The primary new Mercedes SL in practically a decade is across the nook. This time, it will not be a Mercedes-Benz; it was developed by Mercedes-AMG and will probably be marketed completely by the performance-obsessed sub-brand. It is scheduled to make its international debut on-line on October 28, and a brief preview video printed on the agency’s social media pages provides fans one remaining preview earlier than the large unveiling.
Our first official take a look at the subsequent SL confirms what spy shots have suggested for months. Visually, the roadster falls completely consistent with Mercedes-Benz’s present design language by adopting an almost flat entrance finish with sharp headlights and horizontal tail lamps built-in right into a extra rounded rear fascia. Whereas it is tough to guage a automobile by a tweet, what we see nearly seems like a logical evolution of the GT coupe.
The stage is ready. Impressed by our previous, we innovate for our future. Gentle up the longer term with a brand new period of SL. Able to be starstruck?
28.10. at 4pm CEST#DrivingPerformance #MercedesAMG #AMGSpirit #AMG #PerformanceLuxury pic.twitter.com/Fab1D0criM
— Mercedes-AMG (@MercedesAMG)
October 27, 2021
Past the design, we all know that the subsequent SL might be extra of a revolution than an evolution. It is ditching the current-generation mannequin’s power-folding onerous prime for a fabric mushy prime, which is lighter and extra compact, and official photos of the interior verify it is resurrecting the 2+2 seating format final supplied by the C107-generation SLC (which was the fixed-roof model of the R107 SL) within the early Eighties. We’re guessing this was partially finished to assist fill the void left by the S-Class Cabriolet and to keep away from overlapping with the two-seater GT Roadster.
For the primary time, the SL might be optionally available with permanent all-wheel-drive. This could make the SL a viable year-round driver for lots of motorists. Rear-wheel-drive will presumably come customary. Mercedes-AMG hasn’t launched technical specs but. We’re hoping to see the V8 return (fingers crossed!) and it is cheap to take a position that extra reasonably priced variants will ship with a straight-six engine.
All instructed, these adjustments recommend Mercedes-Benz discovered itself on the identical intersection as Chevrolet when it started growing the eighth-generation Corvette. The mannequin’s audience is getting older, and luring youthful consumers into the fold requires including some extent of novelty to the recipe. For the oldsters at Chevy, it was a mid-mounted engine. For these in Stuttgart, it is extra practicality and much more efficiency.
We’ll be taught extra concerning the subsequent SL (which known as R232 internally) when it makes its debut tomorrow, October 28, at 4 p.m. in Germany. That is 10 a.m. in New York Metropolis and seven a.m. in Los Angeles. The roadster is anticipated to achieve American showrooms as a 2022 mannequin.
