What is it" Facelift of long-established and renowned Mercedes-Benz convertible.
What?s new" The latest version of Mercedes? long-established drop-top line offers four models all with twin-turbo petrol engines and all with sub four-second 0-62mph acceleration times.
The 4-litre V6 engined SL 400 offers 361bhp, its 4.6 B8 sister SL 500 has 447bhp on tap, while there are two muscle-car AMG versions, the SL 63 with a 5.5-litre V8 of 576bhp and the SL 65 with a mighty V12 of six litres and 620bhp.
There are new transmissions too ? the two mainstream cars now use the 9G-Tronic auto ?box of nine speeds, two more than its predecessor, and the AMG versions a seven-cog Speedshift from Mercedes? performance arm.
Visually the most notable change is to the grille ? the new car boasts a bespoke unit, a modern take on the grilles used by the 300 SL Coupes that won the Carrera Panamerica road race across Mexico in 1952. The Vario-roof folding hard top is impressive, lowering in a mere 18 seconds, a task that can be carried out at speeds up to 25mph.
What do we think of it" The SL has always been a high quality convertible and the latest facelift merely adds to an already impressive portfolio. CarandVanNews drove the SL 400, which will take the largest slice of a quite select volume, and it combines the wind-in-the-hair thrill of a two-seat roadster with a great deal of practicality ? the bootspace, for example is a cavernous for this class 504 litres, though it does ...