Top Gear: Mercedes SLS AMG Petrol V8 vs. Electric

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Written by Kenny Hoeschen | March 25, 2014

Would you trade the tremendous sound of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series – along with its world-class acceleration and driving performance –  for the all-electric SLS ED version? Top Gear pitted the two cars against each other head-to-head on their test track. The SLS ED more than holds its own against the gasoline version, with its four electric motors putting out the equivalent of 740 horsepower and a whopping 738 lb-ft of torque. And all that torque attached to a four-wheel drive drivetrain means the all-electric model out performs the gasoline version in a straight line. And does it very, very quietly.

The electric version also has all sorts of astounding technology along with a very low center of gravity to make it blisteringly fast through the corners. Top Gear takes the car’s body off and shows us what’s happening beneath the blinding yellow paint. But, on the downside, the car’s range is severely limited, especially when it’s driven hard. And the electric is priced at more than $500,000, about twice that of the SLS AMG Black.

So, if you’ve got loads of money to spare and you’re in the market for a screaming fast supercar that you can charge with solar energy, the SLS ED may be just the car for you. On the other hand, we’d sorely miss the rumble of the SLS AMG’s engine and winning a drag race with your buddy would be lacking something if it was done in near silence.

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