Driving the new Mercedes-AMG SL: back to the glory days

Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Princess Diana, Alfred Hitchcock, Lionel Richie, Britney Spears: the list of famous Mercedes SL owners is endless. In short, if you want to drive up to the flashlights of fame, you only need one car. It is not difficult to understand why all these celebrities en masse opted for the SL (Sport Leicht), because the precious two-seater from Stuttgart has embodies the perfect balance between style, speed, performance and bravado for decades.

One of his biggest fans was Apple founder Steve Jobs. He invariably drove a silver-grey SL, which strangely enough never had a license plate – something that led many to question. Yet that was completely legal. Jobs discovered that in California you don’t have to fit a license plate for the first six months after buying a new car. And so Jobs didn’t do this. Whenever the six-month period ended, he traded his SL55 AMG in with the leasing company for a brand-new one and drove around incognito for years.

The first SL was a kind of open-top racing car in 1952. The 300 SL Roadster weighed less than 1300 kilos and with a current value of around one million euros is a sought-after classic, as is the closed ‘Gullwing’ version with its famous gull-wing doors that open upwards.

But over time, the sharp edges wore off. The red car driven by Bobby Ewing in the 1980s TV series Dallas was beautiful, but not very sporty. And in recent years, the car also suffered from overweight. The last Mercedes SL weighed 1845 kg as an AMG version, 500 kg more than the original. And the worst part was: you could really feel it in his driving.

Mercedes-Benz pulled out all the stops this time to let the possibly last non-electric SL burn once more. The brand even decided not to develop the almost iconic convertible itself, but to leave it to AMG, the tuning brand incorporated by Mercedes-Benz. Probably with the intention of making the car more sporty and exciting than ever. According to AMG CEO Philipp Schiemer, this was badly needed, because: ,,The SL had become somewhat estranged from the original in recent decades, so it was high time to revive its former glory.”

The most notable change on the new model is the return to a canvas roof instead of the folding metal hardtop. This not only leads to better proportions, but also to a more traditional style and significant weight savings.

Also unique: the SL is now a 2+2, which greatly improves usability. The seats in the back are useful for quickly dropping someone off at the station, but – just like with the Porsche 911 – they are mainly suitable as extra storage space. The interior also closely resembles the new S-Class with its beautiful vertically placed MBUX infotainment system.

You sit as driver and co-driver almost in the middle of the car. This contributes significantly to the open-air experience because you are not half under the windscreen and it also improves the usability of the car. Because driving with the roof open is a pleasant experience in the new SL, even when it rains a little. The drops blow over the slippery body at speeds of more than 40 km/h and by means of seat heating and a heater you keep the cold out just fine. And otherwise there is a so-called Airscarf in the headrests of the excellent sports seats of the SL, which blows warm air around as standard to warm your head and neck.

The convertible top of the SL is 21 kilograms lighter than the steel folding roof of the previous model and can be opened or closed in 15 seconds at a speed of up to 60 km/h. But the new model with a weight of about 1950 kg is still not a real ‘Sport Leicht’. This is partly due to its increased exterior dimensions: a necessary increase given the new 2+2 configuration. At 4.71 meters in length, the new SL is 13 centimeters longer than the previous SL and also four centimeters wider. In the trunk you can store up to 213 liters with the roof closed and 240 liters with the roof open. Not really spacious, but luckily you now have a back seat at your disposal for the golf bag.

The new SL has undeniably become sportier. Where the last SL models felt a bit sluggish with their tendency to lean a bit in the bends, the new generation is firmer and sharper on the road. This is, for example, due to active flaps in the grille and a rear spoiler that rises from the rear from a speed of 80 km/h and then – depending on the speed – takes one of the five prescribed positions.

Fortunately, the SL does not have the sometimes tiring tendency of its sporty brother the AMG GT to incessantly pass on bumps, bulges and transverse ridges unfiltered to its occupants. Even when pressing the Sport- and Sport+ button, the SL does not change into a plank with bumpy suspension, because even then the chassis continues to effortlessly absorb short bumps.

The turning circle is exceptionally small: thanks to the new four-wheel steering, this large convertible is just as manoeuvrable as a compact hatchback. In sport mode, the engine noise increases and then you can regularly hear loud bangs when you release the accelerator pedal. Still, the SL is less noisy than some AMG models that are more sporty.

In the SL 63 AMG we drove, we find the 4.0 liter V8 engine with 585 hp. The SL is also available as a 55 AMG, which produces 476 hp from the V8. The sprint time from 0-100 km/h is 3.6 and 3.9 seconds respectively and the top speeds are 315 and 295 km/h. But despite this fantastic performance, the car doesn’t really challenge you to drive hard. He can do it, but you prefer to drive this AMG on its torque (the pulling power of the engine), while you hear languid blows coming from the front.

Those looking for even more power will soon find the E Performance hybrid. This powertrain will provide more than 800 horsepower and a pulling power of 1000 Newton meters. The new SL will be in Dutch showrooms in May. Prices have not yet been announced.