We now had a few days to drive the car and have a good comparison to our 2013 R231 as well as the W222 S-Class in terms of features/electronics.
It is a facelift, not a new model but there are quite a few changes. Here are my first impressions…

First off, the exterior.
While I got used to the front end, I was no fan of the R231’s front-end when it came out, specifically the headlight design. To me, it wasn’t “as pretty” as the prior R230 model. But at the same time I found that the R230 started to look quite dated.

Now with the 2017 facelift, MB fixed the headlights/front-end and softened the sport package from the sharp-edged look and it works very well. Still a little strong on the overhangs but the car flows very nicely.
The hood is more sculpted which looks great when driving.
I like the rear bumper and rear diffuser but don’t care much for he shiny black rear bumper trim around the exhaust tips. Looks too protruded…
Since the car is wider than the R230 by a good amount, the wheels look too inset so spacers are required IMO to give the car a wider stance.
Overall, a much prettier car from all angles with no glaring issues. Big PLUS

Interior:
All is pretty much the same as before. Excellent interior with the best seats in a non-AMG. I have the exclusive Nappa which is the same leather we had our R230 SL600. Full nappa leather treatment (dash, all center & door panels, rear shelf and top cover) plus Dynamica headliner. Same as Designo. Unless Designo was selected the pre-facelift model always had MB-Tex dash & top of doors, etc.

The seats now have 4 different massage functions, similar to the S-Class which work OK but I actually prefer the old system where speed/strength can be set.

Also the door sill plates are now polished steel instead of brushed which is just idiotic. It already scratches up by just looking at it…

The dual cameras for the drive pilot required a much larger box on the windshield (in front of the rear view mirror) which is a bit larger than I would like, but it’s easy to overlook.

The steering wheel is MB’s latest design and a great looking wheel. Much nicer looking than the old but I liked the prior wood wrap better. The old one featured wood on the top & bottom but all the way around. Now the wood only covers the top outside and bottom inside.

I am nitpicking though…

Driving:
The engine has about 20hp more than before and is coupled with the 9 speed transmission. Instead of having the Comfort/Sport setting, you have Comfort, Sport, Sport Plus, Individual & Curve (for ones with ABC).

The settings now change more than before and adjust the engine mapping/steering firmness /suspension firmness & response/ESP involvement and transmission shift patterns. The individual setting obviously allows you to mix/match the choices of each.
ECO is not turned off by the Sport setting anymore. It has to be Sport+

Engine:
Just like before, the engine had been underrated and the car is fast. Officially .02sec. faster to 60 and by gut I would say it’s a 4 second car. It’s obviously no sports car but it will leave many AMG’s behind (55’s, NA 63’s). Our S550 feels soo slow compared the SL (and it is).

Transmission:
The 9G-tronic transmission works decent and I have nothing bad to say about. That said, I have yet to see it shift into 8th or 9th gear but that’s mostly due to city/suburban driving so far. Shifts fast & smooth unless in S+

Ride quality:
With ABC, the car becomes very tight when you want to go sporty.
ABS stiffens up quite a bit with the usual lowering of the car at speed. The transmission shifts up/down fast and hard in S+ and with the stiffer steering is not just a straight-line cruiser. The car actually likes curves!

When it comes to suspension, the car comes default with springs. I think it does the car a disservice as it drives so much better with ABC. It’s a $4k option, but ABC gives you choices; soft and compliant in Comfort and in Curve mode. In that mode, the car leans int the curves, similar to a motorcycle but only by a few degrees. You may or may not like it as the steering angle changes a bit but I think many will enjoy it. Curve mode is a comfort setting and not available in Sport modes.

When comparing the old R230 with ABC to the R231 with springs, I think the ride comfort is similar with the edge to the R230 as being more comfortable. R231 with ABC blows the R230 out of the water, more capable in comfort modes or in sport modes

Sounds:
The car is a bit louder. The exhaust flaps open in Sport/Sport Plus and sound more “throaty”, but not loud.

Electronics:
This is a facelift, so the car has some updates but not a radical redesign.
I know that people have complained about the small nav screen, but even though I wouldn’t have minded a little wider screen, people seem to forget that this is a a top-down 2 seat roadster. I love that the screen is integrated into the dash and would find a large screen like the S-Class just plain idiotic in this type of car.

Electronics-wise, the cars features are in-between the S-Class and E-Class and sometimes less than both.
There is no remote start unlike virtually any other 2017 model. No big deal as MB’s implementation is questionable at best. It also doesn’t work with RFD or MB’s companion app. Personally I would like to use my phone to open car instead of having yet another key, but no dice.

