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The SL is a Mercedes of typically impressive bandwidth, incredibly intelligently engineered but not unemotional, as befits its hedonistic remit. It’s arguably the most genuinely sporting SL since its Fifties forebear, and reverses the model’s decades-long drift into gently opiated waftiness. Although much less aggressive than its uncompromising AMG GT sibling, the V8 engine is still such a presence that it’s possible the less vocal six-cylinder engine might actually be the best bet (we haven’t driven it yet). Regardless, the SL has successfully recaptured its stylish essence, while tapping into Mercedes’ universe of connectivity and tech.
AMG’s involvement with this fresh model has elevated the SL to new heights. It’s still a great roadster, but one that now offers more driving fun than ever before. Its engine might be outdated compared with Mercedes’ modern EVs, but while the SL boasts some superb advanced tech, even this can’t cover the delightfully appealing old-school charm at its heart.
The wait for the all-new SL-Class has been long (the previous-generation SL debuted in late 2011), but worth it. The engineering team at Mercedes-AMG has polished the iconic SL – and everything it represents – to a blemish-free finish. The flagship two-door convertible is classy and sophisticated, luxurious and innovative, comfortable and safe. Without hesitation, it’s reasonable to say that the 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL-Class effortlessly retains its benchmark status.
What you will be buying into is the best SL in decades: a truly involving roadster combining all the drama and driving appeal of the GT but with two extra seats and greater everyday usability.
That’s about the same price as the outgoing car, but this time around buyers get a sharper, better performing grand tourer with additional utility and better technology. It doesn’t sport the exotic layout of the Porsche 911, but the new SL will appeal to buyers of the previous car, while also attracting more serious enthusiasts who want to carve through the canyons (preferably not in the rain) on the weekends.
Shoppers looking for a convertible of this calibre will find a lot to like about the clean-sheet, new-generation 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL. Aside from a few tech quirks, it’s a lovely and engaging ride. You’ll never regret having rear seats, even if they don’t get used much. Best of all, this pumped-up SL is as capable of seriously spirited driving as it is civilised around town.
All of which once again proves the clever dichotomy of this new roadster from the gearheads in Affalterbach. The 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL 63, with its outrageous soundtrack and extravagant cabin, will likely cause your internal Id to say, “I want it, I want it, I want it.” But, thanks to impeccable assembly and trick engineering, your Ego might reply “After careful consideration, I concur.” Appealing to both sides of the brain? There are only a few halo cars which can turn that trick, and this is one of ’em.
Whether you’re talking long-distance seat comfort, top-down wind protection, or advanced driver-assistance tech, the 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL will satisfy the highest of high-maintenance occupants. But where previous AMG-badged SLs never lacked for power, they also never felt like 100 per cent, thoroughly dedicated performance cars. This one does. In this case, with MB’s performance division overseeing every aspect of the new SL’s design and engineering, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that it feels like the best-sorted SL ever. And if that combination of traits – uncompromised luxury meets uncompromised performance – appeals to you, you should probably get on a waiting list. Right now.
Add up all the features, and it’s clear that Mercedes has taken the 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL roadster to a new level. As has long been the case, it’s a delightful grand touring machine, a car you can be proud to be seen in and great to take on long journeys. But the AMG name has been imprinted on the new model’s very soul. It invites aggressive driving like never before, rewarding the driver with each tight turn.
The eighth-generation SL is loaded with useful technology without reaching the overkill level found with some other new Mercedes models, like the 2022 S-Class. And the powertrain is everything you could want from a car that has the refinement of a grand tourer and the muscle of a sports car. The real question is whether all this will matter in a market where sports cars and roadsters have all but vanished from the buying public’s consciousness. It would be a shame if the 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL doesn’t regain some of its lost momentum. It truly does live up to the term, “iconic.”
The route was what the organizers like to call “dynamic” and the driving what we like to call “spirited.” The combination really showed off the technical underpinnings that are bound to help make this new SL immensely popular: AMG Active Ride Control suspension with active anti-roll stabilization; rear-axle steering; (optional) AMG ceramic high-performance composite brakes; and of course the all-wheel drive system, to name the most prominent among them. And by day’s end we were fully in agreement with Mercedes-AMG that this is “the stuff that automotive dreams are made of.”
So it looks like it's a hit with the press. Best SL since the R129? That R230 was quite impressive too when it debuted. There's that hint of a I6 version also, I think a SL53 will be near perfect driving with the lighter nose and 429hp.
