"This is the biggest step we’ve taken from one generation to the other,” says Mercedes-Benz chief engineer Juergen Weissinger, regarding the new and underfed sixth-gen Mercedes SL. With the exception of its windshield frame, which is made from high-strength steel, most of the body shell is aluminum, a Benz first. The panel behind the 17-gallon gas tank is made of even lighter magnesium. Weighing 3950 pounds, according to Mercedes, the new SL is about 270 pounds lighter than its predecessor. “It is like you’ve chucked out a heavyweight fighter with his luggage,” notes Mercedes’ aluminum-construction expert, Thomas Rudlaff. So, heavyweight duly chucked, we fire up the new SL500—that’s right, 500, which is how the car is badged in Europe because the old SL500 is so fondly remembered, and because, to Germans, numbers are as evocative as romantic verse. (Note that neither the European “500” nor the U.S. “550” accurately accounts for the displacement of the 4.7-liter V-8.) Our first impression: Agility is up, thanks to both the lower curb weight and the more powerful V-8 engine, even as the SL retains its smooth character. The twin-turbo V-8 provides 429 horsepower and some serious high-quality audio. But its torque is even more impressive: The twin turbochargers increase twist from 391 pound-feet (in the previous SL550) to 516 in this new one: Hard on the throttle, the new car feels as powerful and insistent as the SL63 AMG. As a result, we expect the new SL to match the SL63’s 4.0-second 0-to-60 time. Virtually all its torque is lurking at 1800 rpm. Even fully loaded with new safety and comfort features—Pre-Safe, Attention Assist, intelligent lighting, lane keeping, active blind-spot assist, internet access, and a soft-serve frozen-yogurt machine (only eight calories per serving!)—the thing doesn’t feel weighed down. It just glides. Full Review: 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550 First Drive – Review – Car and Driver M
Autocar - Mercedes-Benz SL500 BlueEfficiency review What is it? The sixth installment in one of Mercedes’ best known and most desired model lineages: this is the new SL. It promises to scale new heights in terms of performance and efficiency, refinement and dynamism – but moreover, to offer an even more convincing blend of the intoxicating luxury and open air sporting thrill for which Mercedes’ grand convertible has become so widely revered. The ‘R231’ is a massive undertaking for Mercedes – the firm’s first series-production model to be made almost exclusively from aluminium. The SL’s sophisticated body-in-white superstructure mixes die cast-, chill cast-, stamped- and extruded aluminium with a little magnesium and ultra-high strength steel. A lighter all-magnesium folding hard-top roof and mostly aluminium body panels contribute, in turn, to an overall kerbweight saving of up to 140kg, old car to new. More importantly, the new underbody has increased the car’s torsional stiffness (absolutely critical for delivering good dynamic performance in a convertible) by more than 20 per cent. Two versions of the SL will be available in the UK this July, but the 4.7-litre twin-turbocharged V8 in the ‘500’ represents the biggest step forward in both performance and efficiency. With 429bhp and a huge 516lb ft of torque, it catapults the SL to 62mph in just 4.6sec – as fast as the last SL63 AMG. It’s also capable of 31mpg on the combined cycle. Suspension, like that of the last car, is all-independent, by multi-links at both ends. Steel springs with adaptive dampers are standard on both the V6 SL350 and the SL500; Mercedes’ air-sprung Active Body Control chassis is optional on both cars, but standard on the range-topping new SL63 AMG, which arrives in the autumn. And the cabin? That remains a strict two-seater. Need occasional back seats? Then you’re not SL people; feel free to shop elsewhere. It’s an arrogant and unusual stance, but one this opulent roadster nonchalantly backs up. What’s it like? On top of the all-new underbody, the SL’s basic concept and proportions are carried over. The car is long of bonnet, short of cabin, with the same slightly unwieldy looking bustle back-end, the dimensions of which are necessary to package the car’s metal roof when folded. In truth, the styling of the new car barely does justice to Mercedes’ investment in it. The new grille and headlights freshen the car, and the cleaner interpretation of the bodyside is welcome, bringing with it a pleasing nod to the gorgeous 1960s ‘Pagoda’ SL. But considered as a whole, the new SL seems plain; next to the SLK and SLS, like just another drop-top clone. It deserves better. Thankfully, the