Minor massage for SL

Newswheel staff :: 19 January 2006 :: Filed under Cabriolet, Roadster, Mercedes Benz, Europe & UK, US,

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New engines for Mercedes’ flagship drop-top

With the barrage of new metal M-B has rolled out in the last 12 months, could the slinky SL roadster be looking just a little tired? Well, it certainly wouldn’t hurt if Mercedes dropped in its new four-valve V6 and V8 engines. And that’s exactly what’s happened, along with a handful of other upgrades.

Cosmetically, the new SL is a blink-and-you’ve-missed-it effort. There’s a remoulded front bumper, redesigned light clusters at the rear and naturally a range of new alloys. But certainly no new sheet metal. Inside, meanwhile, only keen students of the current SL will spot the softer leather and smattering of new chrome and aluminium-look (yes, “aluminium-look”, not real aluminium, on a £50k+ Mercedes…) switches and gauges.

Of course, it’s the new powerplant line-up that we’re really interested in. The entry level SL 350 jumps from 245bhp to a rather useful 272bhp. That’s not far off the old SL 500’s 308bhp and enough for a 0-60mph time of just 6.6 seconds. As for the upgraded 500, it receives M-B’s beefy new 5.5-litre V8. It’s good for 388bhp and hurls the SL 500 from rest to 60 in just 5.4 seconds. Not too shabby for a car that weighs over 1,800kgs.  Finally, Mercedes has cranked up the boost settings on the monstrous twin-turbo V12 in the SL 600. Power is up by around 17bhp to 517bhp, while torque swells from 590lb/ft to 612lb/ft.  All V6 and V8 models are fitted with Merc’s 7G-TRONIC seven-speed, torque-converter slushbox. So, now you know.

No word on UK prices as yet.

Those before and after shots in full:


Change for the sake of it? Top: the new SL. Bottom: the old

New SL, top, hardly revolutionary