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First, I know it is just conjecture or opion or a WAG right now.....or maybe someone here involved with a dealership might have some idea...
I have read comments about XXX more than the 550 or XXX around the AMG or relationship to pricing to a vehicle not in the USA....but I have not seen it stated as XXXX dollars. The 550 was really actually manufactured so many months ago and before Covid.
With all that said in $XXXX terms, does anybody really have an estimate or read what it is going to cost?? Someone said we might find out in August. But are there any super sleuths with an informative estimate?
When I think about relationship to the 550 pricing... that was long ago, the drive train is different, the vehicle looks bigger, it has rear seats which all adds cost....but I figure they save money by putting a cheaper cloth top on it...
There is some discussion of price in the picture thread in this forum. Based on what I've read so far it's going to be way out of my price range. I'll hold on to my 2015 if it proves to be reliable. May trade up in a few years to a newer used model.
That picture thread ran on about the SL looking like this or that car, about the Porshche resemblance, about the AMG GT, cloth top, and seating, and some about pricing. The pricing part was confusing to me....especially when I read in magazine publications about it coming in at a base starting price of $100K which I don't believe.
I know real detailed photos are really not available.... but I thought there might be some valid pricing info someone might have. The thread with the pictures was so long and drifted around so much. It would be nice of it was truly available that it would be easier to sift through in one place. It is a critical component to how it will sell.
Nobody unfortunately has pricing info available at this point.
But there are some indications about the price range.
1. The SL replaces the AMG roadsters and will be the equivalent to the upcoming AMG GT coupes.
Currently the roadsters start at about $130k and top out at about $240k with the AMG GTR roadster.
2. All R232’s are AMG’s. No non-AMG models like the current SL450/550. Before the discontinuation, the R231 AMG models were significantly pricier (approx. $40k to $100k more than the 550).
There is no reason to believe that the new SL’s will cost less than the GT roadsters.
Also, switching tops to a soft top was not for cost savings. It is to save weight and space due to a smaller folding mechanism.
Thanks Wolf... this is what I was asking. Good answer....
What was confusing me is some magazine articles (plural) I have read with supposedly having "inside" information. I have read about the base price being around $100K. With the way some people here have described the new model, I just couldn't see it.
“Also, switching tops to a soft top was not for cost savings. It is to save weight and space due to a smaller folding mechanism.”
But does the added space make for a larger trunk or just two useless rear seats no adult can fit?
The trunk space in our GTC is laughable aka unusable for most things. Shallow and small so that even a case of wine wouldn’t fit.
That’s primarily due to the transaxle layout though.
My best guess based on the pics so far is that it benefits the interior and having an OK size trunk due to the conventional engine/transmission layout.
Speaking of transaxles will the new SL be equipped with one?
Unfortunately no. Traditional layout with the transmission attached to the engine. Also not a dual clutch but a 9 speed slush box. But we have an 8 speed ZF in the M8 and it is also lightning fast without any of the previous BMW SMG/DC side effects
I agree. The ZF 8 speed is a wonderful tranny. BMW and others are using it in many models including SUVs. My X5 has it and it shifts smoothly and quickly. Even the BMW M5 is using it instead of a DCT and no manual is available.
Unfortunately no. Traditional layout with the transmission attached to the engine. Also not a dual clutch but a 9 speed slush box. But we have an 8 speed ZF in the M8 and it is also lightning fast without any of the previous BMW SMG/DC side effects
Thanks for the response. So the AMG GT will carry on separately I take it.
Thanks for the response. So the AMG GT will carry on separately I take it.
The new AMG GT coupes will ride on the same platform as the new SL and have the same engine configurations.
I wish they would be setup like the current gen (front-mid engine and transaxle), it will be unlikely that those cars will be very different under their skins.
I agree. The ZF 8 speed is a wonderful tranny. BMW and others are using it in many models including SUVs. My X5 has it and it shifts smoothly and quickly. Even the BMW M5 is using it instead of a DCT and no manual is available.
The latest M5 facelift (MY21) now mirrors the setup of the M8 and it’s ZF software. The 8 series just has the carbon core body.
Those cars continue to be the performance bargain. ZF’s are the benchmark for transmission tech but BMW has done the best job dialing these trannies in to their engines.
Aston Martin has married the same transmission with the AMG 4.0LV8 but the software is not as optimized. Still a great combo…
The new AMG GT coupes will ride on the same platform as the new SL and have the same engine configurations.
