That was not a 2024, it was a vehicle that had already been in inventory. This was filmed in California and loaned to them by a California dealer. 2024s have just been released and weren’t at the time of their filming. It’s a 2023, they mention it in the video, don’t let the title mislead you.

 

Maybe because I was born in post war Germany I am keenly sensitive to slurs, snark and double talk dragging Germany's **** history into a conversation.

So, I truly cringed when these two clowns started to focus their conversation on " Master Race" an absolute and clear reference to one of the ****'s favorite concepts.

 

I thought I reviewed this thread thoroughly. But maybe I missed something. Where in the thread did anyone mention master race?

 

It’s in the video, there is a “Race” setting, then the top sub setting is “Master,” so it is the “Master Race” setting. Pretty lame on MB’s part to not catch this and I believe that THAT is what the two guys are joking about.

 

But it's not an AMG GTC, far from it. And that's also part of the problem. BTW, the generation you pictured was/is phenomenal.

I don't want to bash the R232, as I love the brand and the SL has long been a car that I have aspired to own. However, Mercedes must realize that they missed the mark on this one.

The price is way too high, the car is far too heavy, and the ride/handling strategy is murky: is it trying to be a GT or a sports car? You can't do both, not well, anyway.

Then there are the cut corners: why is there such a large gap between the trunk lid and the roof? That can't be good for aerodynamics. Why are the door panels flimsy (Throttle House video)?

And some questionable design choices. These are personal but I doubt the tablet interface that looks aftermarket will age well. Why not a cleaner, better integrated look?

With every car model any any manufacturer, they go through cycles. With one model generation, they may focus on rebuilding the reputation of the brand or be very careful not to mess up an icon, the W463A 2019 G Wagon is such an example. With the R232, it's clear that cost cutting and profit maximization was top of mind.

Mercedes has a reputation of listening to customers and I'm sure the mid-cycle refresh will be considerably improved.

 

It's so interesting, as there is a similar discussion going on over in the W223 S Class forum, about "rebuilding the reputation of the brand." The AMG GTC should have remained the rocket ship, while the R232 SL should have taken the best from the previous generation R231 SL and substantially improved on it. Instead, they flushed over 50 years of SL heritage down the toilet and gave long time SL customers something they didn't want. The R232 should have been a brand new, cushy, luxurious, convertible cruiser with drop-dead good looks, while a brand new AMG GTC would have filled the bill for those looking to play footsie with 911's.

 

I tend to agree. And let's not forget that there was the S Class cabriolet as well. That had a proper backseat and an even more luxurious ride than the SL; but there was also an AMG version. It's clear that MB was cost cutting, killing off the AMG GT cabriolet and the S Class cab, and replacing it with what -- at least on paper -- should have been a one size fits all model.

You can't compete with a 911 if you can't have a consistent model. I was hoping the AMG GT would continue as the 911 competitor. Consumers are smart enough to see through an SL with a hardtop that is the new AMG GT. SAD.

 

The quote from the video that shows how far Mercedes has fallen since I have been around the brand is this one. "This the first time that I have ever been able to see orange peel from 90 degrees." For the record I have observed the same thing.

 

But if you paid OVER-MSRP and now a brand new one is starting at 30% off MSRP, that must be a hard pill to swallow. I received a flyer in the mail from a local dealer advertising 30% off, and that’s what they are starting at, I’m sure you could go to 35% if you were serious.

I don’t think this has anything to do with how good or bad the car is, it’s merely a function of the MSRP being too high. I love MB and don’t love Porsche, but pricing an SL63 the same as a 911 Turbo doesn’t make sense, and most potential buyers know that.

 

There are galactic spreads in the economic positions of those who post here. To some, taking an $80K or $100K hit in one year of owning a vehicle is no big deal. To me, it would be absolutely unacceptable—even if I might be able to afford it. If the vehicle in question happens to be problematic as well, that’s just icing on the cake, right? Some of the Rolex wearing, Old Rip Van Winkle swilling crowd even like to boast about how big of a hit they took, sort of like the old “mine’s bigger than yours.”

Instead of building on 60 years of tradition, as Porsche has done with the 911, MB decided to scrap 60 years of SL tradition, and to pin the SL moniker on a car that was a 180 degree departure from all previous SL’s, the legendary, original 300SL’s notwithstanding. In the process, they made several compromises. So, they launch the R232 and price this completely unproven car in 911 territory and many now are wondering why the values of these issue plagued cars are plummeting. Oh well, it’s only money, right?

 

I saw this video a short time before picking up my SL63 at my dealer here in Germany.

What can I say? This video is C.R.A.P.

Before I explain why, I want to say that I really love the Throttle House videos, I really do and I respect the opinion of these guys.
I have to admit that after watching this video, I was a little bit worried about my choice (SL63). Even if I have driven a dealer testcar before, I wasn't sure if I really paid attention to all the quirks and issues.

Well, after getting my SL63, I can say with full confidence that this video is not accurate. Actually, I can barely rely to anything they said in this video and I wonder why that is?!