car has lost none of its glorious distinctiveness from behind the wheel. You feel fortunate just to be on board. The cabin’s even wider than it used to be, so you sit at a very discreet distance from your passenger, surrounded on all sides by plush leathers, cool metal trim and attractive, aero-inspired instruments. Thus ensconced, thumb the silver starter button. The V8 engine in the SL500 catches with a muffled roar. It’s nearly silent at idle, a little more audible at urban speeds, and only really raises its voice when you flex the long-travel, floor-mounted accelerator – and only then in the most suave and cultured tones. Eerily smoothness and restraint characterises so much of this car’s demeanor. It’s the kind of smoothness that eases the SL away from stationary with pillowy gentility, and that swaps gearbox ratios on a part throttle almost unacknowledged. As any automotive engineer will tell you, it’s also the kind of smoothness that only painstaking development can produce. And it’s universal in the new SL: all-pervading. Even over the most neglected tarmac, nothing disturbs the car’s perfect cruise. So immaculate is the ride comfort of this new SL that it’ll glide unperturbed over the very worst surfaces. One such road we sought out – an old, narrow, sunken backroad warped by the Spanish sun – looked like it might provide a worthy test, but the SL covered it like freshly rolled motorway. The car bobbed ever-so-gently on its springs, effortlessly translating severe shocks to its chassis into perfectly cushioned, barely delectable bodily reactions. Even with the roof down there wasn’t the faintest suggestion that the car’s structure was being stretched; not a shudder from the steering column, or a shimmy from the rearview mirror. Open-top motoring just doesn’t get any more refined. A car so wedded to comfort – so adept at absorption and isolation - could never lead the class on poise, response, feel: almost diametric opposites of everything that the modern SL is about. The car’s heartland customers wouldn’t want it to. If it meant compromise, neither would we. And yet the SL really does handle - up to point. Mercedes served up both steel- and air-sprung versions of the car on the SL’s first press launch. While the Active Body Control system certainly serves up wider spread ‘Comfort’ and ‘Sport’ chassis settings, it was the standard steel-sprung setup we preferred, delivering better steering feedback, more progressive damping and more consistent wheel control. With either suspension system, the SL500 takes to brisk driving in easy, undemanding style. It’s not a great car to hustle and harry: left in ‘D’, the automatic gearbox can be a bit slow to kick down. But if you aim for well-prepared swiftness rather than a frenzied hurry, the SL seems to respond. You learn to make the best use of that engine’s massive swell of torque without hitting the accelerator’s kickdown switch, and to carve a consistent and clean line through bends. 500 footpounds of torque can be seductive, of course – and it’d probably send this mid-range, non-AMG Merc from a standstill to 100mph in less than ten seconds. But the SL500’s brakes are strong and resistant to fade, and even if you do arrive at a corner a little faster than planned, you’ll find the SL’s grip levels quite high, and its chassis balanced up to the limit. You’ll know you’ve reached that limit when guiding the SL’s nose becomes tricky. The steering’s weight and on-centre accuracy begins to fluctuate. Bumps that wouldn’t register at lower speeds start to thump away distantly within the car’s wheelarches, and disturb the car’s stability slightly. And understeer gradually builds, waking the ESP system. All at speeds and in situations that may not trouble Aston Martin Vantage Roadsters, Porsche 911 Convertibles and Jaguar XKs – as if that would bother your average SL convert. Should I buy one? Absolutely. Because, however highly you value ultimate dynamic poise and precision, the SL’s final-tenth dynamic wooliness doesn’t dim its appeal in the slightest. While it may not be overly endowed with body control, chassis composure and bristling feel, Mercedes’ magnificent roadster remains utterly unique. Almost sixty years young, it’s become just about the most splendid, single-minded luxury convertible in the world. In this tester’s experience, not even Bentley, Aston Martin or Rolls-Royce provide better. Mercedes-Benz SL500 BlueEfficiency review - Autocar.co.uk M
WOW the ride being compared to Rolls and Bentley for a roadster...Thats awesome it seems they like the front and haven't complained about the front lights so lets hope i can see one soon..
