Yahoo Autos 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL gets a major makeover to take on the Porsche 911
The seventh-generation SL has arrived to prove once and for all that the V8-powered roadster isn't dead. Making this point required undergoing a significant transformation: the SL now comes from Affalterbach rather than Stuttgart and it will exclusively be marketed by Mercedes-AMG. It also gains a power-folding cloth soft top, a pair of rear seats, and standard all-wheel-drive for the first time in its history.
In recent decades, the SL has been more of a grand tourer than a true sports car. This ends here, and the mutation starts with design. Its proportions have been completely rejigged. It's now characterized by a long hood, a short trunk lid, and short overhangs on both ends. Its front fascia falls perfectly in line with Mercedes-Benz's current design language by adopting angular headlights and the Panamericana grille mounted relatively low. Out back, horizontal rear lights are integrated into a more rounded panel, and there's a massive air diffuser.
Ditching the power-folding hard top has its merits. We're told the power-operated cloth unit weighs 46 pounds less, a reduction which lowers the center of gravity. It can be operated in 15 seconds at speeds of up to 37 mph, and buyers will have three colors to choose from.
From certain angles, the new SL looks like a logical evolution of the GT Roadster. AMG is quick to point out that it developed the model in-house from the ground up and that it does not share a single component with the last-generation SL or with the topless version of the GT.
