The top 4 things you need to know about the upcoming Mercedes-AMG SL

The seventh generation of Mercedes-Benz’s SL is due for its international début any moment now, continuing a lineage that stretches all the way back to the mid-1950s. But, while those early SL models were lightweight, high-performance cars, successive generations grew ever-heavier, more sophisticated, and more powerful. 

In addition, Mercedes-AMG has developed their own line of sports cars, posing a further threat to the SL’s dominance at the very top of the Mercedes ladder. Fortunately, things in the Mercedes-AMG line-up are about to change very soon, allowing the SL to change its focus slightly. Here are the top 4 expected changes, that are about to happen to the new Mercedes-AMG SL.

 

1. It's being developed by AMG

In contrast to the previous generations of SL, which started out as pure Mercedes-Benz products before being handed over to AMG for their highest-performance derivatives, the new SL is an AMG product at its core. In fact, it’s being developed alongside the next-generation Mercedes-AMG GT, and is bound to share much of that all-aluminium sports car’s architecture. 

And, seeing as AMG is doing the heavy lifting in the next SL’s development, it likely points towards a sportier SL as well. Essentially, the new SL will be a rather more-cosseting variation of the GT sports car platform, with its high-power variants merely getting their muzzles relaxed a bit.

Related: Get a full run-down of the 2016 Mercedes-Benz SL and Mercedes-AMG SL facelift here.

 

2. Mega power will still be the order of the day

While lower-rung Mercedes-Benz SL derivatives will likely rely on the latest corporate 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine (or perhaps even hybrid 4-cylinders!) with a V8 or two filling the gaps higher up the range, the full-fat Mercedes-AMG versions will still have power oozing from every pore. 

There’s even talk of a high-end hybrid version, likely to be badged as the SL 73 (a name last seen around the turn of the century). This is rumoured to combine the corporate twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 with electric motors on both axles, for a total system output said to be in the 800 hp (roughly 600 kW) range. 

Related: Check out this cool 360-degree view of the sixth-generation Mercedes-AMG SL 63.

 

3. The return of the soft top

Mercedes-Benz was an early adopter of the modern folding hardtop, first using it on the 1996 SLK. It spilled over to the larger SL in 2001, and remained a fixture of this model for next two decades. 

But now, the upcoming SL will finally revert to a soft top design once again, the engineers finally having realised that a folding hardtop is too complex, heavy, and space-consuming. It’s probably safe to assume that Mercedes will sell an optional removable hardtop, colour-matched to the car, when it’s first ordered – just as they did for the first four generations.

Related: We compared the infotainment system of the previous Mercedes-AMG SL to those of two opponents.

 

4. It will be transformed into a 2+2 roadster

Earlier SLs were strict two-seater roadsters, with maybe room for a luggage shelf behind the seats. That market slot is occupied by the Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster these days, though, leaving the traditional SL's body style without a real reason to exist. However, Mercedes has announced the discontinuation of the S-Class's Convertible variant for its latest generation, creating room for a soft-top with more than two seats in the highest echelons of the Mercedes-Benz/AMG hierarchy. 

This is where the new SL will fit into the model range, with its new 2+2 seating arrangement and less space-consuming soft top. This strategy reduces internal competition with related models, and frees up space in the line-up for new, electrified products. Will the next SL be, at some stage, blessed with batteries beyond the hybrid setup? Well, it would be unwise to discount the possibility.

Related: Was the sixth-generation Mercededs-AMG SL a (wealthy) couple’s dream car?

 

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Shop for used (older-generation) Mercedes-Benz SL cars for sale here.