Air force two

It is the sportiest SL ever, but it must still excel as a cruiser. That puts the new Mercedes up against the definitive sporty cruiser: the 911 Turbo Cabrio

- Georg Kacher

I WAS HUGELY IMPRESSED BY THE SL 55 THAT I drove in California in February 2022, but concluded it was still a cruiser more than a sports car. So, let us see what the range-topping 63 can do, up against the only benchmark that matters, the Porsche g11 Turbo Cabriolet.

And not just any old 911 Turbo Cabrio. This is my own car, which replaced my four-year-old 911 GT3 Touring when I turned 70 earlier this year. Whereas a test car borrowed from Porsche may well have come with a stack of extras—carbon ceramic brakes, titanium exhaust, and a glut of assistance systems—this vision of a close-to-perfect high-end 911 convertible keeps it relatively simple.

It costs 157,400 Rs 1.45 crore) plus five grand of extras Rs 4.6 lakh), against the SL 63 at 179,225 Rs 1.65 crore) in Performance trim. The only other trim available with the 63 is Premium Plus, at 171,725 Rs 1.58 crore). In both cases, the Merc is pretty lavish compared to the Porsche, but do not think of it as a big softy: it also has more power and more torque.

Is that what it takes to match the Porsche? Chasing the gir has long been a matter of honour and pride for Germany’s car-makers. The Audi R8, BMW M68, and, until recently, the Mercedes-AMG GT have all tried their best in pursuit of Zuffenhausen’s finest. The SL has been around since 1954—since before the g11 was called the 911—but it is only really now, with this AMG-developed eighth generation, that it has turned its sights directly on the gir.

This new SL echoes the Porsche in having a pair of token rear seats as standard and a power-operated canvas roof instead of the old retractable hardtop. It also, like the 911 Turbo, has all-wheel drive and rear-wheel steering.