The car has the drive pilot and cross-traffic assist (better than S-Class) but no passing functionality like the new E. Lane holding is not perfect but seen better than in the S.

I haven’t tried the WiFi function but it features LTE cellular data, so I expect that the Internet connectivity will be better than the non-usable 3G in the S-Class. Will update on that when I have time.

All Command screens/functions are visually updated and provide similar eye candy as in the S-Class. Less features/selection options but much better than the ancient command in the pre-facelift model. As in the S-Class, the favorites button just brings up a menu of short cuts instead of being a short cut, which is inferior to me. In the prior model, I used the favorites button to turn on the massage for both seats at the same time. Impossible now.
There is an engine data screen which provides hp/torque/voltage/temp. Similar to other MB’s; I like that one.

Of course there is Apple’s CarPlay (and also Android Auto, Mirror Link, whatever that is) which is what I was waiting for. I had mentioned the features in an earlier post, so just some additional info here.

CarPlay overrides the MB’s media, nav, phone and favorites buttons when connected
Siri comes on when holding the steering wheel voice button, the voice recognition even top down is fantastic. I liked Siri and Apple Maps which I found to be better than Google Maps. Unfortunately at this time they only show the map view. I would love to see Satellite Hybrid view or 3D city view. Like the auto-routing feature.

CarPlay upgrades always with IOS, so there will be additional features as lots of cars have it included now.
For people that like Waze, you can do audio routing via CarPlay. This is until Google decides to make the Waze app CarPlay compatible…

Other stuff:
The hardtop can now opened while driving. While there are some restrictions but it works great when leaving the garage and get going. The divider in the trunk is now electric and automatic.

Overall I find this car a welcome improvement in more aspects than expected for a facelift.

Last but not least:
One day after we picked up the car, while shopping some idiot hit the car in the parking lot. Hit and run of course. While the damage is small on the corner of the bumper, it’s a quick $1k for nothing.
Of course this had to happen before we had the dash cam installed, otherwise that person would have a nice conversation with the cops now. Very disappointing…

 

Just some Comand pics. Will post more when I have time...

 

Couple other things came to mind.

1.The DOG mentioned displaying a Star logo on the mirror projector lamps. I thought that was pretty tacky and it not there. Just the standard courtesy LED's.
That's good!

2. Ambient lighting colors have changed for the worse. It used to be yellow, amber and red if I recall. I chose the amber which worked great with the porcelain white.

Now it's red, polar white and polar blue. Red was too intensive (strip joint?), the polar white too cold looking and the polar Blue looks somewhat green with our interior.

Lame 3 colors in a car that is more expensive than the S-Class. Why not 64 colors like the E-Class? I love the purple color in our S-Class (Prince was a neighbor ). Colors are cool when driving at night/going out to party or dinner.

 

Great write up! Got mine on Thursday and pretty much agree with everything you articulated. It's more than just cosmetic. While not the most distinctive exhaust notes, it's nice to have *some* auditory clue that there's something substantial under that nicely redesigned hood.

 

Wolfman,
Thanks for the info. Great job.
i agree with you about polished door sills. I hate them.

 

Now, if they would just enable remote start for this car. I would have assumed that it would be available.

 

My dealer replaced the drivers side on my '16 and left the protective film on the new one. I'll keep that as long as looks OK.

 

I thought so too since all new low-level MB's have it as well.
The issue is that the SL is a low volume car, so hardware updates are more costly, no matter the price of the car.

That said, whoever has used MB's remote start seem to dislike it because slow and a fails frequently.
For security it's not a direct remote signal to the car, but going through server in Germany which sends the remote command back to the car.

Luckily, Apple CarPlay is a nice bonus which more than offsets this exclusion.

 

I can't tell if Traffic Sign Assist isn't activate din the US or if it's just an issue with my SL...

 

thank you for the excellent write up, much appreciated

that sucks about the hit and run though, would love to see pictures of the dash cam installed, just to see how it looks installed, again many thanks for taking the time to share your impressions with us

 

Thanks! Sure I'll take some pics with the roof half open as well so that you can see the rear cam better.

We are currently driving a new SL400 (SL450 in the US) around Lake Como Upper 80's and perfect roads for the car! Steering is better on the early R231 as it tightens in the Sport Plus setting.

 

Very nice area. Also some great pass roads in the Dolomites about 100 miles east of there around Bolzano if you have the time or inclination.

 

Thanks for the tip. We were in Switzerland before Lake Como (Grindelwald via Sustenpass to Lugano) and will do some more afterwards (going to St.Moritz, etc).

Used to live there for many years so we know the area well but mountain passes just have never been that much fun in a Mercedes before. The new SL is really good at that.