I think we're entering the era where Mercedes' cars will be truly world-beating again, but their styling won't match that ability anymore. I guess it really is hard to have it all. M
Sounds like it will be one of the most advanced-ly engineered cars of all time, and I hoped this would be the case a long time ago after I read the MT article where they saw the cars bones/construction and said that it might be the "most advanced build and materials ever in a car". I recently read another article from that same display/showing where the guy said that staring at the cars naked bones/body was like staring at artwork in itself. On an unfortunate side, I'm still a fan of this car, except for that terrible headlight unit shape (it just gets worse the more I see it), however, it's just not stirring my emotions in these pics. Sometimes the car looks so dynamic and cunning, then sometimes it looks disjointed and relatively boring. Idk. I'm still behind it and have little doubt that it'll be one of my top tiers when I see it in person. .... I think it's the matte colors. We get it, M-B, you're trying to be trendy and fashion forward.... which is unfortunately against what built you up to where you are.... but please, the matte colors are making the cars lack in luster in these pics.
Agree 100%. IMO, the designs need more of Sacco's touch to give it a bit more command. But the ride quality is really impressive. And what's even more impressive is this is with ABC. I can only imagine what M-B's are going to feel like when "Magic Body Control" is implemented.
Mercedes SL500 Our verdict on the lighter, more efficient and more powerful Mercedes SL roadster AE 4/5 Stars It’s nearly 60 years since the first Mercedes SL was introduced. The name stands for ‘Sports Lightweight’, yet as successive generations have piled on the pounds, the car has become more of a large and luxurious grand tourer. Now there’s an all-new SL, and behind the conservative styling you’ll find a state-of-the-art aluminium bodyshell. And at 1,785kg, it’s 125kg lighter than the model it replaces. We drove the SL500, which will be the most powerful version until the SL63 AMG arrives. It has a twin-turbocharged 4.7-litre V8 that produces 429bhp. That’s 49bhp more than the old SL500, yet fuel consumption has been reduced by 22 per cent, to 31mpg. The entry-level SL350, which has a 3.5-litre V6, does even better – making 302bhp while returning 41.5mpg. It’s hard not to love a car that sounds this good. Progress is accompanied by a raucous V8 soundtrack, and the engine is just as happy to burble slowly around town as it is to flex its muscle on the open road. A sharper driving experience was one of the main priorities for the new SL, and it’s immediately clear that the stiff aluminium construction has improved things significantly. We drove the car on some rough Spanish roads and there was no sign of the scuttle shake that usually affects open-top cars. Our test model was fitted with the optional Active Body Control system, which gives excellent ride quality combined with roll-free cornering. But the SL is still a Grand Tourer rather than a true sports car: you’re reminded of its significant weight whenever you try to press on a bit. The full equipment list is as long as your arm, but highlights include a Front Bass system, which uses the bodyshell as a subwoofer, as well as wiper blades with tiny holes that apply screenwash, so you don’t get splashed with the roof down. Plus, optional Magic Sky Control allows you to switch the roof panels from transparent to opaque at the touch of a button. SOURCE: Read more: Mercedes SL500 review | Auto Express
So these testers @ Autocar needs to learn the Alphabet, ABC....Active Body Control has absolutely nothing to do with Air. Just goes to show their not always as smart as the pretend to be.:eusa_doh: It's a steel Coil spring based strut with a damper and hydraulic fluid.
Yeah I saw that too, JC says the same thing whenever he reviews a Mercedes with ABC also. People are just misinformed I guess. M
This is what I predicted sometime back... I believe the new SL will come very close to matching all the numbers of the outgoing SL63 AMG, which is going to be awesome!
The 1/4 mile for the new SL550 will be 12.7 @ 112mph. The old SL63 did it in 12.6-12.8 @113mph - 111mph. It's basically a toss up.
Road and Track - 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550 - First Drive 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550 First Drive Review - RoadandTrack.com It is a shame the one SL model I could comfortably buy is not the best looking one. The SL63's nose is what is needed here, other than that from the 3/4's view this SL is magical. Its that damn front end and the headlights that are just too much in some views. Still though I want one of these in the next few years! M
New SL has an aquired taste, that is mostly loved by MB fans. Forothers, the design is hard to digest!
