autoevolution: 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL Loses Almost All Camouflage, it Looks Like an Arrow.
https://www.autoevolution.com/news/2022-mercedes-amg-sl-loses-almost-all-camouflage-it-looks-like-an-arrow-169538.html

 

Ho Hum. Boring. This is not an "SL" IMHO. Should have stuck with the GT Roadster nomenclature.

 

I keep on getting confused by these statements. Not an SL is not a thing. It's like people saying the C8 is not a Corvette. Both are...

There is nothing in the new SL that hasn't been in a prior SL apart from all wheel drive and that is something nobody is complaining about.

 

I agree with the posters that see the end of an era.......the SL is gone...I will not address old models, but in recent years... no ragtop cloth top version, no 4 cylinder engine, no back seats...just to name a couple of things. And that computer screen is absolutely FUGLY.

The SL roadster is no more. But that's just my take on it and my opinion.

 

Well, so much for those drifting events. Bummer. 🤣

 

Nope. There is a drift mode The drift mode decouples the front axles completely and disables all electronic nannies.
Something that most SL drivers will never use…

 

Understood. I would just wish that people would say that they don’t like the new SL. It still is a SL even if you/they don’t like it.

Must be the German in me

 

OK I'll retract my statement. It was said tongue in cheek anyhow. The only drifting I've done is occasionally drifting off pitch while singing a barbershop song.

 

We had this first in our E63s. It is not kind to the rear tires

 

I could go in Ebay and buy the rear numbers that say SL450 and stick them on the back of my Enclave..... sorta like MB is going to do....
it does not make it an SL.

I guess it's the American in me.... I apologize though. I just don't like what they are doing.. But I have the 2017 SL450 in the garage,, so I guess they can put whatever numerical designation they want on it.... I just don't see an SL when I see it. One thing they will improve though, I am sure, is the sound system. I don't see how our 2017 ever passed engineering....LOL.

I am not saying it will not be a nice car. I am sure it wil. but it looks so similar to a lot of other cars that it does not say SL anymore. It is a little cookie-cutter in my view....not distinguished at all. It is a convertible S-class. Nothing sets it apart from that.

 

Got it. It’s an emotional thing… fact vs. opinion.

I respect that. I am glad you enjoy your SL as we have ours!

 

[QUOTE=Panama;8420171………..One thing they will improve though, I am sure, is the sound system…………….[/QUOTE]

Don't be so sure. Go over on the GLE V167 forum and read the numerous complaints about the audio system. I was loaned a 2021 GLE350 when my car was in for service and I was truly amazed at how bad the sound was. I even pulled over to the side of the road and fooled with all the adjustments for probably 15 minutes and it was still a brittle, hollow sound that, to me, was painful to listen to. As in my SL, I turned the audio off and just drove home.

NOW, the Burmester 3D sound system in my S560 is just FABULOUS! The HK system in my wife’s E450 Wagon is really very nice. They can do these things right. They KNOW how to do these things right, but it’s anyone’s guess as to whether they WILL do it right, the next time around. It’s getting to be a crap shoot with MB as to whether they will get everything right in a new vehicle or not. AND, if they mess up, as they did with the 2013 SL’s, will they EVER admit they screwed up and fix it, or will their legendary German stubbornness (sorry Wolfman) make them continue with a crappy system for EIGHT MODEL YEARS???

 

Haha. Guilty as charged
Our GLE audio is average at best but then I look at it as a base system only.
The Burmester in the GTC is excellent although the subwoofer makes the car sound really loud when standing next to it. A bit embarrassing when standing in traffic…
That said, unlike many of you, I have never found the SL audio to be bad for a top down car.

 

I have previously gone on record that I would probably never buy a new $(6 figures) car, so I am not a target customer for a new R232 SL.

That said,
(a) I actually like how this car is shaping up. IMHO it looks good (exterior and interior) and if equipped with the new V8 hybrid powertrain, could very well be a beast (in a good way)!
(b) Apologies if this has been pointed out already, but if not, I’d like to draw people’s attention to the smooth contour of the convertible top. No traditional fabric roof bows are visible. That suggests that the roof may very well be similar to the “panel bow” system in the newer 911 convertibles - see this animation: https://press.porsche.com/prod/press...ra_s_cabriolet
Effectively this is a cross between a traditional rag top and a proper hard top convertible - the fabric exterior provides the weatherproofing while the panel bows provide the reinforcing structure and greater rigidity than a traditional rag top. I know it works well in the 911s, so possibly it might blunt some of the criticism about the loss of a true folding hardtop.

 

The top was just cheaper for them to manufacture. Saved money. But I am sure it is a nice car.

 

I believe that it was a weight and space decision. With AMG doing the car—which I happen to think was a big mistake—they are nuts about weight and performance, so the heavy, retractable hardtop and associated mechanicals was history. In addition, they wanted to closely mimic the AMG GT design—because they already think they walk on water, so why think outside the AMG box, right?—with the long hood and short rear deck, so that functionally eliminated the folding hardtop. I’m sure this will be yet another rocket ship, of which we already have WAY more than enough over all brands, from Mustangs to McLarens. The uniqueness of the traditional SL model, as a substantial, luxurious, ultra comfortable and instantly recognizable Mercedes-Benz will be completely lost in this metamorphosis, but that’s just me talking. The new car will probably be wonderful, but it will be a SLINO!

