When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Great looking car despite 2+2. Soft top likely kills it for me, it's tough to give up the hard top once you have one. They can call the soft top "regal" but the reality is it's nothing more than a necessary change to meet weight/fuel consumption requirements.
I agree forget the rear seats.... who is actually asking for these? “Gee Martha, really wish we had those two useless crushing rear seats with no seatbelts like we had in our 1972 450sl” ???
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
I truly believe that MB has done zero homework on looking into what SL owners love about their cars and hate about their cars. In short, they really don’t care and they will just do as they wish. It’s a low volume car, so why spend any money making something spectacular, when they can just get by with something less so. Giving the AMG GT the ridiculous rear seats and the cloth top is one thing, but doing the same to the next SL just screams out “CHEAP!” They could have given us an all new 2-seat SL, with all the modern electronics of an S Class, a truly world class audio system and our beloved retractable hardtop, but that would have been HARD and it would have cost a lot of MONEY, so they knuckled-under and will doll up an AMG GT and call it an SL.
There is a great line, spoken by Tom Hanks, in the movie “A League of Their Own,” when he is replying to a complaint that playing baseball is “too hard.” He says:
“It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.”
To do a new SL right, would certainly be hard, but it sure would be GREAT! Oh well.
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by places
The only exciting piece of this story will undoubtedly be the performance, I expect that it will be quite impressive.
IMO, if the performance of a current SL550 with ABC isn’t enough for anyone, then they don’t belong in an SL, they belong in an AMG GT or a Porsche. Just sayin.
I truly believe that MB has done zero homework on looking into what SL owners love about their cars and hate about their cars. In short, they really don’t care and they will just do as they wish. It’s a low volume car, so why spend any money making something spectacular, when they can just get by with something less so. Giving the AMG GT the ridiculous rear seats and the cloth top is one thing, but doing the same to the next SL just screams out “CHEAP!” They could have given us an all new 2-seat SL, with all the modern electronics of an S Class, a truly world class audio system and our beloved retractable hardtop, but that would have been HARD and it would have cost a lot of MONEY, so they knuckled-under and will doll up an AMG GT and call it an SL.
There is a great line, spoken by Tom Hanks, in the movie “A League of Their Own,” when he is replying to a complaint that playing baseball is “too hard.” He says:
“It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.”
To do a new SL right, would certainly be hard, but it sure would be GREAT! Oh well.
There's a popular Carole King Song that applies for what you 'wish for' in the next generation SL Class....
The Title of that song is....."It's Too Late"...
Be happy that you own a 231, because by now, you can bet that MB's plan for the 232 is 'set in stone', and is what it is, whether 'we' like it or not!...
I agree forget the rear seats.... who is actually asking for these? “Gee Martha, really wish we had those two useless crushing rear seats with no seat belts like we had in our 1972 450sl” ???
Nobody is asking for them - but insurance rates will go down with the back seats for sure. And since they are ending the S class coupe- this is a mash up between the two
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by Dino333
Nobody is asking for them - but insurance rates will go down with the back seats for sure. And since they are ending the S class coupe- this is a mash up between the two
I can’t even imagine anyone in the market for a new SL giving a second thought to insurance costs. And why do I think that the insurance companies know all about the 2.7 second 0 to 60 time of a Porsche Turbo S and care absolutely nothing about the fact that the car has four seats?
And yes, “mash up” is a great term for what MB is doing. I will reserve final judgement until the new car actually shows up, but based on what we hear, it certainly sounds mashed up.
Well, this is an ancient render which has been making its rounds. MB's design language has already changed
Quick historical background...The SLS is the predecessor to the AMG GT (actually the underpinnings of the GT models are based on the SLS Black Series and thus to the next SL as that one is based on the next AMG GT platform. On the roadsters, the SLS is more or less identical with GT models (rear cabin, soft top design, trunk, etc.). Now that which isn't a great thing as visibility is terrible and the trunk has zero space.
The GT models are selling much better than the SL's although the roadster sales are soft just like the SLS roadster sales were. Coupes sell better. I do believe that the reason is the poor sound deadening and missing practicality of other Mercedes convertibles that surprise Mercedes customers when they get in the car and take it for a spin. Hard sell when it comes to creature comforts.
Of course I like our GTC for that very reason but am looking forward to what AMG produces next...
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by FxFormat
Why not just get an E class convertible if you're going to get a soft top. SL is meant to have a hard top, sorry.
