However, once he was asked by the Stuttgart carmaker to try out the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell, he left all of its expectations aside. He stepped into the car, fastened his seat belt and quickly proceeded to some acceleration and slalom tests on a runway, after which he took the car for a test drive on the streets of Norway.
Needless to say, the former McLaren-Mercedes racer was impressed with the “instant, but smooth” acceleration of the car, as well as with the good handling. As you all know, each wheel of the E-Cell is powered by an electric motor, which improves both traction control and the torque level of each wheel.
The official figures provided by the German carmaker for its high-performance electric car include a 4-second sprint from naught to 62 mph (100 km/h). And Coulthard tried it for himself, admitting that the electric motor configuration of the SLS E-Cell is “in a way, more responsive than the standard V8, because it's not having to wait for a small delay when the driver's asking for fuel to go in the engine (...) But in terms of naught to 60, it's right there.”
On the downside, however, the Scot confirmed that the car loses in terms of top speed limitation – despite the fact that it benefits from 526 hp from the electric motors – because of its single-gear transmission. “Eventually, that ratio will run out the ability to get to very top speed,” added Coulthard.
In addition, hadn't it been for Coulthard's explanations in the 8-minute video, the watchers would have been totally disappointed with the sound at the background, as the E-Cell is quiet to say the least. Not to mention that one has to charge it every 100 miles...
However, we leave you with DC and his personal experience with the SLS E-Cell. Enjoy!
Google News