 

I bet they saved over $15,000 converting it from the hardtop to the cloth top. That is a lot of money in a $150,000 car. Our hardtop convertible has a lot of parts made specifically for the SL . It has got to be bad expensive.

They had to do something because of the slipping sales. I understand that.

Are they doing away with the S-Class convertible? I am not as up to date on all MB vehicles, but I saw a black on black MB very very similar to what they are calling the new SL in a parking lot Friday. I think that was it.

 

The lineup for coupes and cabs will pretty much be cut in half. The S, SLC, and GT Roadster are to be discontinued, and the C and E 2-door models will be combined into one model being the rumored CLE (think of it as bringing back the CLK). Along with the GT Coupe and CLE, the SL will be one of two available convertibles in the MB lineup.

 

As someone who switched from the R231 folding hardtop to the cloth top on the A238 E450 cab, I will share that while the 'taunt' look of the MB convertibles now being produced, and mimicked on the upcoming SL, creates a pleasing design feature and some very nice insulation from noise, the myriad cables which are webbed throughout the top create their own unique challenges. Three weeks ago, my cabriolet top was going through the raise cycle when i heard this loud 'pop'; and as the top came down into the raised and locked position, there were a couple of those cables hanging down from the detached cabriolet roof inner liner. Took a couple of weeks to get the parts, and a full day to do the install / repair. Of course the E class top is longer than the upcoming SL, adding additional complexity, but there have been similar challenges on the C and S class cabriolets.

When I asked the Service Manager (whom I have known for fifteen years), if this was a repair, or a fix, he said it was a repair, even though MB has upgraded the cord material. In looking at the A238 section of MBWorld, you will note that I am not alone in that cable repair experience. MB, BMW and Audi all work with a company named Haartz for the fabric, and I must say after looking inside the MB, Audi and BMW cabriolets, they all seem to share similar spider webs of inner cord. As noted by others on this thread, MB likely saved some manufacturing expense in shifting to the fabric top as the convertible market continues to erode. Now, as the owner of said fabric top E class, I am looking at the reality of on-going repairs over the life of the vehicle. So enjoy your folding hard tops, soon to become collectibles. Regardless of top material, a top down drive is one to enjoy!

 

Are you comparing the sound of the GTC cabin against the cabin of the GLE??

 

Or just get back into a R231 Hardtop. I had a CLK with the soft top and I would never even consider a soft top ever again. Not worth it. I had a soft top on my F355 and I had no issues because well you do not have much choice with cars like that. I had a R129 600SL but I took the hard top on and off. It’s not too late to find a good one (R231). May I ask what made you switch? Why get rid of a SL?

 

Short answer is that when my bride came into the house one day and noted that she wanted to take the two grandkids for ice cream with the top down; she went on to point out that didn't work in the SL, we needed a back seat. So lifestyle change fundamentally drove the move from the SL to the E; and our trips have gone from cross country jaunts to more family oriented journeys, which include grandkids. So now, the kids and my wife are happy with the back seat in the E450 where we have spent many days this summer; I enjoy the driving experience of this E, which is much like the SL450 when the top is down; and we have the latest in technology with the double screen dash, automatic this and that; oh, and a sound system that is very nice, even with the top down.

Do I miss the R231? I do; IMO it may be one of the best vehicles ever produced by MB. The SL550 that we had was a Grand Touring vehicle that was most comfortable with those triple digit speeds when the opportunity arose, or cruising to dinner; arguably stylish to a point where many folks did not really know what it was, just that they liked it; a coupe with the top up, a pleasing convertible with the hatch stowed; in short it does it all, and as a regular on this forum for several years, the vehicle appears to remain trouble free when maintained properly. When the kids grow for a couple more years, spending less time with the grandparents as they are wont to do, there is a high probability that an R231 may just find it's way back into the garage. As much as I miss the immediate torque from the 550, at any speed, my inclination is to go back with a 450 when the time comes. Mayhaps by then StreamLiner may want to get rid of his (one of the nicest I have seen), or some other late lease return may offer itself up. We owned an R107 for a number of years, along with another half dozen MB vehicles. As noted by those on this forum, there is just something about an SL. And while it has changed over the years, it remains one of the icons of the motoring world. It goes about it's business in such a competent and effortless way, delivering a high level of motoring satisfaction. Drive on!

 

Seems like a lot of conjecture. So is the assumption that a fully lined and insulated soft top with glass window and hydraulics is any cheaper. Fabric is inherently more delicate (a negative) but lighter (including the mechanics) and smaller to fold than a metal roof. It can also span larger areas (all MB cabs).
I'd take a hardtop over a soft top any day but the costs wasn't the driver on this one. Weight and space as Streamliner indicated.

Interestingly, these hardtops were developed by Mercedes and CTS (owned by Porsche, later sold off Magna) and introduced on the SLK which has a list price below $40k. It had a simpler folding mechanism but reliable and relatively inexpensive...

 

Nope. Responding to Streamliners post. It's about expectations...

 

I wondered because...well the SUV cabin is cavernous while the GT isn't. Completely different acoustics.