10 Things I Learned During the Perfect Day at the Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy

6. You can still have fun in the SUVs

While the obvious preference would be to spend the entire day behind the wheel of the 583-hp SLS, the Driving Academy gives everyone a turn and has you rotating through a fleet of roughly 13 cars in a day.

That means you’ll eventually be in something that doesn’t really excite you… at least not for driving on a race track. The B-Team of cars during my time at the school included the B-Class, a standard CLA (both of which were surprisingly fun) and two vehicles that really have zero purpose on a racetrack: the GLK250 and ML350… both diesels. Yuck!

But hold on. If your need for speed (and your skill) is outpacing that of your classmates, then the SUVs present a unique opportunity. With squishier suspensions, heavier curb weights and lack of overall power, they’re momentum machines and if you want to keep up with spritely compacts you’ll need to be at your smoothest and fastest. Gaining on a pack of smaller cars from the lofty vantage point behind wheel of an ML was one of the most enjoyable experiences I had all day.