I'm glad this forum didn't exist when I bought a 22 SL 55, ordered in September 22, delivered in February 23 or I probably would not have bought it which would have been too bad since I love it. I'm in the Northeast so it's a seasonal toy for me but the car has been totally fine for 2600 miles. No build quality issues either. I've done the software updates and a fuel pump recall because they are out there and it did take me a minute to figure out the battery so the car could sit for at least a month without a trickle charger. For me the battery drain was the proximity of the key which constantly tried to communicate with the car and leaving it unlocked which it thought meant everything needs to be powered up and ready to go. I suspect a recent software upgrade helped with both those things. But even before that if I kept the key far away and the doors closed and locked, the battery life was as good or better than my other late model cars, i.e., ones heavy on tech. I traded in a 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo for this car. Made money on the trade-in which ate some of the depreciation on the SL but that's the happy nature of Porsche resale. I'm happier with the SL because it's far more relaxing to drive, much more comfortable and I'm not driving it on a track where the lighter, more responsive Porsche reigns. On public streets, however, the SL is the superior car for me. Fun but not twitchy, comfy for any distance and gorgeous. People stare because they don't see many, and some just yell "beautiful car" which love the Turbo rarely got. Finally, Porsche has its recalls and problems too but its fan base is more accepting of them. IMHO.

 

Your experience mirrors mine almost exactly, except I have 6200 miles on mine with no issues or build quality concerns.

 

What the heck are you talking about? Mercedes employees are getting a bonus of up to 7300 EUR this year, what strike are you talking about?!

The only issue Mercedes seems to have with their employees right now is the fact that Mercedes wants to sell their factory dealerships (factory owned dealerships all over Germany, very expensive to maintain because they are huge) and the 8000 employees of these dealerships are afraid they are going to lose their jobs in the process.

 

Great post. I have the same excellent experience over 9 months with my 2023 SL55 with 3,700 miles. Wonderful car and no significant issues, just need to double lock the car and store the key further away.

 

Audie Murphy was my boyhood hero.

 

Good question for sure. Reason I suggested was because I keep reading benefits on unplugging this ticking time bomb on MB engines across all models. The 2-stage oil pump solenoid was there for only one purpose, fuel efficiency and emissions. With how tight emissions had been, it is possible MB made that oil pump solenoid even more aggressive which might had led to rough shifts and hesitations some R232 members might had experienced, as apparently unplugging it on the older cars, the MCT talked with the ECU better.

 

This!

(I have only read a page or two...) I too love driving this car. Well... not much "driving" here in S FL except go to Whole Foods for steaks and drive to the barber. But like CA John says, I can just cruise with this with the flow of the traffic, which is what I do almost always, or get a few moments of fun by turning the knob up. I think MB really nailed the driving experience of this vehicle. In C it is much more comfortable than i.e. my M5 Comp or my prior model regular M5 was or even my 911 was. In S+, or race it is more than what I can handle. It already got me a big ticket.

Other than the battery issue I have not found anything else wrong with it yet.

The depreciation sucks. MB definitely got the price wrong putting it into Turbo S territory. Normally, I'd buy new but this car was a steal so I got it used, so someone else took the hit for me. With the discounts that are out there, I am thinking I will get this same exact car new in 2025. I have never considered getting the same car again. So that says a lot. The one thing that a new order would be different from mine is having carbon brakes. The dust on this car is insane. 5-10 miles of normal city driving and the rims turn red. I would not pick one up without carbon brakes. Carbon brakes should also be standard like they are on the Turbo S.

 

An update on my SL63 AMG, manufactured March 30th 2023: I have 4200 km now, drove the car very hard on the Autobahn as well (up to 260 kph, never went above since I am too lazy to adapt the tire pressure and I enjoy it more to drive on some deserted country roads, where the lower tire pressure certainly has an advantage), the initial issues (OBD light coming on, misfiring issues, battery drain) are gone, the software update apparently did the trick. I had these issues over 2000 km ago.
Fuel consumption is around 18 l / 100 km on average, I am driving mostly in RACE mode and full throttle whenever legally possible.

What can I say? I love this car. I just wish there would be a tiny bit less "movement" in the chassis when doing some spirited driving and I think that AMG could easily change the setup of the car according to what they've done to the new AMG GT but overall, I am very happy with the car.

I having added any oil since the (voluntary) oil change at 2000 km and the oil level is still fine.

Two things bother me though:

1. Brake: I have the standard brake system and I have to say that it is NOT good enough, which is a bit of a disappointment. A bit of Autobahn driving (and we don't even have high summer temperatures here in Germany yet) and the brake works at it's limit. Sorry AMG but this is not acceptable.
I wish I had chosen the ceramic brake instead but I got this car with a huge discount and there was another one with ceramic brake but the color and the rims weren't to my liking.

2. Exhaust sound: The car has an amazing sound for an GPF equipped car, no doubt about it but I wish it would have a better sound at lower revs. There is a nice V8 sound at lower rev figures but it is barely noticeable. I don't think it would have been an issue to allow more sound here because it wouldn't exceed the maximum db figure. Overall I am happy with the sound for a modern car but I think that AMG could have done more...

Wonderful car, a bit overpriced (thank god I got a nice deal with a huge discount) but fun to drive. This is no track car though, it is more like the perfect GT in my opinion and it is really really fast, even in curves. If you are looking for a sports car for occasional track fun and driving through narrow curves and stuff like that, a Porsche 911 would be the better choice in my opinion. The SL63 is somewhere between a 911 Carrera GTS and a S63 AMG. Neither fish nor meat as we say here but it is still fun to drive. I just wish AMG would have given customers the option to order the SL with a sportier setup similar to the AMG GT. The current driving programs/modes are not sufficient.

