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When Mercedes released the SLR, I was overwhelmed by the complex nature of what they were trying to achieve. Mind you, this was all from a poster, and as a result I thought of it as an example that sometimes designers just get it wrong. It was not until I saw it for the first time in real life that I could fully appreciate and understand the idea of the car. What a boldly striking design!

Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren

With hopefully more mature eyes reviewing the design of the SLS, I hope I don’t make the same mistake twice….

The first thing that you cannot miss about the SLS is the distinct return to a style of the past. The retro-futurism tones are strong; the resemblance to the first gull wing is apparent but not literal, which is very important if it wanted to be taken seriously as a stand alone design.

Vents, Grilles, Gull-wing doors and a long bonnet - Supercar stuff

Key features such as the long hood bonnet and small cabin formulate a desirable supercar, with the addition of vents and intakes that reminds us of its potential performance abilities on the road. However, the main attraction and party piece is the return of the gull wing doors that confidently states is heritage – just incase you missed it!

I’ve been irked by the current styling direction of most of the Mercedes range, I don’t know if in sketch form it looked reasonable, but in the production they have been looking awkward and messy. It could be a result, and it wouldn’t be the first instance of an awesome sketch design being placed on older underpinnings of a car that didn’t take it well. Trying to be more positive, I can see the potential of that directional idea, but seeing it in its resultant form I really question the senior designer judgment.

Quite differently enough, there is no evidence of this styling direction that can be seen in the SLS, which contrasts the family portrait of the season when the SLR made its showing.

Sketch - Car comparison - Corners could have been more sharp, giving a more forceful appearance

With its pretty face that draws influence from aerospace design, its long nose resembles one from a jet plane, with its badge fittingly surrounded by a stylized propeller for emphasis. Headlamps placed on the far sides accentuate the width of this car, helping its road hugging appearance.

Along the body side, a simplified fender vent grille can be compared to the outrageous gill like appearance found on the SLR. Part of me was hoping for some this lunacy on the SLS but I think there is enough of that business on the consumer market Mercs. The belt line is not defined by a crease but more of a swooping curve that flows to the rear of the car, which compliments the gesture of the bonnet, and unifies the car with the rear.

Rear and side view

The rear for me is the only part of the car that subtly resembles the SLR with the crease along the deck lid, creating a sloped ducktail and clean minimalist interpretation that resembles the language of the rest of the car. At the same time the rear view of the car has areas that I would have done differently, such as not making a cavity for the name plate (they didn’t do it at the front) and adjusting the rear glass backlight to make it appear more sympathetic to one of the sketched proposed, although this would have been difficult due to mechanical and ergonomic issues.

Ideation sketches for the Mercedes Benz SLS AMG

Seeing all the other sketches of potential SLS’s makes me just wish they could have made them all, especially those that have more sheer surfaces and distinct creases which also would have looked dramatic in real life. The potential to make a similar ‘mistake’ as the consumer Mercedes cars would have been high but could have been worth the risk – at least this way they would all look like they were from the same generation.

I wonder if the design director has realized that there is a beauty among this seasons family portrait of beasts?