I wish they would be setup like the current gen (front-mid engine and transaxle), it will be unlikely that those cars will be very different under their skins.
Why would they move away from the transaxle? Doesn't that yield a better weight distribution? I'm guessing that it is cost driven.
Why would they move away from the transaxle? Doesn't that yield a better weight distribution? I'm guessing that it is cost driven.
The new models just use a very different layout. First off, all wheel drive, then the hybrids have a 2 gear transmission and the e-motor in the rear plus the battery on top of the rear axle. Engines are all different as well with all of them EQ engines.
So the old setup wouldn't quite work. Also, the dual clutch on the GT's is from Getrag and not MB, so fitting a 3rd party tranny into this would have been a difficult/impossible to do due to different torque requirements.
I am not sold on this as I love the engine behind the front axle and the the transaxle/rear wheel steering setup on ours.
Here is a pic of the ePerformance layout (showing the 73e for the AMG GT 4door but the SL will be the same setup)
The new models just use a very different layout. First off, all wheel drive, then the hybrids have a 2 gear transmission and the e-motor in the rear plus the battery on top of the rear axle. Engines are all different as well with all of them EQ engines.
So the old setup wouldn't quite work. Also, the dual clutch on the GT's is from Getrag and not MB, so fitting a 3rd party tranny into this would have been a difficult/impossible to do due to different torque requirements.
I am not sold on this as I love the engine behind the front axle and the the transaxle/rear wheel steering setup on ours.
Here is a pic of the ePerformance layout (showing the 73e for the AMG GT 4door but the SL will be the same setup)
Thank you for responding to my question. Looks like having enough weight on the rear tires is less of a concern than I thought LOL.
Has it been confirmed anywhere that the GT is moving away from the transaxle and front-mid setup? While the hybrid tech is making its way to the AMG lineup, it seems at the moment any next-gen AMG GT information is non-existent. The clay model of what looks to be the next GT, that was teased in a Louis Hamilton F1 video, have a similar long hood with short front overhangs to the current GT, much more so than the upcoming SL.
If the news releases are true just wait a few years and all the new vehicles will be EVs. If I buy another new vehicle it is likely to be an EV but my main concern is whether the grid can handle millions of folks coming home from work and plugging in their vehicle at the same time.
What one wonders is why governments are pushing higher and higher efficiency standards on cars but appear to be making no coordinated attempt to rebuild the electric grid.
I have a neighbor in the energy sector who claims the only way this can be pulled off is by nuclear energy.
What one wonders is why governments are pushing higher and higher efficiency standards on cars but appear to be making no coordinated attempt to rebuild the electric grid.
I have a neighbor in the energy sector who claims the only way this can be pulled off is by nuclear energy.
I worked in the environmental/safety field for over 40 years, including the nuclear energy sector, and am a supporter of clean and safe nuclear energy. France generates over 70% of their electricity using nuclear and has experienced little to no issues. The nuclear waste issue in the US is probably the number one issue that needs to be resolved before our nuclear energy program can be revitalized. Billions of dollars has been spent developing a nuclear waste repository in Nevada at Yucca Mountain yet no waste has been stored there. It continues to be stored on site at over 70 nuclear energy sites around the US. The utility companies were promised by the federal government that a waste storage/disposal site would be provided if they would collect funds from their nuclear energy customers. The utility companies have been and continue to collect these fees yet the government has never fulfilled their commitment. It's disgraceful and dishonest. Congress needs to do their job. Solar and wind are fine but will never provide the energy needed if we are ever to stop using fossil fuels to generate electricity the power needed for our country.
Have no fear. My 22 year old grand daughter who is on the Dean’s List in College assures me that electric cars have no carbon foot print because they use no fossil fuels. The gullibility of some of the younger folks is insane.....
Last edited by Utopia Texas; Jul 28, 2021 at 11:07 AM.
Recently the State of California has asked electrified car owners to not charge their cars during any day time hours due to the electricity shortage and has just banned the sales of high end personal computers and video monitors used for gaming as they use too much electricity. The law comes into effect this December. Go figure....
The environmental "cost" of EVs may prove to be greater than vehicles with clean ICEs. The environmental issues associated with the manufacture and recycling/disposal of EV batteries has yet to be determined but I assure you it's not trivial.
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.
