:48 AM
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2014 E63S
awesome write up! thanks for your detailed reviews of all the amg cars.
was this an event you were invited to attend or something you signed up for? it sounds like something I would love to try myself
was this an event you were invited to attend or something you signed up for? it sounds like something I would love to try myself
10-30-2013, 01:12 PM
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2008 Saab 93 TurboX SC (BSR stage 1)/2014 E63 S Wagon (Rebellion Tuned/Renntech Sport Mufflers)
I was invited by my dealer so I would suggest to ask your dealer if he has spots availble. It sure was a great experience.
10-30-2013, 02:37 PM
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2020 Audi R8 V10, 2016 AMG GTS, 2018 E63S Edition 1, 2018 Porsche GTS Cab, 2012 C63 BS
thanks for this, I have driven every car you have listed as well (sans CLA45 and SLK) and I got the SL63 a few weeks ago because of a multitude of reasons as you mentioned.
11-10-2013, 12:50 PM
#7
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I did this event last week... was definitely worth the trip!
I agree with Kart's assessment pretty well wholeheartedly. I think the CLA will be a hit, AWD, 355hp and DCT will make it a lot of fun. Great way to get into an AMG for only $50k! When this car hits and tuners jack the boost it will put pressure on the C63. They'll need to make that car a 4matic as well
I think I made the right call with my E63. Very accomplished car. It puts the power down a lot easier than the RWD cars, but isn't as much fun as the C63 507 or the hairy SLS.
The SL63 was right on the SLS's butt down the main straight... it's a fast car, but if I had the $$ I'd be going for the SLS... that 6.3l motor pops and burbles and is a more visceral experience for sure.
At the end of the day they did 'taxi' laps, where you get to be driven around the track by a professional instructor. I went out twice in the E63 wagon and was really impressed. Doubtful I ever drive the car that fast... it is a really quick car.
I agree with Kart's assessment pretty well wholeheartedly. I think the CLA will be a hit, AWD, 355hp and DCT will make it a lot of fun. Great way to get into an AMG for only $50k! When this car hits and tuners jack the boost it will put pressure on the C63. They'll need to make that car a 4matic as well
I think I made the right call with my E63. Very accomplished car. It puts the power down a lot easier than the RWD cars, but isn't as much fun as the C63 507 or the hairy SLS.
The SL63 was right on the SLS's butt down the main straight... it's a fast car, but if I had the $$ I'd be going for the SLS... that 6.3l motor pops and burbles and is a more visceral experience for sure.
At the end of the day they did 'taxi' laps, where you get to be driven around the track by a professional instructor. I went out twice in the E63 wagon and was really impressed. Doubtful I ever drive the car that fast... it is a really quick car.
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11-10-2013, 04:24 PM
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2008 Saab 93 TurboX SC (BSR stage 1)/2014 E63 S Wagon (Rebellion Tuned/Renntech Sport Mufflers)
Nice! Glad you liked it as well! Who was driving during taxi laps? I went in the wagon as well with Melanie... boy the girl can drive a car!
11-10-2013, 04:43 PM
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11-11-2013, 02:00 AM
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11-11-2013, 08:36 AM
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2008 Saab 93 TurboX SC (BSR stage 1)/2014 E63 S Wagon (Rebellion Tuned/Renntech Sport Mufflers)
I might convince myself to the 2 day program next fall in Tremblant...
