2022 Mercedes-Benz SL Officially Unveiled- Bigger, Bolder, and Quicker Than Ever.

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The seventh generation of Mercedes Benz's flagship roadster has been unveiled. Everything is from the ground up, having been built on a new multi-material platform made from aluminum, steel, magnesium, and other composites. Unlike previous iterations of the SL, the new SL will be available in AMG trims only, and branded as a "Mercedes-AMG" car.

Measuring 185.2-inches (4705 mm) long and 106.3-inches (2700 mm) between the axles the new SL is 2.9 inches (74 mm) longer and rides on a wheelbase stretched 4.5-inches (115 mm) over the previous SL’s. It’s also 6-inches (154 mm) longer than the old AMG GT Roadster, which the SL sends to an early grave, remedying the previously bizarre situation where Mercedes had two different two-seat V8 convertible sports cars covering similar market turf.

It's performance figures have vastly improved as well. The entry-level SL 55 makes 470 hp and 516 lb-ft, while the punchier SL 63 ups those numbers to 577 hp and 590 lb-ft thanks to more turbo boost, improved airflow, and a software tweak. Even the base car can hit 62 mph in 3.9 seconds, but the SL 63 cuts that down to 3.6 seconds, and the PHEV, expected for release next year, could go even harder if it borrows its hardware from the 831hp AMG GT 63 E, unveiled this September’s Munich show. The SL 55 will top out at 183 mph, leaving the SL 63 to romp ahead to 196 mph. A nine-speed automatic transmission is the only available option, and all models have 4MATIC, Mercedes' all-wheel drive system. Modern five-link front suspension, carbon-ceramic brakes, and rear-wheel steering also come standard on both 55 and 63.

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It looks identical to the AMG GT Roadster but with two extra seats
That appears to be Mercedes' intention. They consider this its successor.
Philipp Schiemer also confirmed that a new Mercedes-AMG SL is on the horizon and will replace the AMG GT Roadster.
 
Bigger, bolder, quicker…and worse.

Look at this interior:



Cold. Digital. Intangible. Soulless. This interior was not designed by an artist and built by a craftsman. It was forged by a robot and coded by an engineer. Disgusting. No passion, no tactility. It’s flat, cold, heartless, and intangible.

It’s not a Mercedes and it’s certainly not luxurious. It’s a $200 tablet a bad parent gives their child to shut them up. It’s tasteless and classless. It’s garbage.

I am embarrassed for anybody who chooses to spend their time in such a dehumanized environment. I hope they find love and salvation at some point in their life.

As far as the marketing is concerned, if Mercedes considers this a replacement for the AMG GT then they’ve made a horrible mistake.

BMW died a slow death and now Mercedes only has hours to spare. We should all head to the hospital right now to say our goodbyes.

Edit: a friend said “Blame Tesla.” No. Don’t blame Tesla. Tesla forged their own identity. Tesla can sell as many Teslas as they want. But Mercedes et al is not Tesla. I blame all these legacy companies for failing to remain true to their identity. Can you imagine a Rolls Royce with no buttons, no levers, no knobs? Just glass? We shall see if such a prestigious brand will remain true, but it’s clear that Mercedes has placed profits above identity. I don’t know about y’all but I don’t respect that. Not that respecting a corporation is something anybody should ever do, but ultimately a corporation is nothing more than a group a people who contribute to its mission, and all those people should consider themselves responsible for the company’s direction. And in this case, they should consider themselves responsible for selling out a prestigious brand for a quick buck. Shame.
 
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At least they gave it a decent hood shut line....looking at you C-Class...

I have to say though, the panel gaps (on the grey car at least) look rather large and kind of untidy for such a premium flagship. And these are press photos.
 
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I do find it strange how the new SL has no non-AMG variants. What if you want a more traditional SL without the flashy performance bits? Also, there's no hardtop version either, which is odd.

While I do agree it's a pretty good looking car, the new SL does suffer from a lack of identity. As other's have noted, it does look a bit Porsche-y, and I can see some Jaguar and Maserati GranTurismo elements mixed in. It doesn't seem to look a whole lot like previous iterations of the SL, rather an evolved AMG GT Roadster instead.

Bigger, bolder, quicker…and worse.

Look at this interior:



Cold. Digital. Intangible. Soulless. This interior was not designed by an artist and built by a craftsman. It was forged by a robot and coded by an engineer. Disgusting. No passion, no tactility. It’s flat, cold, heartless, and intangible.

It’s not a Mercedes and it’s certainly not luxurious. It’s a $200 tablet a bad parent gives their child to shut them up. It’s tasteless and classless. It’s garbage.

I am embarrassed for anybody who chooses to spend their time in such a dehumanized environment. I hope they find love and salvation at some point in their life.

As far as the marketing is concerned, if Mercedes considers this a replacement for the AMG GT then they’ve made a horrible mistake.

BMW died a slow death and now Mercedes only has hours to spare. We should all head to the hospital right now to say our goodbyes.

Edit: a friend said “Blame Tesla.” No. Don’t blame Tesla. Tesla forged their own identity. Tesla can sell as many Teslas as they want. But Mercedes et al is not Tesla. I blame all these legacy companies for failing to remain true to their identity. Can you imagine a Rolls Royce with no buttons, no levers, no knobs? Just glass? We shall see if such a prestigious brand will remain true, but it’s clear that Mercedes has placed profits above identity. I don’t know about y’all but I don’t respect that. Not that respecting a corporation is something anybody should ever do, but ultimately a corporation is nothing more than a group a people who contribute to its mission, and all those people should consider themselves responsible for the company’s direction. And in this case, they should consider themselves responsible for selling out a prestigious brand for a quick buck. Shame.

