Reshaping an icon
The rich heritage of the Mercedes-Benz SL demands a stylish design. The 300SL Gullwing, the delicate Pagoda of the 1960s and more recently the fifth generation R230 of the early 2000s, were all stunners. Yet the current SL, on sale since 2013, is missing some of that elegance. Despite loosing nearly 300 pounds over its predecessor, this blunt-nosed SL looks bloated, slab-sided and much heavier than the old one.
No bueno.
For the 2017 model year, much of the car has been restyled, reimagined or simply tossed. According to development chief Michael Scheer, everything from the A-pillar forward is a clean-sheet re-boot. The new fenders and the longer hood slope much more steeply toward the grill creating a sleek profile. The new headlamps are angled aggressively, not unlike the ones on the AMG GT S—Mercedes-Benz’s top sports car. The look is far more graceful.
So much of that front end has been altered that Scheer says they had to re-test for pedestrian impact. In the rear, less work was needed — there’s a revised bumper cover and taillights. From just about any angle, the look of the SL has been improved.
A photo gallery for the 2017 Mercedes-Benz SL roadster.
Yet the enhancements to the 2017 SL extend deep beneath the sheetmetal. The one that receives the most improvement is actually the least expensive model—and the best seller. Of the 4,060 SL roadsters Mercedes-Benz moved last year, more than half of them were the 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6-powered SL400. So, to further entice buyers for 2017, the new SL450 (which replaces the SL400) uses the same engine but engineers have bumped the horsepower by 33 and torque by 15 lb-ft through a re-tuned ignition system.
The upgrade now requires premium fuel and the resulting 362 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque is channeled through a new nine-speed automatic replacing the seven-speed unit. The 9G-Tronic made its debut in the recent CLS400 and Scheer says it offers quicker shifting and is no heavier than the old gearbox. Fuel economy is likely to improve thanks to overdrive ratios in the transmission’s top three gears.
The SL550 makes up 37 percent of the lineup and it too receives the new nine-speed transmission but no increase in horsepower. However both the V6 and V8 SLs now offer a greater breadth of performance when owners opt for the adjustable Automatic Body Control (ABC) suspension system. On the outgoing model, this system had modes solely for Comfort and Sport, but the new Dynamic Select menu in the infotainment system has settings for Comfort, Sport, Sport Plus and Individual that alter steering heft, stability control characteristics, throttle response and transmission shifting.
A new Curve function in this menu, is designed to actively level the SL’s suspension in a corner, removing some of the side forces from the driver. Curve can even tilt the car up to 2.65 degrees into the corner, essentially carving it slightly like a motorcycle. It’s the perfect mode to use on a twisty mountain road when the primary goal is to keep from spilling your morning coffee. The suspension automatically lowers by half an inch at highway speeds and can be raised nearly 2 inches above normal if you find yourself driving on a road better suited to a G-Wagen.
A photo gallery for the 2017 Mercedes-Benz SL roadster.
The hottest SLs, the AMG SL63 and SL65 also benefit from the exterior redesign. But these fire-breathers retain the same powertrains with no boost in power or torque. Hey, with 577 hp and 621 hp respectively, did they really need any more? The SL63 now comes standard with a mechanical limited slip (previously an option) and the 7-speed automated manual transmission provides quicker shifts in Sport Plus mode. The insanely potent, rare and expensive SL65 remains unchanged mechanically.
The interior of all SLs carry over from the previous year, and that’s okay. This is a very comfortable place to spend many long hours driving. Our only real complaint is the navigation system. The instructions are sometimes confusing and the pace at which those directions are delivered is painfully slow. More than once we nearly missed a turn. It’s time for an update.
A photo gallery for the 2017 Mercedes-Benz SL roadster.
What’s it like to drive?
Perhaps the biggest complement one could give the SL450 is that it doesn’t feel like the entry-level SL. That V6 pulls hard and thanks to those twin-turbos, delivers a seamless rush of power and torque. And it sounds great, especially in Sport Plus mode—where the exhaust is raspy, mean and backfires on downshifts.
We had a chance to really stretch the SL450’s legs and weave through some of the best roads stretching from Orange County, California south to San Diego. The additional modes in the Dynamic Select menu make it feel sportier and more fun to drive. Sport Plus mode is perfectly tuned with quick shifts timed with corner entry and exit. The mode doesn’t transform the SL450 into an AMG car, but it does push the capabilities and, more importantly, the joy of hustling an SL along a good road to a new level. Sport Plus learns very quickly when you aren’t driving hard anymore — back on the city streets the SL adapts to the road conditions and tempers its actions slightly. It won’t have you reaching for comfort mode as soon as you’re done playing in the canyons. And yet, when you do dial the SL down to comfort, it’s as plush as, well, an S-Class. It’s hushed on the freeway too, where at 60 mph the SL450 loafs along with the engine purring at 1400 rpm.
A photo gallery for the 2017 Mercedes-Benz SL roadster.
But as good as the SL450 is, we know why the SL550 exists. There’s a full 516 lb-ft of torque available down below two grand. Toe into the throttle from 60 mph where the tach shows just 1200 rpm, and the SL550 makes speed with all the ease of a Bentley Continental GT. And, like the Bentley, there’s little sensation of that speed. Eighty mph feels more like forty mph in this car.
Mercedes-Benz says that the SL550 can reach 60 mph in just 4.3 seconds. That’s just three tenths off the pace of the V8-powered AMG SL63. And it’s also more than brisk enough for any road we found. Although the 4.7-liter twin-turbo V8 adds about 110 pounds to the nose of the SL, you don’t really feel it. The SL550 is just as agile as the lighter model. Make no mistake; these are still big, two-ton roadsters. For a more sporting experience, there’s AMG.
Okay, yes, it’s easy to fall for the insanely quick AMG SL63 and SL65. The SL63 is the lighter and sportier of the two. Pin the throttle from a standstill and that limited slip works hard to get those wide 285/30R19’s to hook up. With a slight wiggle, they do, after which acceleration is downright violent. The SL63 is a wonderful machine in the tight corners, behaving like a real sports car. And yet it feels like a car in a different class than either the SL450 or SL550. The breadth of capability is narrower. It’s much better suited to hard driving but the AMG models are harder-edged all around, and lose a little of the comfort and serenity that makes the SL so easy to live with.
After all, most SL buyers don’t opt for the aggressive AMG treatment. Just seven percent of all SL buyers choose an SL63 and the rare SL65 makes up a mere one percent. That’s just 40 cars per year. So if you’re looking for the SL that could be collectible decades from now, the 65 is probably the one.
A photo gallery for the 2017 Mercedes-Benz SL roadster.
Do I want it?
Yes. To our eye, the improved SL is far prettier and better aligned with the stylish roadsters that have come before it. Those AMG SLs are breathtaking in every way, but they come at a premium that’s hard to ignore. Though pricing will be set closer to when the cars go on sale in May, the SL550 really seems to provide a large chunk of the AMG’s potency for around a $ 40,000 discount. If we had slightly more than six figures to spend on a car like this, that’s the one we’d pick.
What’s next for the SL? Scheer wasn’t about to divulge all the model’s future plans, but between smiles and a few hints, he did suggest that the next SL will lose weight, likely through generous use of carbon fiber; it could also return to a roomier two-plus-two seating configuration. That, of course, would make the SL an even better grand touring machine than it already is, but more importantly, it would put more distance between the SL and the company’s AMG GT S sports car.
