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Looks better. Feels better. Could this be the best SL ever?
Mercedes-Benz chose Southern California for the worldwide first-drive program of its freshened 2009 SL-class roadster, we thought, on account of its friendly, relatively predictable March weather and access to fabulous roads. While the blessed Left Coast location has both of those things, Mercedes attributed its choice of locations to something even more significant, asserting that it was bringing us to the very roots of the SL-class. That’s right, Southern California is responsible for the very existence of the SL roadster itself.
Huh? According to Mercedes-Benz, in the SL’s not-so-humble beginnings—the storied 300SL Gullwing—there was little or no initial consideration for doing a roadster version. The butterfly doors on the coupe were designed to make the big two-seater accessible in tight European quarters and, without a roof, there would be no place to mount them. But according to the “legend,” California’s rich and famous—who didn’t share European space constraints, nor did they care much about Europeans, for that matter—clamored enough to make a case for a roadster version. The result was a beautifully proportioned instant classic.
Surprised? Just take a look around Los Angeles and you won’t be. There are more SLs on the road in Southern California, we’d guess, than anywhere in the world. And so we set off feeling right at home as we got our first taste of the 2009 SL-class. The fact that it was a perfect sunny day in March and we were enjoying California’s trademark fabulous roads was just icing on the cake.
Just as the Rich Get Richer, the Stylish Get More Stylish
Just as the wealthy always seem to find more money in their accounts after making withdrawals, style builds upon style when it comes to their rides. The SL’s mid-cycle enhancement, then, brings with it a few effective styling changes, headlined by a new single-bar grille that evokes most of its SL forebears, flanked by L-shaped headlamps that evoke none of them. But they do tie the SL nicely to the CLS-class four-door coupe-sedan thing and likely many sporting Mercedes-Benz models to come. To us, the lights look a bit discordant, primarily due to the rearmost edge having the same roundness as the previous SL’s now-dated peanut lights, no doubt to keep Mercedes from having to develop new fender stampings.
The fenders themselves on the SL550 and SL600 incorporate modified gill-type air outlets behind the front wheels and bracket a redesigned hood with two stupidly named “power domes,” which, in fact, are neither domes nor anything that give the car more power (for the real power story in the SL lineup, look no further than our drive of the new SL63 AMG, with its naturally aspirated 518-hp, 6.2-liter V-8—and no power domes). Other modifications found on the SL lineup include larger side mirrors with curious arrow-shaped turn signals, and in the case of the SL550 and SL600, a faux air “diffuser” and trapezoidal exhaust tips at the rear.
In all, we’d say that the changes are successful in adding presence and a sportier overall look to the car. Whether it’s more attractive is up to the beholder, we suppose. All we can say at this point is that, unlike the previous model, it now looks really good in red. More important, from Rodeo Drive to Indian Canyon Boulevard in Palm Springs, everyone seemed to notice that we were driving the new one.
New Steering Wheel, New Steering Sensations
A sporty new three-spoke steering wheel is the most dramatic change made to the SL’s interior; the only other changes of note are the mildly revised instrument cluster, a more logical COMAND infotainment system, and newly available three-speed AirScarf system that blows warm air on your neck. But it’s what you feel through the steering wheel, we’d say, that is more important.
The previous steering rack has been replaced by a new variable-ratio system that is a touch slow immediately off-center, but which gets really serious, really soon, as the wheel turns towards 90 degrees. Seldom in our winding mountain driving experience—over the gorgeous Angeles Crest Highway toward Palmdale, back around Mount Waterman and down toward Palm Springs, with a stretch along the 6000-foot-high Rim-of-the-World Highway—did we have to feed the wheel from hand to hand in corners. Although feel and feedback are far from Porsche-like, both characteristics can be considered excellent and perfectly suitable for a sporting six-figure luxury-touring roadster.
Want a bit of oversteer? Simply stab the gas—particularly with the stability control (ESP) off—and the big roadster’s tail comes around quickly and predictably, making us feel perhaps a bit more confident on our drive than we should have been given the narrow roads, often with steep drop-offs on one side and hungry-looking trees on the other. As ever, ABC (Active Body Control) does a remarkable job keeping body roll completely snuffed whilst soaking up all but the most torrid impacts; between the air springs and the solid construction inherent to all recent SLs, we only really noticed a few jolts during our entire stint behind the wheels of both SL550 and SL600 models—impacts that probably would have caused much more of a disturbance to lesser cars and their occupants.
The SL’s brakes, however, felt a touch artificial as the hypersensitive anti-lock system constantly fiddled with the brake pressures at each wheel, especially when trail braking into corners or on rough patches. This was most apparent in the SL550, whose 13.8-inch front and 12.6-inch rear rotors are each 0.4 inch smaller than those of the marginally heavier SL600. Still, both systems proved completely fade-resistant and more than capable of yanking the big two-seater down in speed abruptly.
Puh-lenty of Power
As for the engines, you won’t find too many complaints on these pages about the 382-horsepower, 5.5-liter V-8 under the hood of any Benz model. Its prodigious torque (some 391 lb-ft) shoves the roadster forward with as much authority as most of its high-powered executive owners command at their respective companies. Now there’s a bit more sound to go with the push as well, although unfortunately that sound is best enjoyed from outside the car. Or in a tunnel.
As ever, the more decadent among the SL’s already decadent demographic can always upgrade to the SL600, with its 510-hp, 612 lb-ft twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V-12 that is, to say the least, more than capable. Based on our tests of previous-generation SLs (with the same powertrains), the SL600 should hit 60 in just 3.6 seconds (versus the SL550’s still impressive 4.9). However, the V-12’s turbo lag—which can be pronounced at times, especially during on-the-gas, off-the-gas switchback shenanigans—makes us wonder if it’s really worth the $10K premium per extra cylinder that Mercedes charges for it over the SL550.
Furthermore, the SL600 takes away two transmission gears (all V-12–powered SLs, including the freshened 2009 SL65 AMG, come with five-speed automatics, whereas the SL550 and the SL63 AMG come with seven-speeders—all with TouchShift manual control and paddle shifters on the steering wheel). Both transmissions, however, feature three driver-selectable modes: Comfort, Sport, and Manual—with the slowest yet most seamless shifts in comfort mode, slightly faster and crisper shifts in Sport, and fast but sometimes harsh shifts in Manual.
Styling and Steering—That’s Pretty Much It
Other than the replacement of the SL55 AMG with the SL63 AMG, the story of the 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL lineup essentially involves steering and styling. Pricing of the SL550 should remain little changed from the $96,075 of the 2008 model, while the SL600’s price climbs to about $136,500 or so (up about $2500), thanks to the fitment of the panoramic glass roof and Parktronic as standard equipment.
All said, these are hardly earth-shattering changes, yet typical of the slow, steady pace that has characterized the last 52 years of SL roadster refinement. Today’s SLs are the most satisfying ever, further securing its position among the most highly revered automobiles on earth. Considering that an ’07 SL550 topped our last $100,000 convertible comparo, edging out the venerable Porsche 911, it didn’t need a whole lot of work.
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