I talked to a Canadian friend who also owns a SL63 for over a year now (he is very happy with the car, no issues, got it at a huge discount as well) and his theory is that maybe the SL63 for North America have a different chassis setup. This could be true but I kind of doubt it. Why would AMG do that? You can switch to the various driving/chassis modes, so there is no need for a specific North American setup for the car.

I broke in my SL63 last weekend and I had the chance to drive it FULL THROTTLE for over 125 km on the German Autobahn and some very twisty country roads.
My car has the Aerodynamics Package and I can only highly recommend it if you plan to drive your car at higher speeds on curvy roads. It MAKES a difference (my dealer testcar didn't have it).

The SL63 is a MONSTER in curves. I drove it in Sport Plus mode all the time. I avoided the Race mode because the car is new to me and I didn't want to crash it.

My car backround, so you get a feeling about my experience with sports cars: Lamborghini Huracan Performante, Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, BMW Z40 M40i, various (14) Porsche models, incl. GTS and Turbo S models, also a 996 Turbo RS-Tuning and a 997 Turbo RUF 550...
I am a very good (and fast) driver and I can judge relatively fast if a car is capable or not. This is why I went for the SL63 as a daily driver.

The SL63 is AT LEAST as capable as the older AMG GT models which are lighter and have less luggage room.

You don't believe it? Check out the track results from Sport Auto's SL63 testing. I added the screenshot in comparison to the Cayman GTS 4.0 (street tires) and BMW M3 CS (semi slicks). Impressive if you ask me.

This is exactly the experience with my car. I don't know what was wrong with the car Throttle House had for testing but the whole video is just...CRAP. Sorry.

The length of the track in Anneu Du Rhin is almost 4 kms (2.5 miles).

 

Thanks for your detailed response and comments on their video and especially thank you for sharing your experience from an owner's perspective.

Did you think of unplugging the oil pump solenoid by chance? It might be limiting the true potential of the vehicle.

 

Why would I want to do that in the M177 LS2 engine? 🤷‍♂️

 

If a buyer paid over MSRP that was a decision he or she made. That's not the fault of MB. They clearly priced the car too high for the marketplace, although I don't think people chose a Turbo over an SL for that reason. In that end of the marketplace, it's more about emotion than anything else.

At the risk of sounding repetitive, MB likely "decided to scrap 60 years of SL tradition" because the cars just weren't selling any longer. Did they miss with the replacement? Arguably (although not to me), but at least they took a shot. There are those of us who would never have purchased the somewhat dynamically-impaired previous versions because we didn't want a boulevard cruiser and didn't like the styling; I put a few hundred miles on the R230 SL600 owned by a friend of mine and found it to be a snoozefest. The original roadgoing SL was a street version of a racecar and clearly what it evolved into wasn't the original intent, but even at my advanced age (65) I have no recollection of racing SLs. After 7 different 911s (interspersed with other sports cars such as Ferraris, Astons, and a Lamborghini) I wanted something perhaps a little softer and more "mature" but still exciting. I think I found that with my SL55. It's comfortable, rattle-free after 6500 miles (something I could never claim about any 911 I've owned), handles well (perhaps with some electronic trickery but then again that is present to some degree in every car sold today), looks beautiful (to me at least, I realize others don't find that to be so) and is no more problematic than any high-performance car I've had (much less so than my 2022 Carrera S Cabriolet.) I didn't delude myself as to the depreciation potential of the car when I bought it.

This will likely be the last high dollar figure occasional car I ever buy. I'm quite happy with the decision I made, and the longer I keep it the less I need to be concerned with the value of the car in today's marketplace.

 

I’m glad you mentioned issues with your 911s, especially your 992. I think Porsche gets far too little flack and has a perception of being such a reliable brand. My own experience (2009 Boxster that I bought new) was not consistent with this perception, and it’s nice to hear from others who have had issues.
I test drove the 2022 Carrera thinking I would most certainly fall in love and want to order an S Cab manual to sit alongside my AMG GTC coupe. Instead, I found the 992 a complete bore, with a cheap interior and bizarrely poor UI (40% of the dash is obscured by the steering wheel).
Not to get off topic, but the 911 is not a great car either today. Yes, the higher end variants offer far more, but then you have to play the dealer game and buy a dozen Macans before you are even considered for an allocation for a GT3 or similar.

My issues with the current SL are price (this is effectively being addressed by market adjustments now) and some cost cutting measures taken during the design. I am also disappointed that the uniqueness of the AMG GT is not continuing; but that’s not the fault of the SL.

 

I owned a GTS for two years and then a GTC for three years. The new SL 63 is definitely faster than either one of them. It is faster both in a straight line and in cornering. My exit speed on my favorite skid pad/freeway transition went up 2-3 miles per hour from one to the other. I credit both the rear wheel steering (which it shares with the GTC) and the AWD. But it is definitely faster. I have an extensive racing background (formula open wheelers) and can attest to the increased cornering ability.

