Aston Martin tried it, Ferrari anyway, Maserati of course and to some extent brands like Porsche, Jaguar and Cadillac. But so far no one has been able to really scratch the Mercedes SL – not even the in-house competitor of the AMG GT, which was unable to contain its ambitions, especially as a roadster version in the previous generation. The Mercedes SL, even in its dynamic or special noble versions of past generations such as the SL 70 / SL 73 or AMG SL 63 / 65, was not a real sports cannon. A lot of power, a lot of image and impressive performance as well as prices of more than 160,000 euros – but in the terrain of a Porsche 911, the open two-seater poached neither with a folding roof nor with the much more harmonious fabric cap.
After the previous SL generation was probably the most underestimated version and found few takers from customers despite exceptional product quality, those responsible at Mercedes are taking things more seriously again with their current version. The new top model of the AMG SL 63 S E-Performance with its fantastic performance data can only be criticized for its crooked nomenclature. It’s good that the name doesn’t deface the entire trunk lid and that many of the financially strong SL customers are only too happy to have the red lettering removed anyway. “The SL has always been an icon in the Mercedes-Benz portfolio. The latest version of the legendary roadster transfers this status into the future. Above all, the new SL 63 S E Performance, which with its innovative technology represents the most powerful member within the SL family,” says AMG boss Michael Schiebe. “With this unique concept, we offer our customers not only superior driving performance but also the option of purely electric driving.”
The drive package of the top model is well known from models such as the S-Class or the AMG GT four-door. What customers from the USA in particular are missing is an image-enhancing and particularly silky-running twelve-cylinder engine in the new SL as well as in the S-Class. For the time being, however, this will only be reserved for the Maybach and the S 680 Guard tank limousine. So, at least initially, a double-charged eight-cylinder with electric assistance has to be enough to make an impression and compensate for the flaw of the SL 43, which is anything but suitable, with its powerful but out-of-place four-cylinder. It seems that the Swabians are slowly waking up here too, because dealers and customers alike are up in arms against the four-cylinder models, especially when it comes to the AMG versions. The entry-level four-cylinder engine planned for the AMG GT is therefore currently on the cancellation list.
With a pale quartet of cylinders, the new Mercedes AMG SL 63 S E-Performance, on the other hand, only has so much to do that it has twice as much under the long bonnet. The four-liter eight-cylinder engine delivers up to 600 kW / 816 hp and a gigantic torque of up to 1,420 Nm to both axles at the pilot’s maximum performance requirements. The performance is corresponding: from a standstill, the open all-wheel drive vehicle goes to 100 km/h in 2.9 seconds and the propulsion only ends at 317 km/h. The 450 kW / 612 hp eight-cylinder engine is combined with an electric drive on the rear axle, which consists of a 150 kW / 204 hp electric motor along with a two-speed transmission and a mechanical rear axle lock. The small 6.1 kWh battery pack is also placed above the rear axle.
The electric motor on the rear axle provides additional thrust when starting off, accelerating or overtaking. As the slip on the rear axle increases, the driving force of the electric motor is transferred to the front wheels as required via the cardan shaft and drive shafts. The battery can be charged using a 3.7 kW on-board charger at a charging station or wallbox. Since the focus should be on dynamics and the battery capacity is small, there is no more than 13 kilometers possible purely electrically. However, that is at least enough to roll out of the villa complex early in the morning and to reduce the standard consumption to 7.7 liters of Super per 100 kilometers. The whole thing will have its price, which is likely to be well beyond the 200,000 euro mark.
