Sportier new Mercedes SL brings back soft-top

Four-wheel drive and steering standard for AMG-developed roadster

- GREG KABLE

Mercedes-AMG has revealed the seventh generation of the SL roadster, which brings back the fabric roof and 2+2 layout of earlier incarnations and receives both four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering as standard.

The R232-generation SL, which is set for UK sales early next year, has been developed by the AMG performance division and is expected to share its drivetrains, chassis, electrical architecture and other key components with the second-generation AMG GT, which is due in 2023.

An all-new aluminium platform, consisting of a spaceframe and a self-supporting body structure, is significantly more rigid than that of the previous SL, which used Mercedes’ Modular Rear Architecture (MRA) platform. Transverse rigidity is claimed to be 50% higher than with the platform used by the current GT Roadster, while longitudinal rigidity is said to be up by 40%.

“We were able to start from scratch without building on an existing structure,” said Jochen Hermann, AMG’s chief technical officer, who added that the new SL’s bodyshell weighs just 270kg.

A further advantage offered by the new platform is the ability to mount the engine and axles lower than before. This has led to an overall lowering of the centre of gravity, for improved dynamic performance.

Arriving 67 years after the original SL was first introduced to the Mercedes line-up, the new model adopts a totally fresh look with more overt cab-backwards proportions than its predecessor.