AN SL OF A SPORTS CAR (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_mecedesamgsl_2021_preview

By Jonathan Crouch

Mercedes' SL sports car has re-invented itself. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 84

Luxury sports car buyers traditionally sold on the charms of a Mercedes SL will certainly be sold on this rejuvenated MK7 model. They'll like the lithe proportions and deft detailing, the powerful engines and the luxurious technology. It's more important though, to consider whether the changes made here will widen this classic model's customer audience. More sophistication when it comes to drive dynamics and the additional rear seats certainly mean it has more to offer. It's a special car. As every SL should be.

Backgroundword count: 194

Sports cars used to be one of the key pillars in the Mercedes-Benz product range, important as much for brand image as for sales. But despite all the last decade's F1 success, those sales have been falling. To the point where in 2020, less than 1% of the cars sold by the company worldwide were sports cars. And that was when the small SLC roadster was still on sale, a car since axed. But Mercedes couldn't quite bring itself to part with the SL model line of larger luxury coupe and roadster sports car models which have a history going all the way back to 1954. It has however, dramatically re-reinvented the SL for this seventh generation guise. The name for a start, which is now 'Mercedes-AMG', designating a greater sporting intent. And there's much more: the roof switches back from metal folding to a lighter, more traditional fabric design; there are now two occasional rear seats, like a Porsche 911; there's an all-new Modular Sports Architecture platform; and both four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering are now available. This car has even been engineered for plug-in hybrid drive. In short, it's all very different.

Driving Experienceword count: 408

So. No more tame SL-Class; everything is now of the more focused Mercedes-AMG variety. There's a four-way choice of powertrains, with the entry point in the range marked by a 381hp 2.0-litre four cylinder unit of the SL 43 which drives only the rear wheels. The 62mph sprint takes 4.9s en route to 171mph. Next up are a couple of 4.0-litre V8s, which like the SL 43 direct drive via a 9-speed AMG Speedshift MCT transmission. The more accessible version is the 476hp SL 55, which gets to 62mph in just 3.9s on the way to 183mph. We can't really see why you'd want to go faster than that, but if you do, there's the SL 63 with 585hp, which features an engine with a larger air manifold and greater boost pressure. In this form, the SL makes 62mph in 3.6s on the way to 196mph. The other option is the SL 63 S E Performance, where the AMG 4.0-litre V8 biturbo engine on the front axle is combined with an electric drive unit on the rear axle. It integrates a 204hp permanently excited synchronous electric motor with an electrically switched two-speed transmission and a mechanical rear axle limited-slip differential. The lightweight high-performance battery is also located in the rear above the rear axle. Total output is 816hp, with up to 1,420Nm of torque; yes really. 62mph from rest takes just 2.9s. All the various V8 models deliver potent stats, so it's may be just as well that for the first time in its model history, this SL has gone all-wheel drive (in its V8 versions anyway) with a fully variable 4MATIC+ system that can distribute torque between front and rear axles. The SL 55 has AMG Ride Control adaptive damping, while the SL 63 adds to this AMG Active Ride Control with hydraulic anti-roll stabilisation. Optional on the SL 55 (but standard on the SL 63) are active engine mounts and a limited-slip differential. Four-wheel steering is offered on all V8 variants; up to 62mph, this sees the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to those at the front by 2.5-degrees to aid manoeuvring and corner turn-in. Above 62mph, the rears turn in the same direction as the fronts to aid cornering stability. Across the range, there are five standard driving modes - 'Slippery', 'Comfort', 'Sport', 'Sport+' and 'Individual'. An additional 'Race' mode can be added to models fitted with the optional AMG Dynamic Plus package.

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