2022 Mercedes-AMG SL – The Ultimate Grand Tourer

 

Grand Tourer – a sports car designed for long-distance, high-speed driving owing to a combination of luxury and performance attributes.

Does that sound like your cup of tea?

Classic GT cars over the years include the Aston Martin DB5, MB 300SL Gullwing, or the British beauty, the Jaguar E-Type.

One of those mentioned above, the venerable SL, has a freshly-minted member of the family. The 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL is in the house! This newest in the SL lineage (factory code R232) is all-new from the ground up. Available in two flavors, the SL55 will sport 469 horsepower and sprint to 60 mph in under four seconds. The high-zoot SL63 ups the ante to 577 ponies and should get to 60 in under 3.5 ticks. Whew!

There is all manner of AMG-derived speed tech here, from carbon-ceramic brakes to four-wheel steering, but lest we not forget, this is a GT car at heart, meaning luxury is present and accounted for. Massaging seats, anti-roll suspension, automated cruising everything, and even an audiophile-grade Burmester 3D audio system. All this with a folding sot top you can be rid of in 15 seconds, provided you are rolling under 37 mph.

So now for some thoughts on the design. Exterior lines and proportions have been cleaned up from the previous-gen SL. Classically handsome and sporting, I’ll propose. The interior is a bit less cohesive to my eye and not thought out as well as the new S-Class redesign. It comes off as an assemblage of ideas that don’t correctly bind together. Good, mind you, but not great.

All things considered, the new SL is a winner and well worth considering if you are ready for a proper GT car. Pricing has not been released, but expect a base north of $115,000.00 for the SL55 when these new babies come to market.

Cheers!