Friday 5th February 2016

New Mercedes SL prices announced

Fancy a new SL for spring/summer 2016? It won't come cheap darling

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In a world of ever changing Mercedes names and niche-busting models, it's nice to see certain stalwarts of the range remain unchanged. The SL is one of those, and prices have now announced for the facelifted car.

RHD cars are coming - sunshine not guaranteed

There are two full fat AMG models available as well as an SL400 and 500. The least powerful AMG is the SL63 (!), with the familiar 5.5-litre biturbo V8 and seven-speed Speedshift MCT automatic. It makes 585hp, reaches 62mph in 4.1 seconds and a £114,100 price tag.

For those who need a bit more, there's the 630hp, twin-turbo V12 SL65. It hits 62mph a whole tenth of a second quicker than the SL63, at four seconds dead. Although performance is boosted, so is the cost, coming in at a whopping £173,295. But then it does have 737lb ft...

The most affordable SL400 costs £73,805 in AMG Line spec, with 367hp being produced from its twin-turbo V6 - 34hp more than its predecessor - and a 0-62 time of 4.9 seconds. The SL500 takes it up a notch with the 5.5-litre V8 producing 455hp and a 0-62 time of 4.3 seconds, coming in at £82,850 before options.

SL400 starts at £73,805

Both AMG Line trim models come with Mercedes' 9G-Tronic Plus gearbox as standard, alongside a whole host of equipment, including Apple CarPlay, LED Intelligent Light System with Adaptive Highbeam Assist, Command Online and Magic Vision Control. It wouldn't be a Mercedes without some assists, right?

On top of this, both AMG models include composite brakes, AMG Dynamic Select, a performance steering wheel finished in Nappa leather and an AMG Sports exhaust system. There are also V8 or V12 BiTurbo badges on the front wings, just to let passers-by know what's under the bonnet.

So it's not a transformative change for this SL, but then what did you expect? As always it faces plenty of competition too, including the BMW M6 Convertible, Maserati GranCabrio and Bentley GTC. Which would you head to the coast in?

(Ryan Hirons)

[AH33]

They're asking a lot of £ for a little bit of extra performance, why would you get anything but the SL500?