Flagship convertible piles on the muscle and ditches the old hard-top for a fabric roof On sale Now Price from £108,030
Lawrence Cheung Lawrence.Cheung@haymarket.com
LIKE THE TRANSFORMATION of Bruce Banner to the Incredible Hulk, the new Mercedes-AMG SL appears to have beefed up its body shape and gotten all angry compared with its predecessor.
With a long bonnet and a short, rounded boot, the new SL has a resemblance to the more aggressive Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster sports car, and it’s no accident that every SL now wears the badge of Mercedes-Benz’s high-performance AMG division. By trading some of its predecessor’s long-distance comfort for more agility, this latest version isn’t just tackling soft-top versions of the BMW 8 Series and Lexus LC; the sportier Porsche 911 Cabriolet is in the SL’s crosshairs, too.
The entry-level SL43 is powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 375bhp. Then there’s a 4.0-litre V8 with 469bhp in the SL55 and an uprated version with 577bhp in the SL63.
With a sub-5.0sec 0-62mph time, the SL43 is hardly slow, but the SL55’s abundance of power and theatrical soundtrack make it much more exciting. And, with the V8 engines also bringing Mercedes’ 4Matic+ four-wheel drive system as standard, all that power can be used, because traction is maintained even in the wet. The SL63, meanwhile, seems over the top; its extra 108bhp shaves only 0.3sec off the 0-62mph sprint time, bringing it down to 3.6sec.
The V8 models also come with adaptive suspension as standard, their stiffness changing with the drive mode. In the SL55, the softest (Comfort) setting brings a polished ride and handling balance, dealing with mid-corner bumps beautifully yet showing little sign of body lean. Switching to the firmest Sport+ setting brings even tighter body control, but the ride gets a bit too brittle. V8 models also get a four-wheel steering system that boosts agility, and there’s a reassuring weightiness through the wheel in corners.
All of this technology helps the SL to feel incredibly composed – more so than the softer LC Convertible, which also shudders much more over bumps. However, for sharpness and thrills, the smaller 911 Cabriolet is still a cut above. The SL’s portly weight isn’t helpful in this regard, and its quest to maintain a feeling of luxury means the steering and pedals aren’t as immediately responsive.
Is the SL luxurious, though? Well, there’
