guest73

If I'm not mistaken they have the same engine, looks about the same, cost about the same. So why would anyone buy the SL 63? And please don't tell me because of the hardtop.

I'm not looking to stir things up. Just understand what the deal is. Thanks!

okbarnett

SL is a luxury car , compared to a GT . A GT is competition to a 911. Its 2 seats with hardly no room at all anywhere else in the car. And its all business. A SL is close to an S class car. It gives you all the options and features of a S class car, in a sport version. A huge trunk, luxo features and a convertible. And they dont have the same engine, the sl has 4.7 and 5.5 and 6 liter V8&V12, the gt has the 4L
I dont want a GT , Ive had 911s and moved up to a SL to get room and features a 911 doesnt have. If I wanted to go to back to a 911 I might get a GT

mellowyellow

The SL is 90% of the AMG GT with a hardtop. Plus, as okbarnett mentioned, you get the luxury. You can take the AMG SL on a 300 mile road trip and it's like sitting in a nice luxury chair with great amenities. Of course, you can also push it hard on a mountain road or a track, and it still performs awesome. The AMG Driving Academy had SLs in their car rotation (not sure if they still do), but the R231 generation really impressed.

okbarnett

3000 mile trip and get a massage to boot

idrive

Agree with what's been posted. If I wanted a track car I would have bought the GT but I want a go fast convertible hard top that has the comfort of an S class (almost) that I can enjoy driving everyday whether it's to the golf course or a 300 mile trip. After driving the GT for 5 minutes and feeling every crack in the road it was a no brainer for me. It's also why I sold my 911 after 6 months. I've switched to the dark side of wanting more comfortable to drive.

The difference in the amenities/creature comforts is what sets them apart and why I bought the SL. Ooops.... guess I wasn't supposed to mention the convertible hard top....

C63SVERT

I just traded a 16 GTS for a 13' SL65 and I can tell you it is purely about what you want out of the car. The SL is a far more practical car. the GTS was VERY loud and rode very rough. Lots of road noise not found in any other AMG

nycphotography

Which is exactly what the GT is intended to be :-)

That said I prefer my SL63 for road use.

okbarnett

its a mercedes 911

Wolfman

First off, very different engines. SL's don't have the smaller 4 liter engine. Different layout chassis and driving experience. I assume you are asking about the GT roadster? If not apples and oranges that share nothing other than the AMG labels. ABC vs. springs. Front engine vs. mid front engine. Sportier GT vs fast sports car. Bucket seats versus dynamic bolster sport seats w. massage. GT has smaller passenger compartment. And yes, the hardtop matters; comparing an airy glass hard top with coupe-like qualities vs. small soft top which can make one feel a bit cramped.

The SL is a very capable and fast cruiser, the GT is a less comfortable but highly capable sports car. IMO, the AMG GT is a better looking car but lacks some of the practicality of the SL. Both are fun to drive with more versatility going to the SL. We drive our SL in the winter with snow tires, something I would never consider doing with the GT

HSCLA

nycphotography

To be fair, when the SL63 loan pays thru, I may get a GT. Nothing wrong with an AMG 911.

note: I finance cars.... because. lots of reasons. but for one thing, being upside down in a loan tends to calm the nerves a bit about new toys

AMG 17GT

mellowyellow

Floater? Seriously? Were you tracking in comfort mode? That specific comment has no basis in reality.

No one is arguing against the GT being better on track.... But to call the SL a floater is just ridiculous.

C280 Sport

The AMG GT is a 2 door coupe. No ABC or airmatic. Also it lacks tons of luxury features when compared to a SL. The reason is because it is more of a driving car and a GT car. They have similarities but they are not the same. Also, the SL is a luxury car. Always has been(Hence why I had a couple of them before). The AMG variants are very capable cars with amazing power. However given the choice I would do a cross country drive from coast to coast in a SL over a AMG GT. The engines are also not the same. They never offered the 4.0 V8TT in a SL at least in the USA. Also one is a soft top and the other is a hard top. I have owned both hard and soft top cars and they offer different experiences.

C280 Sport

I think the SL550 or SL400 is a more of a floater car but no AMG is a floater.

C280 Sport

I do as well. Considering my wife and I have near perfect credit and investments are paying a hell of a lot more then the current interest rates on car loans I have 0 reason to pay cash. My work truck is ran thru the business so that is a write off anyways. I want a AMG GT when the prices comes down a little bit.

mrmotoguzzi00

Ah someone who can do math I don't how many times Ive had these arguments with friends..... i just gave up......

nycphotography

To be fair, the ones who don't get it are the ones who absolutely should not be using debt. For anything. Ever.

AMG 17GT

nycphotography

I have driven both cars (SL63 and GT-S) at Road Atlanta. Yes, the GT is better on the track. But the SL was surprisingly good on the track - if you picked one with carbon ceramics, and got it you put it in S suspension, S+ shifting, tightened up the bolsters on the seats, and made sure it was in the lowered setting.

As good as a GT-S? Hell no! Better than the E/CLS or even the C? Surprisingly so (the carbon ceramics and lack of brake fade I think made the biggest difference over the C63)

But still. On the street? Totally different dynamic comes into play. At least for actually driving. For "look at me" cruising, you really should just have a Lambo or Ferrari.

thethunderbird

I legitimately bought mine because of the hardtop. I wanted another convertible but the softtop on my previous car (M Roadster) was an enormous pain in the ***.

Riverflyer

I agree with the main line of reason above. The SL is a wonderful "jack of all trades" car...the McGyver of autoworld. As was stated above, if you take the time to get the settings dialed the SL is very capable. Not on par with the GT C or 911T but very fun and luxurious and the hard top comes down w/o effort.
This is my 3rd SL, and though I have several other cars, its my favorite all around car.

jfabtwf

I dont fit in a GT convertible, Im 6'5" tall, 255 lbs. Felt like a sardine, but in the SL I am comfortable and as many have already said its a better every day driver.

thethunderbird

Actually, me too. I'm 6'8, though I don't mind smaller cars as long as I can drive them. But for a daily that's fun and powerful, the SL kicks ***.

jfabtwf

the SL63 is a very underrated car at 577 horsepower and I think mine has more in the range of 630 in reality.... how else am I running middle Elevns in the quarter mile with tires that don't grip very well off the line... at 127 mile per hour.... I also had a little side by side with a 2017 Nissan GTR and he could not keep up with me... Shocked him and me as well to be honest..