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High-performance

The new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is now available to order, if you are fortunate enough to have around $263,642 available in your car fund. The car can be ordered through Mercedes-Benz sales and service dealerships.

This new SLS is not only expensive, it looks, drives and feels worth every penny with superior handling, traditional design, lightweight construction and explosive power. This super sports car is the first vehicle completely and independently developed by the performance brand within the Mercedes-AMG GmbH Company. Volker Mornhinweg, Chairman of the Management Board at Mercedes-AMG GmbH Company, said, “There is huge interest in our new super sports car and we are convinced that the SLS AMG will captivate our customers.”

Besides the expensive sports car look, the car also has attention-grabbing gullwing doors to get it noticed. Not only are the doors different from most other cars by opening up rather than to the side, the hinges holding the doors to the car are specially made to blow in case the car overturns in a crash, allowing the passengers a way to easily get out of the car. This is a safety measure and was needed to meet safety standards and regulations.

With aluminum frame and aluminum double wishbone axles the car is light and only weighs 3,573 pounds. This is paired with the naturally aspirated AMG 6.2-liter DOHC V-8 front-mid-engine pushing 563 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. Put these ingredients together and you get a 0 – 60 time of 3.8 seconds. Not that you’ll ever need it, but the car reaches 127 mph in less than 12 seconds and has a top speed of 197 mph.

The car is built with a low center of gravity and has a 47 to 53 percent front/rear weight distribution, giving it little to no body roll when hugging tight corners. A seven-speed dual-clutch transaxle, launch control, three-level stability control, four-mode transmission logic and wide tires help keep the horsepower on the road and under control.

There is also an almost endless list of options available for the SLS. You can opt for a suspension with a stiffer set up, alloy or forged wheels in large 19 and 20 inch sizes, ceramic composite high-performance brakes, performance steering wheel, sports bucket seats, carbon-fiber engine compartment cover, carbon-fiber trim to be added in the storage areas and an interior carbon-fiber trim package. You can also pay to have the car painted in specific colors.

You may not see many of these Mercedes SLS AMGs out on the road, but if you do see one, you can bet the driver is getting their money’s worth.

Select photos via Mercedes-Benz

To celebrate the introduction of its 50-state legal Jetta TDI in 2009, Volkswagen launched its own racing series based on the car called the TDI Cup. The series uses young, aspiring racecar drivers piloting Jetta TDI sedans which were only slightly modified from a stock car. After showing a concept version of the car at the 2008 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show, Volkswagen is finally getting ready to introduce a street version of its diesel-powered racecar, the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup "Street" Edition.

The coolest part of the 2010 VW Jetta TDI Cup "Street" Edition is that it is almost a replica of the cars used on the track. Replacing the massive chrome grille of the base Jetta models, the "Street" Edition has a much more aggressive front fascia with a trio of large intakes along the bottom and a smaller three-bar grille to house the signature VW emblem. Matching the sporty front fascia, the new model gets unique side skirts and rear fascia shared with the cars used in the TDI Cup. The only visual aspect not shared with the actual TDI racecars is the decklid spoiler. Finishing off the upgraded styling, the TDI Cup "Street" Edition adds bright red painted calipers and "TDI Cup Edition" stickers along the lower edge of the side doors.

Although most of the upgrades made to the Jetta TDI "Street" Edition are cosmetic, the car was also given improved handling and stability thanks to shared components with the performance-oriented GLI. Larger sway bars and a sport-tuned suspension help improve the Jetta’s handling, while larger brakes maximize stopping ability. Keeping the “Street” Edition legal in all 50 states, it continues to use the same diesel engine that is found under the hood of the stock TDI cars. Instead of the racecar’s 170 horsepower, the VW Jetta TDI uses a 2.0-liter that delivers 140 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque.

The 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition will truly be a car that blends its performance capabilities with the added environmental benefit that is inherent with diesel-powered cars. As such, the Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition will qualify for the Advanced Lean Burn Technology Motor Vehicle Federal Income Tax Credit. Like the standard Volkswagen Jetta TDI and Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI, owners of the Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition will qualify for a $1,300 credit. VW says that the "Street" Edition will have a starting MSRP around $25,000, which is a premium of $2,340 over the 2010 VW Jetta TDI sedan.

With its pricing, styling and fun-to-drive attitude, the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup "Street" Edition should be just as quick off the showrooms as it is on the street when it goes on sale in January.