SL-Class (R231) 2013 on: Discussion on the SL550

SL/R231: Why was the R231 never AWD?

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Old 08-26-2020, 02:48 PM
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Why was the R231 never AWD?

The S-class and E-class moved to AWD in 2014, so why not the SL-class?
Old 08-26-2020, 03:38 PM
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Don't think there would have been a high demand, the car would get heavier and R&D costs would be hard to recoup as the SL has it own chassis and not a shared platform. Low production volume.
Btw, the S-Class has been available in AWD since 2003 and is still sold in RWD or AWD. Both of these cars are being build on shared platforms moving forward. That improves development costs...
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Old 08-27-2020, 09:16 AM
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I AGREE!
Old 08-27-2020, 11:09 PM
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SL is a limited market as is. 99% of them are sold as toys or weekend cars anyways lol. Usually driven by older people. I see lots of them here in Florida. Where I live in NY you see them few and far between and only in the summer.
Old 08-28-2020, 09:54 AM
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For years I drove a Lamborghini, NOTHING compares to all wheel drive. From point A to point B without the traction control stopping, sputtering, halting your driving, etc. Yes they are in a different class of vehicles, however, if you are going to build a performance vehicle such as the SL 55, 63, 65, then all wheel drive should be standard and on the other SL models, all wheel drive should be an option.

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