It's interior looks better with two-tone colors (like the brown/black one in the OP) as opposed to solid black. I don't really have any major gripes with the interior, as it seems like what you would expect from a new Mercedes-Benz product. Though, I do worry that car manufacturers are in an endless race to increase the size of their touchscreens, and that will make car interiors, even luxury ones, more soulless and artificial feeling as a whole. I'll concede that the screen in the new SL is quite big.
 
R129 was last truly wonderful SL in whole line up all years. from SL320 to SL73. from 1989 to 2002. no wonder why values are going up.
 
Shame the folding hardtop is gone. I feel like that was one of the defining things about the last few SL's.
 
Bigger, bolder, quicker…and worse.

Look at this interior:



Cold. Digital. Intangible. Soulless. This interior was not designed by an artist and built by a craftsman. It was forged by a robot and coded by an engineer. Disgusting. No passion, no tactility. It’s flat, cold, heartless, and intangible.

It’s not a Mercedes and it’s certainly not luxurious. It’s a $200 tablet a bad parent gives their child to shut them up. It’s tasteless and classless. It’s garbage.

I am embarrassed for anybody who chooses to spend their time in such a dehumanized environment. I hope they find love and salvation at some point in their life.

As far as the marketing is concerned, if Mercedes considers this a replacement for the AMG GT then they’ve made a horrible mistake.

BMW died a slow death and now Mercedes only has hours to spare. We should all head to the hospital right now to say our goodbyes.

Edit: a friend said “Blame Tesla.” No. Don’t blame Tesla. Tesla forged their own identity. Tesla can sell as many Teslas as they want. But Mercedes et al is not Tesla. I blame all these legacy companies for failing to remain true to their identity. Can you imagine a Rolls Royce with no buttons, no levers, no knobs? Just glass? We shall see if such a prestigious brand will remain true, but it’s clear that Mercedes has placed profits above identity. I don’t know about y’all but I don’t respect that. Not that respecting a corporation is something anybody should ever do, but ultimately a corporation is nothing more than a group a people who contribute to its mission, and all those people should consider themselves responsible for the company’s direction. And in this case, they should consider themselves responsible for selling out a prestigious brand for a quick buck. Shame.

Meh, this seems a bit of an exaggeration to me. What kept me off of getting a C43 last time around was the lack of tech on the interior. It may surprise you that people like big tablet-y things and digital dashboards haha.

I actually think it looks really nice all around, though it looks so much better roof down. If it had a folding hard top it might look better but that soft top looks terrible up.
 
All those numbers and no mention of the fact it weighs two actual tons.

Also the centre stack looks like Jar Jar Binks.
 
Barely looks like an SL. Very disappointing interior style, too. If you must have a screen, that seems to be a really shoddy way of doing it.
 
Not exactly sure what hairdresser exactly can afford a nearly $150,000 vehicle.
Firstly, probably quite a few. The last person I paid to cut my hair let slip he had a Mercedes S600. That was when I bought hair clippers and started shaving my own head instead.

More importantly though, nobody's going into a showroom waving $150,000 and getting a car. In fact barely anyone buys a new car outright. If you can rock up with a 15% deposit, an £80k Mercedes is £800 a month over four years.
 
If you can afford to own your own hair salon, you can afford to have an expensive convertible, or at the very least have it on lease. Especially if you're good at replicating whatever trendy hairstyle this month's big celebrity is sporting.
 
Snarky comments aside, I'm just glad that in this SUV-obsessed world, M-B still sees value in making the SL, even after nearly 70 years in continuous production. The convertible sports car isn't dead yet.
 
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Who's gonna need 831hp in a convertible?

You already feel like you're going Mach 6 with all the wind noise with the roof down, now you can experience that while oversteering into the mountainside?
Driving on the Autobahn I assume. In any case, no car really needs 800 horsepower, convertible or not.
 
Entry level SL 43 AMG unveiled, will be the lowest-priced trim of the new SL (although pricing has not been revealed). Powered by a 2.0L mild-hybrid I4 making 375hp, mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission.

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Maybe it's just me but I can't figure out why the SL and AMG GT exist in the same space. The GT isn't the one with the heritage either. I've never been able to wrap my head around why the GT isn't the SL. Plus, the GT does everything better than an SL ever could so it really makes no sense at all. The two cars are now going to share the same chassis and the GT will become worse across the board because of it, not least of which is it getting uglier because Mercedes insists on giving the SL awkward proportions.
 
Maybe it's just me but I can't figure out why the SL and AMG GT exist in the same space. The GT isn't the one with the heritage either. I've never been able to wrap my head around why the GT isn't the SL. Plus, the GT does everything better than an SL ever could so it really makes no sense at all. The two cars are now going to share the same chassis and the GT will become worse across the board because of it, not least of which is it getting uglier because Mercedes insists on giving the SL awkward proportions.
I feel like this has been addressed already, but in case it hasn't, the all-new SL is the successor to the AMG GT convertible, which will be discontinued. The SL is meant to be more grown-up and luxury-oriented while the AMG GT is pure performance. I agree that while the AMG GT convertible and previous-gen SL existed at once, it did seem very redundant, hence the SL having some of it's worst sales years in history. Whether you wanted something more luxury-oriented or more performance-oriented, the AMG GT was the better buy.
 
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