Mercedes AMG SL 63 4matic: long run-up

Mercedes AMG SL 63 4matic
Long run-up

One can argue about whether a Mercedes SL is compulsory in the sporty AMG camp, but this is exactly where it will be at home in the future. And neither its optics nor the driving behavior leave any doubts worth mentioning. Thanks to the distinctive radiator grille with AMG vertical struts, you can see the Affalterbach origins especially from the front. Perhaps a little too much of the similarity to the current AMG GT, but its face is well known. The rest is consistent, unless you opt for a light color shade for the exterior paint, because then there are some joints on the rounded, beefy rear part that, like the retractable rear spoiler, disrupt the sporty image of the classic roadster. Finally the SL has a fabric roof again and the only moderately elegant folding construction of the past two generations has come to an end. On the other hand, one could have saved the two jump seats in the tiny rear, based on the Porsche 911 model, because nobody sits here anyway and a storage area for travel bags would have been more practical.

Long run-up

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But the new Mercedes SL is not only an AMG visually, its sportiness has also reached a completely new level. More than ever, the new Mercedes SL is a high-tech projectile, because at the market launch there are only supercharged four-liter V8s bearing the designations SL 55 and SL 63. Most customers will probably use the more powerful 63er brother for image reasons, which instead of the 350 kW / 476 PS / 700 Nm, which is always sufficient, delivers a powerful thundering 430 kW / 585 PS / 800 Nm under the long bonnet. Like its predecessors, the Mercedes SL is anything but lightweight, despite the former name base (SL – super light) with an empty weight of 1,970 kilograms, but a real athlete. This is ensured not only by the beefy, booming V8 engine in every speed range, but also by an adaptive chassis that, despite variable adjustment, depending on the selected drive program, turns the AMG genes outward rather than the classic SL genes of the sporty cruiser. All-wheel steering and all-wheel drive, among other things, ensure that the SL is so dynamic and sporty – both additions that were already discussed for the previous generation, but were not implemented at the time. The hydraulic roll stabilization of the SL 63 works convincingly at a brisk pace, with active hydraulic elements replacing the mechanical anti-roll bars and smoothly compensating for the body movements.

Thanks to the all-wheel drive, the two-tonne 2 + 0-seater has no trouble whipping its opulent V8 power onto the floor as befits its standing. Thanks to the all-wheel steering, the 4.71-meter-long roadster is a class lighter and more compact despite being overweight – regardless of whether it rolls on the standard 20-inch or the extra 21-inch rubbers. The electromechanical rack and pinion steering with its variable ratio is finely tuned and not too nervous or even indirect. Especially at higher speeds, it scores with its inherent serenity with corresponding precision, which always lets the driver know, even at a brisk gallop, that the front axle and rear end are doing. When the driver becomes a pilot and tries to burn rubber at the limit, the Mercedes AMG SL 63 can’t stop, but cannot completely cover up its heavy weight.

From a standing start, the all-wheel drive sprints to 100 km / h in a spectacular 3.6 seconds and reaches an impressive 315 km / h top speed. It is no longer a secret that it makes the previous AMG GT Roadster superfluous. This will not have a successor and only have an even sportier future as a closed version. With a standard consumption of 11.8 liters of super per 100 kilometers, the open joker is anything but a food lover. The SL fans have to do without the twelve-cylinder, which is particularly popular in the USA. Instead, a third engine variant will be coming next year as a plug-in hybrid – probably with just four cylinders and the drive of the AMG C-Class, however, this could trigger a palace revolt among the elite SL fans. There should be no plans for an electric Mercedes SL, because AMG has other models in preparation here.

The big advantage of the new Mercedes AMG is not just its sporty driving behavior, but the overdue fabric roof, which can be opened and closed in 15 seconds up to a speed of 60 km / h. Unfortunately not electric and therefore not very comfortable: the manually operated draft-stop, which allows hardly any turbulence to get inside. The cockpit looks modern, but apart from the excellent sports seats, it offers few surprises. In addition to the head-up display, digital 12.3-inch instruments and the steering wheel overloaded with annoying touch surfaces, the dashboard is dominated by an 11.9-inch portrait display, the angle of which can be adjusted variably between 12 and 32 degrees, so that the sun doesn’t let you fly blind when the roof is open. The load space of the new SL has a manageable 213 to 240 liters with a payload of 320 kilograms.

At the market launch and price, Mercedes is once again keeping a low profile. Its market premiere should be in time for the convertible season, which is now known to be twelve months a year for many roadster fans. However, it can be assumed that the new Mercedes AMG SL will go on sale in May / June. In terms of price, it should be based on the almost identically motorized Mercedes AMG GT C Roadster, which starts at around 160,000 euros. This should set a price of over 190,000 euros. The comparison with the open-top Porsche 911 Turbo, which is on the road in similar regions, is not the only thing there.

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