So it looks like it's a hit with the press. Best SL since the R129? That R230 was quite impressive too when it debuted. There's that hint of a I6 version also, I think a SL53 will be near perfect driving with the lighter nose and 429hp.
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Auto Bild (one of the two major German Car mags) hints the opposite in their video. I4 instead of i6.
But we didn’t see the V8 SL55 coming either…
Auto Bild (one of the two major German Car mags) hints the opposite in their video. I4 instead of i6.
But we didn’t see the V8 SL55 coming either…
I also could see it using an I4 as well (most likely the M139), maybe called an SL43 or SL45 (which would make more sense if it uses the M139, but German nomenclature is long gone from making sense). Either way, from Gordon Wagner leaking the base SL himself on Instagram, to MBUSA blindly not realizing they're using it as the banner on their SL page, its pretty much confirmed that the US will be getting the lower-tier model as well.
I have two days of driving time in the R232 back in September, both around town, back roads, and time on a race track. If anyone has specific questions, I will happily do my best to answer!
I also could see it using an I4 as well (most likely the M139), maybe called an SL43 or SL45 (which would make more sense if it uses the M139, but German nomenclature is long gone from making sense). Either way, from Gordon Wagner leaking the base SL himself on Instagram, to MBUSA blindly not realizing they're using it as the banner on their SL page, its pretty much confirmed that the US will be getting the lower-tier model as well.
This red one also appears to have a body color painted windshield frame.
This red one also appears to have a body color painted windshield frame.
Nice find, it also has the interior color which was used in the original press pics before the car was unveiled yet is nowhere to be found in the order guide.
It looks to me like the automotive press wrote as much as they could without violating the January 15 embargo. There are no test results with hard numbers. Some articles refer to the manufacturer's acceleration estimates (3.5 seconds 0-60 mph, or 3.6 seconds 0-100 kph for the SL63), and some hint that their own tests will be better.
I'd be willing to bet that the various mags have already done their track tests -- 0-30, 0-60, 0-100, quarter-mile time and speed, lateral g maximum, slalom times, and so on -- and will update their articles over the weekend or early next week to provide real numbers.
It looks to me like the automotive press wrote as much as they could without violating the January 15 embargo. There are no test results with hard numbers. Some articles refer to the manufacturer's acceleration estimates (3.5 seconds 0-60 mph, or 3.6 seconds 0-100 kph for the SL63), and some hint that their own tests will be better.
I'd be willing to bet that the various mags have already done their track tests -- 0-30, 0-60, 0-100, quarter-mile time and speed, lateral g maximum, slalom times, and so on -- and will update their articles over the weekend or early next week to provide real numbers.
I have a feeling the instrumented tests will take some time and won't be available this weekend. The press embargo I believe was actually January 12th, not the 15th. Car and Driver usually posts a second review for their instrumented test rather than adding it to their original first press drive review. In addition, this was a press event hosted by Mercedes in which journalists flew out for, typically instrumented tests will be done at the Magazine/Source's own test track in their home land with the manufacturer loaning out a car for them. That being said, Redline Reviews did an unofficial test and got 0-60 in the SL63 in 3.12 seconds with two passengers and the top down.
I have two days of driving time in the R232 back in September, both around town, back roads, and time on a race track. If anyone has specific questions, I will happily do my best to answer!
Great to hear. How did you compare it to for example the AMG GT Roadster, the previous SL or maybe other recent AMG/Mercedes cars where you also drove in?
I did see it in the flesh and sat into it last July, but no possibility to drive. It looks and feels like a very much upgraded AMG GT Roadster (in seat position, interior space, etc), only with more kilo's, but that might be only an issue when you drive it on track (that not many people will do, at least I would not).
Great to hear. How did you compare it to for example the AMG GT Roadster, the previous SL or maybe other recent AMG/Mercedes cars where you also drove in?
I did see it in the flesh and sat into it last July, but no possibility to drive. It looks and feels like a very much upgraded AMG GT Roadster (in seat position, interior space, etc), only with more kilo's, but that might be only an issue when you drive it on track (that not many people will do, at least I would not).
I would put it somewhere between the two cars. Comparing it to a R231 SL, and to state the obvious, it feels significantly more refined. The interior and tech on the R231 was a dinosaur. As beautiful as those cars are, you are immediately reminded that it spent years as a carry over model. The changes you feel between driving modes is much more significant and that was the most shocking part of the driving experience for me. More than any other MB model I have driven, the changes in especially the suspension feel from Comfort to Sport+ or Race mode is significant.
