• Give A Gift  4th — Mercedes-Benz SL500 542.2 points  Its
three-pointed star utterly defines the SL500. There's no denying
a Mercedes-Benz heritage: rich-looking, classic, no-nonsense.
More than any other car in the test, the SL500 has its elements
integrated into a whole. It's a car that feels like it has been
artfully carved from a solid block.     In our notes on this
trip, nearly everybody described M-B's 2-seater, introduced in
2002, as "timeless" in its styling. From any angle, it's a rich-
looking car, neither too cluttered nor devoid of eye-catching
detail. It has classic SL styling cues going all the way back to
the '50s, but integrated without a blatant retro feel; handsome
in the most modern sense. New, yet...timeless. And the careful
detail you see on the surface goes all the way through the car.
To include the engine, a 5.0-liter sohc 24-valve V-8 that does a
pretty good job of hauling this 4130-lb. car smartly up to
speed. It's satisfyingly torquey at the low end and feels strong
through the en