RJC

http://www.worldcarfans.com/6070725....ng-now-removed

Murtaza

Stupid stupid stupid.

CY

A 3rd facelift so fast is a very sad day for the SL...Is this going to be a 09 (ready at the end of 08) facelift? It really is shocking that they would do this to the 07-maybe 08 facelifted buyers. It must really have to be done though since the SL's have serious competition but change the whole thing or have 2facelifts IMO and deal with the lack of sales.

elviento

Reminds me of TL grill with G35 Sedan headlights.

RJC

Don't judge it too harshly or at least until the camo is removed and we can see the finished product.

allminesl550

I reckon the designers are unsure about the idea of adopting a more contemporary look, the roundish-combined headlights in particular have turned into a sort of SL trademark look, I think the P-911 group tried straying a while back only to realize later or perhaps thru disappointing sales how important the round lamp look was to both the car and its drivers, now we see it is back perhaps to stay.
Personally I think it would be a mistake for the SL to look more like the other Mercs especially the nose, they've reached a point it seems where significant changes to the exterior design may only detract from the car, unique as it is and has so far remained. The lamps are an ideal blend of modern and traditional looks, it would be a shame to loose them, and very risky with all the competition now in showrooms.
They may throw out wild mods to get people's impression but unless sales slump and complaints/suggestions come tumbling in, the car is unlikely to change very much right away, except slightly to distinguish years and spur trade-ins.

Sunny55

I absolutely love the way the R230 SL has looks. It's by far the most beautiful hardtop convertible on the market today. I'd hate to see mercedes change the headlights too! But, everything takes time getting used to. Maybe we will all get used to it after it really comes out.

Now will this be a 2009 model? So, it'll be out end of 2008?

Is this only a facelift? Or is this entirely a new model?

RJC

People cried when they were to change the R107's to the R129's then to the R230's but it all worked out .

RJC

I believe this is just a facelift as there is not enough of a change shown to be a new body style.

Murtaza

That was a new model though. This is another facelift, 2 facelifts 1 year apart

They should save it for the next model...

RJC

The recent facelift was so minor it's barely noticeable and this one looks like perhaps there will be rather significant alterations. The next model should be somewhat of a radical departure from the current car..we'll see.

Murtaza

Yeah but typically fwcelifts are generally minor

mjr24

Why pattern it over the CLS?

The SL is better looking and more modern-looking than the CLS anyday of the week.

RJC

That really depends as they have proven to be both mild and not so mild and it seems to depend on many things like government reg's i.e.; the new European pedestrian bumper safety campaign which is/has causing/caused a few euro manufactures to make exterior design changes when they really had no prior intention of doing so soon, customer feedback, declining or stagnant sales, crash worthiness or just a way to hype something new. Aggressive facelifts also allow the manufacturer to say a car is "all new/redesigned” without having to significantly change what's also under the skin (although some do) and when in combination may then call for a new model designation/body style which has many associated costs with it. In essence, when it comes to facelifts, it appears it's in the manufacturer’s hands to go as far or as little as they desire.

CY

not sure about the modern part...but both are great.

Murtaza

The CLS headlights are more like a fun experiment they did.

The direction they seem to be headed in is present in the new CL/S/C classes. Not great imo but better then the CLS ones.

GOODENUF

The changes in the photos seem to be mild enough to blend in with the current style. Hopefully the bulge in the hood is just to throw off any ideas. As long as they don't add silly scoops or other non functioning trim it will be ok.
They should put some R and D money into an updated Nav system and audio system.

CY

Has the 08 SL been confirmed to look like the 07 or is there a chance this will come out as a 08 intead of a "08 1/2" or 09 in the first/second quarter of 2008?

Guido1986

My Car magazine came in the mail today and it had the buyers guide for 2008 and they said that the SL will stay the same for 2008 but for 2009 they confirmed the new look with the CLS headlamps and the grille with the one bar.

CY

They wont use CLS headlights...probably a similiar stylr headlight. If they used the exact CLS headlight I would be very very very surprised.

allminesl550

I dont think the designers will be so stupid but i hope so they change them tomorrow so my car will be more in demand in the future!

Guido1986

I would be really pissed if they did use the CLS lights. I always thought the next generation SL would take it's design from the SLR maybe. I dont like the CLS head lamps, it reminds me too much of a lexus.

CY

It seems they will be similiar styled.....but not exactly the same part. But you never know.

pmb600

This facelift was minor even by facelift standards. Probably because there really is nothing wrong with the car, it is near perfect.

One of the car magazines was joking how the only interior change was that the convertible switch is now alluminum instead of black plastic. They thought it was funny because everything in the car is so perfect, so they changed one switch.

elviento

Agreed. Especially the R/CL/C have really similar noses.