The E Class Cabriolet is a very nice car, but it is not in the same league as the SL. Actually, in my opinion, neither is the S Class Cabriolet, but many would argue that point. The R231 SL's, even as the dinosaurs that they are, are truly amazing cars and IMO, just so
much better in so many ways over the S Class Cab, not to even mention the E Class Cab. I was driving my SL with the top down the other day, doing about 60mph and was just amazed, once again, at the lack of wind turbulence in the cabin and I had the windows
down and the deflector was not deployed. There is no way you will get that in any 4-seat cabriolet.
Last edited by Streamliner; Nov 15, 2019 at 08:41 PM.
The E Class Cabriolet is a very nice car, but it is not in the same league as the SL. Actually, in my opinion, neither is the S Class Cabriolet, but many would argue that point. The R231 SL's, even as the dinosaurs that they are, are truly amazing cars and IMO, just so
much better in so many ways over the S Class Cab, not to even mention the E Class Cab. I was driving my SL with the top down the other day, doing about 60mph and was just amazed, once again, at the lack of wind turbulence in the cabin and I had the windows
down and the deflector was not deployed. There is no way you will get that in any 4-seat cabriolet.
Sadly the SL's interior technology (or lack thereof) hits you in the face with how dated it is. Plus, what's up with the fake air vents on the sides in front of both doors? For $120,000, nothing should be FAKE.
Sadly the SL's interior technology (or lack thereof) hits you in the face with how dated it is. Plus, what's up with the fake air vents on the sides in front of both doors? For $120,000, nothing should be FAKE.
It's a roadster. Personally I could care less about having 64 different interior colors and a large tablet giving data I won't read. The interior finishes are top notch MB level and way better than anything on the E cab. The seats are on par or better than anything else anyone makes and the ride/performance is far more exhilarating and superior to the E cab by far.
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by usc96
Sadly the SL's interior technology (or lack thereof) hits you in the face with how dated it is. Plus, what's up with the fake air vents on the sides in front of both doors? For $120,000, nothing should be FAKE.
Many here know the journey I traveled, before deciding to order this little SL450 of mine. You see, after working my *** off for many years, I am in a position where I could have bought most any new car. I drove the Ferrari California T, the Bentley Continental, the Porsche Turbo S Cabriolet, the S560 Cabriolet and other convertibles, before deciding to stay with the SL, which is my 8th. Of all those cars, my fairly loaded SL ended up being the least expensive—by far—but in the end, I found it to be the best car for me. It’s long in the tooth, we all know that, but it does things in ways other cars can only dream about. Still, with its fake vents, tin-can infotainment system and other shortcomings, the R231 is absolutely loved by most on this forum. In a way—actually, in several ways—these cars are the last of a breed and we, the faithful, like them just the way they are, warts and all. Sorry, but I just love posting photos of it.
Last edited by Streamliner; Nov 16, 2019 at 10:39 AM.
My 2016 550 has the same color combination. My 2005 SL 500 (black on red) is also a great color combo. Like you, I have worked had and can afford almost anything I want, but I in the end, nothing can surpass the SL (at least for me)
The back end of this rendering still looks kind of smashed, the front end still looks good, there are too many seats, and the top is just flat-out cheap. The tech in any car that lasts longer than 3 years will get dated...that's a given. But the tech in the 231 is just fine. The sound systems aren't old...they're just designed oddly. The only tech that the car is "lacking" is a touch screen, and touch screens are a royal PITA. Looking through the inevitable finger grease build-up is just nasty...not to mention the fact that using a touch screen in a moving car is downright dangerous. They're no safer to use while driving that texting while driving. One of the reasons that I'm interested in a current 231 is that the center screen is not a touch screen. I wouldn't mind if they installed the newer straight six in the 231, but there's nothing really wrong with the V6 as it is. And, oh yeah, get off my lawn, too...
I agree with the “no” touch screen. For me the SL is all about the drive and the last thing I want is more touch screens that take away from my driving experience. My daily driver, a Ford F-250 Diesel, has all the modern touch screen technology and more and I prefer the SL the way it is in the 231. I know some may argue that younger folks want all the new bells and whistles but I don’t know any that can afford a 120k automobile. I believe MB has forgotten who their audience is for the SL....
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by Utopia Texas
..........I believe MB has forgotten who their audience is for the SL....
You’ve certainly got that right. There are more than enough hard, fast and wild machines in the MB AMG stable. The new SL should be something completely different, embracing everything good about the current car and vanquishing all of its shortcomings.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
