Internally referred to as R232, the seventh-generation SL is the heaviest of them all due to a number of reasons. Marketed under the Mercedes-AMG performance brand rather than as a Benz, the Super Leicht features either 2WD or 4MATIC+.
Rear-wheel drive is exclusive to the 43 series, which packs a four-cylinder turbo assembled by AMG. The fancy all-wheel-drive system with the + suffix is limited to the 55 and 63, at least for the time being. After all, Mercedes-AMG is currently putting the finishing touches on a plug-in hybrid with something like 831 horsepower on full song.
Said plug-in hybrid rocks the wet-sump V8 engine of the 63 series. Pictured in MANUFAKTUR Monza Grey Magno matte-finish paint, the German convertible in the video below is described by km77’s Enrique Calle as two cars rolled into one. Calle refers to little in the way of wind noise at 120 kilometers per hour (make that 74.5 miles per hour) and pretty good handling for a car with a soft top.
Be that as it may, there are comfier options in this particular segment. Calle further notes much in the way of tire roar from the factory-issue tires, namely 275/35 ZR21 and 305/30 ZR21 rubber from the peeps at Michelin. The PS4S tires are joined by rear-wheel steering, but you’ll be shocked by how bad the turning circle is. In the slalom test, Calle had to use the entire width of the track in order to turn the car around for the dash back to the start/finish line.
Final time? 22.8 seconds, which puts the SL 63 right between the smart #1 Brabus (22.5 seconds) and BMW XM (22.9 seconds). Tied with the Polestar 2 Long Range Dual Motor Performance Pack, the SL 63 couldn’t do better than 75 kilometers per hour (46.6 miles per hour) in the Spanish motoring publication’s moose test. km77 is called this way because 77 clicks (47.8 miles per hour) is the speed required for a pass. Even though the SL 63 came out two kilometers per hour short, Calle is most impressed by the prompt reactions, grip, and ESP calibration.
Photo: km77.com on YouTube
Anything over 75 clicks in the moose test results in a less grippy front end, which ultimately leads to a snappier tail in the final part of the moose test. Sport+ mode doesn’t help either because the ESP intervenes later than in Comfort mode. All in all, 75 kilometers per hour still is hugely impressive for a convertible that tips the scales at two metric tons.
In European specification, the SL 63 weighs 1,970 kilograms or 4,343 pounds. While it may seem too much for a car whose moniker translates to Super Light, bear in mind the SL 63 is lighter than similar vehicles. The M8 Competition Cabriolet is 2,100 kilograms, the naturally-aspirated Lexus LC 500 weighs 2,100 kilos, and the ultra-luxury Bentley Continental GTC is 2,335 in its lightest of forms.
Remember the plug-in hybrid from a few paragraphs ago? The SL 63 E Performance (or SL 63 S E Performance, whatever it may be called) is certainly going to exceed two metric tons due to its high-voltage battery, electric motor, and charging system.
On that note, $183,000 is the MSRP of the SL 63 in the United States for the 2023 model year. The hybrid-assisted sibling will be – without a shadow of a doubt – more than $200,000 from the outset.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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