2022 Mercedes-AMG SL Aims to Reinvent an Icon
The all-new 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL may no longer be the brand’s range-topper, but it’s still a fine grand tourer.
For a very long time, the Mercedes SL used to be instantly recognizable to pretty much everyone and represented a dream ride for many. That has slowly changed over the last two decades or so as the SL morphed into a fairly uninspiring machine – not the elegant, beautiful thing that it once was. However, the all-new 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL has been dramatically re-engineered in an attempt to recapture the magic of years gone by.
As one might imagine by the name, the development of the 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL was handled by the famed performance division, and AMG blessed it with a brand new architecture that shares zero components with the outgoing R232 generation. Two models will be available at launch – the SL55 and SL63 – and both look hopelessly modern yet tidier than the SL’s predecessors.
Mercedes-AMG added nearly five inches to the SL’s wheelbase, or around three inches in total length, with much of that going to the cabin. The 2+2 drop top is also around an inch and a half wider and is wrapped in rounder, smoother lines with a shorter hood and rear overhang for a tidier look. Both the SL55 and SL63 are fitted with staggered 20×9-inch front and 20×11.5-inch rear wheels, though 21-inch wheels are available as an option.
For the 2022 SL, Mercedes-AMG has ditched the retractable hardtop for an old-fashioned soft top, which weighs 46 pounds less. A number of packages are available, including the AMG Night Package and a chrome package for the SL55, as well as the AMG Exterior Carbon Fiber package and an AMG Aerodynamics package for the SL63.
Inside, the 2022 SL features a digital instrument cluster and an adjustable 11.9-inch center touchscreen running the latest MBUX software. Standard features include active multi-contour seats with massage, a head-up display, and the Airscarf neck-level heating. Safety tech and driver-assist features are abundant and include video navigation, active steering assist, active brake assist, and Distonic Plus with stop-and-go, to name a few.
The other big news lies under the hood, where Mercedes-AMG has ditched the old twin-turbo V6 for two different versions of its 4.0-liter V8. The SL55 gets 469 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, while the SL63 produces 577 horsepower and 590 pound-feet. Both send that power to all four wheels via a nine-speed AMG Speedshift MCT automatic transmission, which is good for 0-60 times of 3.8 seconds and 3.5 seconds, respectively. Later on down the road, the SL will get AMG’s E Performance plug-in-hybrid system, which is capable of producing as much as 804 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque, though it’s currently unclear what state of tune it will represent in the roadster.
Underneath, the SL gets standard four-wheel steering, an electronically controlled limited-slip rear differential that’s standard on the SL63 and optional on the SL55, optional ceramic-composite brake rotors, adaptive dampers, an available front-axle lift system, and hydraulic roll stabilization (optional on SL55, standard on SL63.
The 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL has morphed into the grand touring convertible in the automaker’s lineup, losing its range-topper status to the AMG GT roadster, but that may not be such a bad thing. It will be a while before buyers determine if the new SL recaptures the magic of the older models, but we’ll find out soon enough, as the model is slated to arrive at dealers in the first half of 2022.
Photos: Mercedes-Benz
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