Kev was still in Ch1na when I got to LA and I decided to borrow his S65 for a couple days while I am here. For a guy who spends more time in Ch1na then here in LA, he was more than happy to loan me to car. I help to start the engine to keep the battery "fresh" lor.The first look was done as I walked a full circle around the car and I notice the "S65" at the back was removed. I found our the reason from our phone conversation below:
JayWalk: Oi, how come the "S65" at the back still show the "S600" from the old car?
Kev: Keep a low profile mah. Don't want people to notice.
JayWalk: Har? Then "S600"not low profile har? Car thieves in LA nowadays so high class one har?
Kev: Not worried about car thieves lah.
JayWalk: Not car thieves then who else?
Kev: My folks. They still don't know I changed car (again).
JayWalk: Oh. -______-"
So anyway, as I took over the car keys and plunged it into the ignition, the 4 exhaust pipes roared to life before settling down to a smooth purr. Not any ordinary purr, but a purr that when you hear it, you know that the car is packed with more than 600 horsepower.
The car on the inside looks like any other S-Class. The only clue that this is not ordinary car is the marquee at the corner of the dashboard that says "V12 BiTurbo". At 6,000 cc, this engines can go from 0 to 100km/h is just 4.2 secs.
One thing about the car is that this is not for the light-footed. Cautiously aware of the power packed inside the engine, I gentle depressed the gas pedal as I tried to pull out of the driveway. The engine reved and I see the RPM meter goes to 1,500 but nothing happened. Press a bit more to increase it to 2,000 rpm and the car starts to crawl. Initially, I thought it was due to the sheer weight of this car, but it turns out (accordingly to Kev) that was a safety feature against surging of the car due to accidental pressing. But to me, whenever I pedal down lightly, the engine revs but not moving, I can only see money-with-wings flutter flying away from me. :(
After setting the on-board GPS navigation system to point to home, I was out onto the streets in no time. The ultimate test came when I got onto the highway, cars were zooming past me at 80 - 90 mph (130 to 150 km/h). Just coming into the highway from the right lane, I pedal down the gas and was up to 100 mph in no time. During this while, the sheer G-Force of the acceleration kept me pasted firmly to my seat.
I never appreciated a high powered car when I was in Singapore until I test drove the S600 then and the S65 now. In the US, when the highways are so much wider and car moving faster, you need to high powered car to move between lanes easily and safely. With me driving faster then everybody else, all the car around me will seem to be moving backwards, and so when it comes to changing lanes, all I needed to do is pick an empty spot ahead, pedal down and I am there without a hitch. No mirrors required.
Most of the time, I was hovering between 80 to 100 mph and the stability and comfort of the car made it looked like a leisurely drive with me having one hand on the window ledge and the other on the steering wheel. 100 mph? Piece of cake!Anyway, I am going to end here before anybody starts accusing me of writing boring stuff about cars, cars and cars.
I took a few pictures and click here to see the rest of them.
In you are interested to find out more goto http://www.mercedes-amg.com click Start > English > Showroom > Models > Sedans > S65 AMG
Verdict: Very very cool cars to drive, beats any BMW hands down. Still I would have prefer a more nifty car as this S65 is a tad too big for my liking. I guess my favourite shall remained the Porsche Boxster for now. This S65 came really close though.
- Voxeros
1. Jaslyn left...
Thursday, 4 May 2006 10:46 pm :: http://precious-jas.blogspot.com
Swweeee!!! What about Aston Martin? I find it quite cool too... 2. JayWalk left...
or the Maranello (2006).
*drool*
Friday, 5 May 2006 2:18 am ::
Jaslyn: Aston Martin? Dunno what car Kev buying next leh. I heard he eyeing the Ferrari Enzo (2002) or the Maranello (2006).
*drool*
3. akk left...
audi a6 audi a8 audi TT coupe....
ahem....
Friday, 5 May 2006 8:44 am
i like understated. audi a6 audi a8 audi TT coupe....
ahem....
4. Jaslyn left...
Friday, 5 May 2006 1:31 pm :: http://precious-jas.blogspot.com
Yea.. Audi TT Coupe is way cool too! Aston Martin is quite unique. But I think I still like my BMW 6 series coupe :p5. JayWalk left...
Friday, 5 May 2006 5:19 pm ::
akk & Jaslyn: I tested the Audi TT before. So so, the interior is a bit cramped. Didn't like it.6. akk left...
cramp eh? okie....a8 then, hehhehe...nice to dream....my HOD only has a4, hahhahahah...
Sunday, 7 May 2006 5:09 pm
hur hur, i'll only ever dream about opening the door of it, much less test-drive it.... cramp eh? okie....a8 then, hehhehe...nice to dream....my HOD only has a4, hahhahahah...
7. JayWalk left...
Monday, 8 May 2006 6:40 pm ::
Akk: Ah yes, the A8 4.2 litre version. Nice!
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