Mercedes-AMG SL 63 in the test: This is how precise the power roadster drives

Created: 01/12/2022, 08:50 AM

From: Sebastian Oppenheimer

With the new generation of the SL, Mercedes wants to give the roadster a new impetus: it is finally back with a fabric roof - and with real AMG genes.

Stuttgart - You 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 appearance nor the driving behavior leave any doubts worth mentioning. Especially from the front, thanks to the distinctive radiator grille with AMG vertical struts, you can see the origins of Affalterbach. Perhaps a little too much of the similarity to the current AMG GT, but its face is known to be popular. 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 emergency 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, as reported by 24auto.de.

The 4.0-liter V8 in the Mercedes-AMG SL 63 develops a whopping 585 hp.

© Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-AMG SL 63 in the test: This is how precise the power roadster drives

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 choose the stronger 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.

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Mercedes-AMG SL 63 in the test: Equipped with all-wheel drive and all-wheel steering

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 brisk pace,in which active hydraulic elements replace the mechanical anti-roll bars and smoothly compensate for body movements. (Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4matic in the test: riot was yesterday)

With the latest SL generation, Mercedes has returned to the classic fabric roof.

© Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-AMG SL 63 put to the test: finely tuned steering

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 its excess weight - 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 what the front axle and rear end are doing, even at a brisk gallop. When the driver becomes a pilot and tries to burn rubber at the limit, the Mercedes AMG SL 63 can no longer stop,however, cannot completely mask its heavy weight. ("Annoying and insulting": Mercedes deletes commercial in China)

Mercedes-AMG SL 63 in the test: from 0 to 100 km / h in 3.6 seconds

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 will make 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 here AMG has other models in preparation.

Mercedes-AMG SL 63 in the test: wind deflector can only be operated manually

The big advantage of the new Mercedes-AMG is not just its sporty driving behavior, but the overdue fabric roof that 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 wind deflector, which hardly allows 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 upright display, the angle of which can be variably adjusted 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.

The touch surfaces on the steering wheel of the new Mercedes-AMG SL can be annoying.

© Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-AMG SL 63 in the test: This is how much the power roadster should cost

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 - and for many roadster fans it is now twelve months a year.

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 to the open-top Porsche 911 Turbo, which is on the road in similar regions, is not the only thing there.