 

I don't doubt that it's faster but it's also a lot heavier, and the weight is noticeable. The weight distribution is also further from ideal.

The AMG GTC is faster than one needs, even on the track (for a non-pro driver). I was expecting better steering feel (it's EPAS now, correct?), more engagement, more nimble handling.

 

Porsche quality has improved A LOT over the past decade. I owned 14(!) Porsche cars, my first one was a 993 Targa, also owned the first 996 Carrera of my dealership in Germany, the first 997.1 Turbo delivered with Tiptronic to dealers and the first 991.1 Turbo S delivered to ANY customer in Germany.

I love Porsche but my dealer asked 177k EUR for a USED(!) 992 Carrera GTS Convertible (quite well optioned, even incl. the front axle lift) with 9000 km. Ouch. My SL63 (MSRP is 215k EUR) was 161k EUR. Brand new!!! I was lucky though, I was able to ****** one of those rarely available cars through the German Mercedes Online Store with a huge discount (26%, some high volume business customers even got 30% for similar cars as far as I heard). That said, I think my SL63 is worth every penny so far and I have 1800 km with it, done in around a week. I really enjoy this car. It is no 992 Carrera GTS, it lacks the "directness" of the steering/chassis BUT the sound (the GTS sounds like crap compared to the SL63, sorry...maybe because Mercedes did a great job to offer an amazing sound in a GPF equipped car here in Germany) of the SL63 is just pure aural sex and overall, the car is a lot of fun to drive, it doesn't give you the sensation that you HAVE to be fast but that you ARE fast and this makes driving the SL63 less aggressive than driving a 992 for example. Maybe it is just me though. The only downside (so far) for the SL63 is: It attracts way more attention than I wanted. This is a daily driver for me and I park it next to my business. A black SL would have been the smarter choice to attract less attention but I had no choice (discount). I love the color (hightech silver in Germany, cirrus silver in the US I think) but it shows the size/proportions of the car much better and this attracts more attention.

Yes, AMG could have done a few things differently regarding the interior quality of the car. The tilting display seems to be innovative but in reality, it SUCKS. Why didn't they use a 2000 nits display instead with an anti-reflective coating? It would have saved weight, the whole moving mechanism and it would have worked much better. The tilting doesn't help much with polarized sunglasses, for example when the red light view is active. I cannot see any lights, no green, no red, nothing. Stupid.
Then, there is the steering wheel airbag cover in the middle: Plastic. Looks so cheap. It can be done better, look at the S class. No lights for the make-up mirrors in the sunvisors. Seriously?!
I'm also not so sure about the Microfibre ("Alcantara") quality: I keep my left arm rested on a door panel covered with it and you can already see a black "hole" from the elbow. This doesn't seem right.

Everything else seems to work as it should. Fuel consumption is acceptable in C driving mode and a mere catastrophe in S+ mode. When I use C mode in the city, the car eats around 14 liters / 100 km. If I use S+ mode and drive absolutely the same way, consumption is almost 10(!) liters higher. Insane.

I wish the driving modes were better adjustable, more steps, including a WET mode (I guess the snow mode can be used for that) but overall, I like the SL63 a lot. I just hope I won't run into any issues with the car, like others.

Long story short: That 992 Carrera GTS Convertible I mentioned was new around 207k EUR I think, used 177k EUR. My SL63 was new 215k (MSRP) but I got it for 161k NEW. It was a no-brainer to get the SL63 instead, also because maintenance/insurance cost is also lower here.
The exhaust/engine sound alone of the SL63 is worth the money, this is not something you can still get on many modern cars, if ANY.

So far, I'm a happy camper.

 

Great assessment!
Re: alcantara - it's easy to rejuvenate. Just get a brush and alcantara cleaner and protectant, and it will look like new again. I use Dr. Beasely's. It's synthetic so it will last a long time and return to like new condition with some brushing.

 

Thanks for the advice, will try as soon as possible. Sounds good.

 

[QUOTE=RTC63;8950821]……………..The tilting display seems to be innovative but in reality, it SUCKS………../QUOTE]

I had a 2002 Lexus SC430 and the display in that car tilted to reduce sun glare.

 

https://www.prodetailingsupplies.ca/...lcantara-brush

 

I have a completely different opinion, I was able to purchase a 2024 Porsche 911 GTS 4 Cab, this thing drives like it's on rails. After a true comparison I found the SL to be nose heavy. No comparison. If you want speed I found the GTS to be plenty, I could never use the 577 HP in the SL any way. I have a 7 speed manual trans and I'm in love with it. To actually drive this vehicle Just my 2 cents.

 

Driving a reasonably late model 911 with a manual transmission is one of the great joys in driving—as long as there is no traffic. My last one, a 2009 was just a basic Carrera, but shifting that transmission felt just so precise, so perfectly engineered and so connected. However, it sat in my garage next to my 2004 SL500 and I found myself choosing the convertible more often, so I sold it after a couple of years. Enjoy your GTS. Going with the manual was a great move!

 

I love this thing.