2007 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition - Conclusion - First Drive

The carbon-ceramic discs do a solid job of reining in the thundering V-8, but pedal feel is artificial and unsatisfying. You feel the binders grab, then you step through a squishy bit as you attempt to pin the calipers down hard. There's none of the directness or linearity of, say, the Porsche GT3's ceramic brakes (see road test this issue). Another gripe: While the cockpit is gorgeous, the driving position suffers from a seatback without sufficient rearward travel (there's simply no room behind the seat for anything other than a mostly upright angle). The leaning-forward driving position does afford a nice view of that spectacular hood, though.

Do such criticisms matter? Hardly. Sedgwick and his 149 fellow 722 buyers aren't going to care about an overly stiff ride or spongy brakes. What matters is that the 722 Edition looks the part (and, oh man, does this fan-bladed, sidepiped, gullwinged bullet train make an entrance) and that it has, well, more of everything. "How extreme is this baby?" Sedgwick will say when you come over for an audience. "Hey, check these out. Red seatbelts!"