The new SL range from Mercedes-Benz shines under the Californian sun, writes Kyle Fortune
California is a crazy place. You can leave the beach where people are surfing, drive through scorching desert, then up a mountain pass to snow-topped mountains covered with skiers, all within an hour or so. Even more bizarrely, you can pick lemons and oranges from trees just a few miles from the pistes. And all in March. Thankfully I might just be in the perfect car for such a varied drive: the new Mercedes SL.
The flagship roadster is a big hit in California, and it's easy to see why. Versatility lies at the core of the SL's appeal. That might sound ridiculous, but I swear it is the perfect car here. Wearing a new nose, more reminiscent of its forebears with its large single-bar grille, new front lights and a powerdomed bonnet, this revised SL didn't strike me as a particularly neat update when I first saw the pictures. But here, under the California sun, I'm sold.
Some say it's a bit fussy, but it grows on you. Given the fairly extensive changes up front it's a bit of a shame that Mercedes didn't make a few more alterations to the rear. There's a "diffuser", which, after asking the chaps at AMG if it actually improves airflow and getting a reply of shrugs and wincing, I gather is merely a styling add-on.
Inside, the telematics and entertainment system is improved, there are new seats, but that's about it.
Overall it's neat and functional, but, ultimately, the SL's interior remains mildly disappointing for a car that, due to the breadth of models, competes with everything from BMW to Bentley and Ferrari.
The real changes are under the skin. The engine range has been revised, and there are some changes to the suspension and steering systems; Direct Steer is now offered as an option on the SL.
The engine line-up includes a new 231bhp six-cylinder 3.0-litre SL280 model, a revised 316bhp 3.5-litre SL350 and 388bhp 5.5-litre SL500, and the flagship SL600 with its 517bhp twin-turbo 6.0-litre V12. As if that's not enough AMG continues to offer a pair of SLs, the SL63 and SL65. AMG has replaced the SL55's 5.4-litre supercharged engine with the high-revving 6.2-litre V8 that powers almost everything wearing the AMG badge today, creating the SL63 AMG.
The SL65 remains largely unchanged with its 612bhp, 1,000Nm twin-turbo V12. It is at the top of the pile in both power and price, suiting those for whom enough is never quite enough.
Volker Mornhinweg, chairman of the management board Mercedes-AMG, describes the SL63 as "the most fascinating and exciting SL", neatly sidestepping the fact that the SL65 is a dragster for those Californians who have far too much money (judging by the number of the old cars to be spotted on the roads). So the SL63 is the SL then?
Yes, and no. Certainly, AMG has improved its sporting roadster dramatically - it rides better, grips harder and changes gear with more precision and speed, thanks to a heinously complicated seven-speed MCT automatic, which uses a clutch in place of a torque converter.
The noise its V8 makes too is among the best you'll ever hear - just starting it produces a metallic, ripping shriek that'll have your hair standing on end. Even so, the new, sharper, more precise SL63 has lost some of the brutal appeal that made the old SL55 so special. Some of the fun's been dialled out with its greater ability.
Forget the AMGs though as they're an irrelevance to most buyers. The SL sells in far greater numbers with more sensible engines under the bonnet. Which is why it's fantastic that arguably the most appealing SL you can buy is the SL350. Mercedes-Benz likes to call the 3.5-litre, 318bhp unit its "sports engine". I thought that it'd be overwhelmed by the SL's weight, but it isn't. It's quick. Perhaps not so when it's pitched up against the rest of the SL's engine line up, but ultimately 100km/h in 6.2 seconds is far from slovenly.
It's the sweetest engine on offer, making the SL350 a more enjoyable drivers' car than any other in the range. You have to really drive it, being involved in the process rather than merely a passenger.
The steering benefits from having less weight to deal with, while the noise it makes is fantastic too. It's good enough to ignore the scarcely quicker SL500, and the status-engined SL600 with its crazy sledgehammer performance.
Every SL is improved with Mercedes' changes to the range, but it's the SL350 that demonstrates the improvements best.
The SL remains a compelling all-rounder thanks not only to its folding hardtop roof, but its easy-natured driving appeal and plentiful power. The SL deserves its reputation as one of the world's most appealing cars.
Factfile SL range
SL280:2996cc V6; 231bhp; 300Nm of torque; seven-speed automatic transmission; max speed: 250 km/h; 0-100km/h: 7.8 secs; fuel economy: 9.4l/100km; CO2: 224g/km
SL350:3498cc V6; 316bhp; 360nm of torque, seven-speed automatic transmission; max speed: 250 km/h; 0-100km/h: 6.2 seconds; fuel economy: 9.9l/100km; CO2: 236g/km
SL500:5461cc V8 putting out 388bhp and 530nm of torque, seven-speed automatic transmission; max speed: 250 km/h; 0-100km/h: 5.4 seconds; fuel economy: 11.9l/100km; CO2: 284g/km
SL600:engine: 5513cc V12 putting out 517bhp and 830Nm of torque, five-speed automatic transmission; max speed: 250 km/h; 0-100km/h: 4.5 seconds; fuel economy: 13.9l/100km; CO2: 330g/km
SL63 AMG:6208cc V8; 525bhp; 630Nm of torque; seven-speed automatic transmission; max speed: 250 km/h; 0-100km/h: 4.6 seconds; fuel economy: 13.9l/100km
SL65 AMG:5980cc V12; 612bhp; 1000Nm of torque, five-speed automatic transmission; max speed: 250 km/h; 0-100km/h: 4.2 secs; fuel economy: 15.1l/100km; CO2: 362g/km
Price:SL range are likely to range from €135,000 to €320,000 prior to July 1st