Mild Exterior Freshening Hides New Internals on Refrehsed SL
Mercedes-Benz's SL is the undisputed segment leader in the
grand touring convertible segment, with models spanning from entry-level six-cylinder vehicles, to the opposite end of the spectrum - a twin-turbocharged V12 supercar-beater with a quarter of a million dollar price tag. The SL family is unique thanks to its aluminum folding hardtop roof, enabling it to seriously compete with both hardtop coupes and soft-top roadsters; remaining one of the few vehicles in its class that can be a sports car, a comfortable cruiser, and a practical everyday driver with plenty of useable trunk space. In other words, as far as this market is concerned, essentially the SL verges on the border of perfection.
To ring in the new year, and to celebrate four years of dominance resulting in an incredible 33 percent market share, Mercedes-Benz has given the SL a host of technological updates to ensure that its halo roadster keeps a comfortable lead over the continuously improving opposition, though from a distance it'll be hard to tell. Exterior changes to model-year 2007 SLs are nearly invisible: they include new tail lamps with white-coloured turn signal indicators, while up front, the nose section has been tweaked slightly to include thicker, silver-painted ribs on the radiator grille, and a new lower valance with larger fog lamps; different wheels and a new colour palette round out the exterior changes. Inside modifications are equally minor, including new leather, wood and metal trim.
Underneath
its skin, things start to a little bit more interesting, as there are two all-new engines available. While unavailable in North America, the entry-level SL350 features an all-new 3.5-litre V6 powerplant, as featured in the new-model SLK, C, CLK, and E-Class '350' models. Though smaller by 226 cc (the old 350 was powered by a 3.7-litre V6), its output is markedly better, some 11 percent higher at 272-horsepower. The news gets better: it's more than half a second quicker to 100 km/h (6.6 seconds), all while managing to use one litre less fuel per 100 km (10.8 L/100 km) driven in a mix of city and highway. So really, this new engine allows you to have your cake and eat it too.
Entry level in North American markets and quite possibly one of the most balanced grand tourers overall is the SL500. It too gets a new V8 engine, but where the 350's displacement has shrunken, the 500's has grown - by a half litre no less. With an extra valve in each cylinder, and dual overhead cams, the new engine produces an impressive 388-horsepower, some 86-horsepower more than the old generation V8. With all this additional power, the SL500 now verges on Porsche 911 Cabriolet territory, taking 5.4 seconds to reach 100 km/h; a 0.8 second advantage over the old car. This new generation V8, developed for the groundbreaking S-Class sedan, is equally as efficient as the old V8, consuming only 12.2 L/100 km on average.
Excluding the two, performance-oriented AMG models the SL55 AMG
and SL65 AMG, the range-topping version of the Benz roadster is the SL600. When it arrived three years ago, the 600-series SL caught the industry off-guard, not because it was powered by an enormous 5.5-litre V12, but because it was assisted by not one, but two light-pressure turbochargers. For 2007, the SL600 also receives updates to its heart, including a new exhaust system and an engine remap which frees an additional 24-horsepower to 517-hp total, though torque remains unchanged at 590 lb-ft. This increase in power enables it to accelerate to 100 km/h 0.2 seconds faster than the outgoing car, taking just 4.5 seconds.
Mercedes-Benz's SL is the undisputed segment leader in the
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| Hardly different on the surface, but underneath lurk new engines, gearboxes, suspension, and brakes. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz Canada) |
To ring in the new year, and to celebrate four years of dominance resulting in an incredible 33 percent market share, Mercedes-Benz has given the SL a host of technological updates to ensure that its halo roadster keeps a comfortable lead over the continuously improving opposition, though from a distance it'll be hard to tell. Exterior changes to model-year 2007 SLs are nearly invisible: they include new tail lamps with white-coloured turn signal indicators, while up front, the nose section has been tweaked slightly to include thicker, silver-painted ribs on the radiator grille, and a new lower valance with larger fog lamps; different wheels and a new colour palette round out the exterior changes. Inside modifications are equally minor, including new leather, wood and metal trim.
Underneath
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| Like the exterior, you get a few switch-ups inside. The leather is softer, and the choices available for metals and woods has broadened. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz Canada) |
Entry level in North American markets and quite possibly one of the most balanced grand tourers overall is the SL500. It too gets a new V8 engine, but where the 350's displacement has shrunken, the 500's has grown - by a half litre no less. With an extra valve in each cylinder, and dual overhead cams, the new engine produces an impressive 388-horsepower, some 86-horsepower more than the old generation V8. With all this additional power, the SL500 now verges on Porsche 911 Cabriolet territory, taking 5.4 seconds to reach 100 km/h; a 0.8 second advantage over the old car. This new generation V8, developed for the groundbreaking S-Class sedan, is equally as efficient as the old V8, consuming only 12.2 L/100 km on average.
Excluding the two, performance-oriented AMG models the SL55 AMG
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| AMG models have yet to be announced, but they'll be even more powerful, no doubt. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz Canada) |