Bolzano is a fun town; great food and they speak German in an Italian city

 

Sounds like a fun trip. Great time of the year to be over there.

 

The weather was outstanding and that makes all the difference the time of year in Europe

 

Here is a pic of our dirty "rental".

Just a quick summary of couple of things that are slightly different on Euro models.

1. When the car is set to another mode (like S+), the car will not revert back to C when shut off, at least not for the next several hours. Very cool. Would love that here!
It does revert back the next day after parked for the night. Too bad...

2. When closing the roof on the US model, the windows don't go up. They did on the R230 and still do on the Euro R231

3. Auto Steering works dramatically better than in the US. While you still have to touch the steering every other minute or so, the car would stay centered in the lane and follow curves perfectly. Driving hours in heavy to light traffic, I never had to adjust the steering,
I assume this is due to better lane markings in Europe.

4. Like most European cars, speed limit and traffic signs are recognized immediately, including all temporary ones. System worked well unlike the crappy US version which is largely database driven, not optical + database.

 

For #2, I'd definitely recommend installing smartTOP. One click up/down with programmed side windows setting makes life so much easier. I am not sure if it'll work for 2017 model though, since the trunk cover behavior is auto by itself now.

 

Great summary of first impressions, Wolfman. Just took delivery and wow - the little changes make a difference! For example, the car has a much more aggressive exhaust note on start than in the past. I'll post more when I have the chance.

 

Congrats on your new ride! Did you get a SL450 and a SL550? Be interesting to hear your feedback on the differences.

Most important, post pics!

 

Thanks! This one is the SL550, and the SL450 should arrive in a few weeks for a good comparison. There are lots of minor changes from prior model year, which seem to be mostly covered above. Here are some other thoughts:
- Manual mode and sport/sport+ are no longer mutually exclusive. You can select your drive program and then switch them all over to manual shifting with paddles. On my older SL, if you were in Sport and shifted, it would default back to non-manual mode a few moments later. It is nice to be able to keep it in manual and not have to go to individual mode.
- You can certainly hear the exhaust open up especially in first gear between comfort and sport mode, and as I mentioned before, the start up note is much more aggressive than in the past.
- Having the top functional until ~25 MPH is awesome. It used to be the case you would get stuck at a red light turning green, but now that is no longer a problem. I just wish you could activate the process at a slow speed - it still requires you to be almost stopped to start the process
- The curved hood really does look better while driving - looks much sportier
- This is the best of both worlds for the interface with media on the screen. It's really annoying in the S class or C class navigating without a numpad (dialing numbers, presets, etc). It adds so many extra steps, so this set up is still my favorite compared to the S and other models
- The new steering wheel is great and a carry over from other models. However, I miss having the OK button in the middle. I find myself pressing an arrow key often instead of the OK button
- Subjectively it seems as if the fan comes on less to cool down the engine. On the 2013 SL550 I had, if you kept it in manual mode and pushed the car (frequent downshifts and acceleration), the fan used to come on frequently and it was LOUD. It doesn't seem to come on as much anymore, but don't have any data to back this
- I wish it had the hot stone massage feature from the S, because in the winter time that heats up much faster than just the heated seats
- with the 9-speed, the car has a much more aggressive shift from 1st gear to 2nd and can be downright violent (in a good way). really throws you back hard...

 

Agree with everything you mentioned although I think that the manual mode still shifts back from M to D, at least in the display. It may stay in the same gear though. Have to play around with that...

Sport Plus definitely has a very aggressive shift pattern; love it but definitely not the right mode for stop/go traffic.
I am also doing the same thing with the steering wheel buttons as the S-Class has different (better) layout. That of course will change also next year when the S gets the steering touch pads.

I just noticed that your windshield cameras are different, so I assume no distronic?

The massage is disappointing to me as I think that the old one was stronger. I tried the 4 massage modes and literally can't tell the difference.
Since the animations don't change between the different massage types in Comand like the S-Class, I am not sure if I am actually selecting a different mode or it's just not working correctly.

Can you check on yours and let me know?

 

Correct - no distronic on this one. Confirmed it will stay in manual mode (2+ hour trip) if you are in sport and then hit M. Very cool

You are right about the massage - it feels very weak and they all feel very similar. I was able to mess around with the lumbar settings, and if you have it protrude a bit more than "0," the massage is a bit more pronounced, but still very week compared to the S class. Not sure if something changed...

 

Let me clarify what I meant re. the manual shift.

When you press the M button, the gears will stay in manual as you stated but that was the same before.
When you don't press the M button and just use the pedals to shift, the gear indicator will switch from D to M (example from D5 to M5). If staying in that gear without shifting, the M goes back to D.

 

Your car looks great!