GT Roadsters are just jarring in all models, IMO. No matter the setting chosen, it never feels "soft" enough. It isn't a car that I would be able to talk my fiance into for a Sunday drive. The power, however, does feel very similar. The SL isn't as tail happy as the GT is having AWD. I did my best to get the car unsettled and no matter what I did it felt like a slot car perfectly planted on the track.
I would put it somewhere between the two cars. Comparing it to a R231 SL, and to state the obvious, it feels significantly more refined. The interior and tech on the R231 was a dinosaur. As beautiful as those cars are, you are immediately reminded that it spent years as a carry over model. The changes you feel between driving modes is much more significant and that was the most shocking part of the driving experience for me. More than any other MB model I have driven, the changes in especially the suspension feel from Comfort to Sport+ or Race mode is significant.
GT Roadsters are just jarring in all models, IMO. No matter the setting chosen, it never feels "soft" enough. It isn't a car that I would be able to talk my fiance into for a Sunday drive. The power, however, does feel very similar. The SL isn't as tail happy as the GT is having AWD. I did my best to get the car unsettled and no matter what I did it felt like a slot car perfectly planted on the track.
Our GTC is definitely firmer than any SL we had before, which means that the car isn't for everyone. I will have to disagree with your assessment that it is jarring. My wife has had a couple back surgeries and we got rid of our W213 E63s with Performance seats early because that car was a brick in any setting.
She loves the GTC and takes it over the SL because it has something that isn't discussed here at all. The GTC is agile and nimble like no other SL ever was. It feels balanced and light-footed unlike any other MB for that matter. The main reason is the the engine doesn't sit on the front wheels like the SL and that the transmission is not attached to the engine (like the SL) but a transaxle (attached to the rear axle). It also has rear wheel steering, great steering feel and is lightweight.
Since the new SL not only replaces the old SL, but also the AMG GT roadsters and S-Class Cabs, the question is just how will this car fits these audiences. I for one will have to compare to the GTC, not our prior SL.
Am not critical but getting a softer E63s without a top wouldn't be compelling if it isn't as much fun to drive as our current top down ride.
Our GTC is definitely firmer than any SL we had before, which means that the car isn't for everyone. I will have to disagree with your assessment that it is jarring. My wife has had a couple back surgeries and we got rid of our W213 E63s with Performance seats early because that car was a brick in any setting.
She loves the GTC and takes it over the SL because it has something that isn't discussed here at all. The GTC is agile and nimble like no other SL ever was. It feels balanced and light-footed unlike any other MB for that matter. The main reason is the the engine doesn't sit on the front wheels like the SL and that the transmission is not attached to the engine (like the SL) but a transaxle (attached to the rear axle). It also has rear wheel steering, great steering feel and is lightweight.
Since the new SL not only replaces the old SL, but also the AMG GT roadsters and S-Class Cabs, the question is just how will this car fits these audiences. I for one will have to compare to the GTC, not our prior SL.
Am not critical but getting a softer E63s without a top wouldn't be compelling if it isn't as much fun to drive as our current top down ride.
I agree completely. Not at all jarring. I had the convertible.
Our GTC is definitely firmer than any SL we had before, which means that the car isn't for everyone. I will have to disagree with your assessment that it is jarring. My wife has had a couple back surgeries and we got rid of our W213 E63s with Performance seats early because that car was a brick in any setting.
She loves the GTC and takes it over the SL because it has something that isn't discussed here at all. The GTC is agile and nimble like no other SL ever was. It feels balanced and light-footed unlike any other MB for that matter. The main reason is the the engine doesn't sit on the front wheels like the SL and that the transmission is not attached to the engine (like the SL) but a transaxle (attached to the rear axle). It also has rear wheel steering, great steering feel and is lightweight.
Since the new SL not only replaces the old SL, but also the AMG GT roadsters and S-Class Cabs, the question is just how will this car fits these audiences. I for one will have to compare to the GTC, not our prior SL.
Am not critical but getting a softer E63s without a top wouldn't be compelling if it isn't as much fun to drive as our current top down ride.
Maybe "jarring" wasn't the best word to use. In comparison to the GT, the SL is a much softer feel while bringing the same agility. I would assume that comes from the new suspension setup.
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.
