The new Mercedes SL should return to the sporty roots of the legendary series. That is why the AMG dynamic specialists have the reins in their hands with the new edition. On the country roads around the Nürburgring, we were able to get an impression of whether the sporty and elegant request was successful.
“You see, the car remains absolutely stable”, beams Jochen Hermann and at the same time moves the valance slightly to the left. As if on command, the Mercedes SL moves in the specified direction and, as if drawn with the famous circle, the roadster hurries through the curve. Now it’s going in the other direction. The notorious load change that caused some cars to unintentionally prance. Not the Mercedes Roadster. A slight countermovement of the flounce and the SL moves unimpressed. No steering, no rocking, no great tilting. The front end remains stable even at brisk cornering speed, which suggests roll stabilization. “I can’t say anything about that yet,” smiles the AMG chief technology officer.
Hermann also kept a low profile when it came to the engines. When asked about the sonorous babbling, he says mischievously: “If you want a V8, you want a sound like that”. So the slightly camouflaged vehicle is likely to be a 63 AMG that hits the rear axle with around 600 hp. In a very special way, it pays into the lateral dynamics of the roadster by dancing in a controlled manner. “In the Sport plus driving mode, we let them off the leash a little more,” says Jochen Hermann, before making a relaxed 180 degree turn in one go. Aha, the new SL also has rear-axle steering. On the other hand, there will be no hammer twelve-cylinder in the Mercedes-AMG SL of the R 232 series. If you want to settle at the top of the roadster food chain, you should use the hybrid version, which should easily crack the 700 PS mark.
One thing was clear for the Affalterbach tuning division. “We’re bringing the car back to where it came from and making a sports car suitable for everyday use,” explains Jochen Hermann. So away from the comfortable, but somewhat sedate current model. The fabric roof, which works without magnesium panels, is the visual proof of the paradigm shift back to the roots. Sounds easy, but it’s anything but trivial. “For me, a sports car has to behave precisely, predictably and repeatably,” says the engineer, giving an insight into the priorities of the specification sheet.
An important lever to achieve these goals is the chassis, in which the AMG engineers have invested a lot. It helps that Jochen Hermann’s team began developing the roadster five years ago on “a blank sheet of paper”. It starts with the new architecture, which consists of a combination of an aluminum spaceframe with a self-supporting structure. The targeted use of various lightweight materials such as aluminum, magnesium and fiber composites gives the engineers the opportunity to breath the desired dynamics into the vehicle.
When defining the driving behavior, the software helps in interaction with the experience (in the truest sense of the word) of the technicians. Because for the SL the maxim of the sporty glider applies – and that in every situation. We also feel this when switching through the various driving programs. In Sport plus, the SL tightens noticeably without getting annoyingly hard. Even on bad roads, the chassis does not react in a rumbling or gruff manner. Even transverse joints do not cause the chassis to lose its composure. Only an extensive test drive can provide more precise information. In the dynamic setting, the eight-ender speaks audibly, as is typical of AMG. In comfort mode, the structure is not so uncompromisingly connected, but does not teeter annoyingly. The head of technology is very keen that the coordination of the new Mercedes-AMG SL was orthodox. This means: first the most perfect possible adjustment of the chassis before the refinement is tackled using the software.
Switching from the folding roof to the fabric roof has a number of consequences. In order to get the space for the convertible top and the two seats for the two-plus-two-seater, the transmission has moved to the front, directly behind the engine. The rear axle steering also takes up space, which is gained in this way. Speaking of installation space. “The car was a battle for every millimeter,” says Jochen Hermann, pointing to the flat wheel arch of the front fender. “That is what the designers want and the engineers need the space for the chassis,” explains Hermann the struggle between the two car manufacturing groups. The compromise has succeeded. In addition, there is the Panamericana radiator grille, which is mandatory for AMG, and active aerodynamics.
However, technical innovations are always part of the SL legend. The 360-degree camera interacts with the radar sensors and when an object comes closer than 30 centimeters to the body, the boundary bends inward and changes its color to match. If it is red, there is a risk of collision. That brings us to the interior. With a vertical display, it borrows from the S-Class without, however, falling into the luxury cruiser’s display opulence. Above all, the instrument display is much smaller and the incline of the central 11.9-inch touchscreen above the center console can be adjusted at the push of a button so that the displays can be read in all light and sunshine conditions. The scenario is complemented by the sports steering wheel with its three double spokes with the touchpads and the round buttons for the driving modes and the dampers.
In keeping with one’s standing, one takes a seat on seats that are upholstered with fine quilted leather and the piano lacquer or chrome applications complete the noble impression. If your mouth is watering now, you should start saving, because the new edition of the icon, which will be launched at the beginning of next year, will certainly not be a bargain.
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