Photo: Mercedes-Benz
Ah, the SL-Class! Once the pride and joy of the three-pointed star’s sports car lineup, the SL has gotten fatter, comfier, and more grand touring-like with each and every generation. The current chassis code for the Sportlich Leicht is R231, and pricing gets ridiculous if you go for the full-on 65.
The MSRP for the U.S.-spec SL 65 is $222,000, which is a lot for a six-year-old design that doesn’t hold a candle to the GT C Roadster ($157,000) and GT R Coupe (also $157,000). Even more curious is the naming: SL for the grand tourer and GT for the driver-oriented sports car.
If there’s anything the R231 SL could use, that’s a re-establishment as a force within the Mercedes-Benz range. And with the next-generation model, the Stuttgart-based automaker is expected to do the right thing by infusing the R232 with the AMG know-how that went into the GT family.
Automobile Mag has the lowdown on the long-anticipated successor, which in Mercedes-AMG specification is anticipated to go on sale in 2021. According to the cited publication, the SL will go soft top and drop a few pounds thanks to the aluminum-intensive platform. A couple of rear seats are also envisioned as a means to make the SL a bit more practical.
The most important and credible information on the all-new SL is the part that reads “being engineered in sync with the next-gen versions of the GT.” With Tobias Moers at the helm, there’s no denying the future SL will be a far more focused machine than the luxbarge of today.
“According to an engineer familiar with the matter,” the motoring magazine highlights four engine options worth looking forward to, starting with the 3.0-liter inline-six SL 43. Then comes the 53 and 63, which just like the 43, would use 48-volt mild hybridization.
As for the range-topping version, the Mercedes-AMG SL 73 PHEV should come with a “4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with 612 hp, plus an e-motor rated at 204 hp for a total of more than 800 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque.”
If there’s anything the R231 SL could use, that’s a re-establishment as a force within the Mercedes-Benz range. And with the next-generation model, the Stuttgart-based automaker is expected to do the right thing by infusing the R232 with the AMG know-how that went into the GT family.
Automobile Mag has the lowdown on the long-anticipated successor, which in Mercedes-AMG specification is anticipated to go on sale in 2021. According to the cited publication, the SL will go soft top and drop a few pounds thanks to the aluminum-intensive platform. A couple of rear seats are also envisioned as a means to make the SL a bit more practical.
The most important and credible information on the all-new SL is the part that reads “being engineered in sync with the next-gen versions of the GT.” With Tobias Moers at the helm, there’s no denying the future SL will be a far more focused machine than the luxbarge of today.
“According to an engineer familiar with the matter,” the motoring magazine highlights four engine options worth looking forward to, starting with the 3.0-liter inline-six SL 43. Then comes the 53 and 63, which just like the 43, would use 48-volt mild hybridization.
As for the range-topping version, the Mercedes-AMG SL 73 PHEV should come with a “4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with 612 hp, plus an e-motor rated at 204 hp for a total of more than 800 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque.”
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