 

RTC63,
You know there is an exhaust sound tuning button to select different exhaust sounds? Also, during start, if you hold the paddle shifter, the exhaust sound is louder and more throaty.
Sorry to read about the weather being inclement for SL motoring until recently.
Is the weather you have been experiencing more unseasonal than usual?
I love the airscarf feature and use it to extend the top down season.
No issues with my SL, as you might have found from a previous post.
As to a car sitting in a showroom and lot for a year, a ski boat I bought years back was in a very similar predicament.
When I got it into the water, I could get it started, but any throttle input out of idle, would stall the engine.
The dealer had to do a complete overhaul of the 4 barrel carburetor.
I know your car probably has fuel injection, but any gas left in a tank, and in the rest of the fuel lines, and systems, will degrade into a sticky turpentine consistency, and start clogging, if left that long without a fuel stabilizer, or drain and fill.
On the Audie Murphy comment, I remember enjoying his western movies, he seemed perfect, and natural for his role. Only decades later did I come to learn how heroic he was earning awards for gallantry and bravery.
A true American hero, and silver screen hero.
There is a character loosely based on him in the new series Fallout.

 

can you elaborate on your huge discount and when. Thx

 

Are you talking about the OEM exhaust button? I drive in RACE mode ONLY, so...
Even in RACE mode, the car is way too comfortable for me, throttle response not responsive enough, gear changes too slow. I just wish AMG would offer the software from the AMG GT for the SL in a way or another.
I didn't get this car for comfort.

Sound needs improvement at lower rev figures but I am working on it.

 

26%...got the car through the official Mercedes Online Store in Germany. They had 15 cars or so available, a week later only a few and two weeks later none at this discount.
A friend got 30% discount for a new car, he owns a company who is a big business customer with Mercedes.

Right NOW, Mercedes Online Store Germany has only 15 cars available (SL43, 55 and 63).

SL63 has 9% discount, best offer is ONE SL55 with a 20% discount.

In Germany, Mercedes Benz has introduced the new "agency sales model" last year in July, meaning that dealers are only intermediaries for Mercedes Benz, the customer buys the car directly from Mercedes and Mercedes decides the discount.

The new SL63 E Performance for example (no cars available in stock yet) has a 6 % discount already in the German configurator.
A few weeks ago it was 9%.

 

Agency model? Yikes, so sort of like what first happened in Australia?

 

What model year are you referring to?
I spoke with the GM of a dealer in FL I work with, and he said they are desperate to get rid of "new" 23's...he also said there is a stop production om SL 55's due to quality and/or safety issues. There's a reason MB is in the toilet for both initial quality and long-term reliability of late. How sad, hope they get it together and soon. He also was just at MB HQ in de recently, and said MB is revamping their entire line over the next several years with quality as job one.

 

Gee, I wonder where they got that catchy slogan?

 

Yes, let's see if they can truly put those sage words into action/reality.

 

Mercedes is now moving its production to China....

 

Ordered my 2024 SL55 last June and it was built the end of December. Still hasn't been shipped, it is waiting for two parts.
At this rate I may cancel the order and find something else. I am beginning to believe the post about the July release.
It looks like I would have my car a few months and the next year would come out. W
hoever is in charge of Mercedes'
supply chain should be fired.

 

At the very least, you should really be squeezing the dealer on the price. However good of a deal you may already have, I’ll bet there is at least another $10K to be had in your case and potentially much more, the longer it takes to get the car. Best of luck to you.

 

I’m glad MB placed a stop production as there’s some safety issues. Once they get these corrected and hopefully the other issues, they should do three things to get these cars moving:

1) Lower the MSRP (bmw did this on the 8 series a few years back) as they finally realized they priced them too high. I realize this will **** off those that just paid more but it has to be done, or at the very least do option #2.

2) Come out with a highly subsidized 2 year lease special for both the 55 and 63

3) Stop introducing new MY’s well before a CY year is even up. For some unknown reason, MB keeps doing this and it’s very disconcerting to those that get a brand new MY then 3 mos later their vehicle is a full model year old.

My $0.02

 

Meanwhile, MBUSA still has the 2023 build your own and BMWUSA is building out 2025 8 series (and others). 2024's are on lots and available. MB needs to get their house in order.

 

Yup

 

I’ve had 17 new MB’s and 4 used. I’ve been a very faithful and loyal customer, but after MBUSA found it necessary to buyback TWO of my cars in a row, coupled with what I feel are very poor design & marketing decisions, my next new car will be from the folks in Munich. With MB since 2019, it has been one misstep after another. Many would say the problems started well before that, but to me, 2019 was the last great year for the folks from Stuttgart. Whether the virus fiasco played a major role in this, who can say? All I know is that after decades of lusting after MB vehicles, there is not one in the current lineup that I have any desire to drive, not one. Too much money for too many problems and not nearly enough enjoyment.

 

I ordered a 2024 CLE 53 AMG for the wifey, let's see how this goes as it's one of their latest efforts on something all new. The real kicker is the 24's will only be around for a few months then the 25's hit... what are these guys doing? I plan on leasing the vehicle for her but still.

 

Please recall the initiation of this thread concerned the unfair bashing of the R232. I wonder if all those posting the myriad problems were all dreaming........I bet not. I'm amazed that MB has not assessed the situation and implemented corrections. The 2023 Build your own says it all.........MB is oblivious and arrogant.