2023 Mercedes-AMG SL63 4Matic+ review

The world may have gone SUV and EV crazy, but that hasn’t prevented Mercedes-Benz from investing all its talents in the seven-generation SL – its new-from-the-ground-up, two-plus-two roadster, wholly developed by the brand’s AMG performance division to make this the most focused and engaging SL since the 1950s original.

Featuring a composite aluminium structure with an aluminium spaceframe, the beautifully proportioned R232 SL delivers best-possible rigidity for its comparatively modest 1895kg kerb weight (given all the tech it includes), with 18 percent greater torsional rigidity than the previous folding-hardtop R231 SL, as well as 40 percent higher longitudinal rigidity.

It reverts to a cloth roof for the first time in two decades, and when compared to the similarly featured AMG GT roadster it effectively supersedes, offers 50 percent greater transverse rigidity.

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So as far as convertibles go, the new SL is as rock-solid as you can get – without paying too much of a weight penalty.

Australia gets just a single variant – the most powerful V8 on offer, the SL63 4Matic+ which offers all-wheel-drive and all-wheel steering for the first time on any SL.

We’ll also get standard two-plus-two seating, also for the first time, though we won’t see the four-cylinder SL43 or the less powerful SL55 V8. Yet there’s a good chance the E-Performance V8 hybrid version may come here, carrying a considerable (roughly $100K) price premium.

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JUMP AHEAD

• How much is it, and what do you get?
• Interior comfort, space and storage
• What is it like to drive?
• VERDICT

How much is it, and what do you get?

Aussies prefer their AMGs maxxed to the hilt, and that describes the new-gen SL63 perfectly.

It includes an AMG Dynamic Plus package (dynamic engine mounts, Race driving program including Drift mode, electronic locking rear differential), AMG Active Ride Control (active hydraulic anti-roll stabilisation plus adaptive damping), front-axle lift (by 30mm), AMG composite braking system, Digital Light front lighting, 21-inch forged alloys and AMG Light Display package.

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Our Alpine Grey ($6990 extra) test car also included an optional Night Package (another $6990) with matte-black forged 21s, darkened head- and tail-lights, an Aerodynamics Package, black grille slats and Manufaktur trim in black chrome – highlighting the svelte muscularity of the new SL.

In combination with acres of tastefully hued red Nappa leather gracing its cabin (which you can also get in black or brown) and the subtle embellishment of its turbine-like air vents and large metal speaker grilles, there’s a feeling of expense to the new SL that brings it into line with the big-daddy S-Class – as you’d hope for a base price of $373,370 (before on road costs).

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Interior comfort, space and storage

The SL63’s elegantly tasteful yet suitably sporty interior also brings multi-contour front seats with heating/cooling and addictive massage functions.

It also brings an excellent 11-speaker 650-watt Burmester audio that effortlessly drowns out any wind bluster with the roof down, a head-up display with augmented reality, and a super-slick 11.9-inch tablet touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto (that can be tilted when the roof is down to minimise reflections).

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There’s now a pair of rear seats, of course, though Mercedes says they’re only suitable for anyone up to 150cm tall.

With an almost vertical backrest angle, they barely come close to the multi-faceted luxury of the front pair, though they do provide an additional luggage area to complement the volume of the modest 214-240L boot (significantly smaller than the 364-485L in the previous SL).

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What is it like to drive?

But ultimately the new SL63 isn’t about being a one-car-fits-all offering – it’s a niche sports-luxury roadster that dials up the sporting factor to a whole new level.

AMG’s brilliant 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 has no issue hauling this 1.9-tonne bruiser to stratospheric heights – starting with its claimed 0-100km/h time of 3.6sec and compounded by its searing 315km/h top speed.

Even in Comfort drive mode, using all nine gears of its AMG Speedshift MCT transmission and with a more subdued exhaust note filling the background, the SL63 delivers a delightfully velvety experience.

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But when you twist the wheel-mounted drive mode dial right (to either Sport, Sport+ or Race, with Individual and Snow a twist to the left), the thunder and crackle from its four rear pipes is intoxicating.

If this is the final expression of what AMG’s glorious petrol V8 is capable of in a road-going, all-seasons sports roadster, then we simply can’t get enough of it… though with a fuel-consumption average of 15.9L/100km (the official combined figure is 13.9), you’ll need plenty of 98 octane to keep that dream alive.

Mine the V8’s prodigious power (430kW at 5500-6500rpm) and torque (800Nm from 2500-5000rpm!) and the SL63 has the dynamic smarts to tie everything together superbly.

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While the all-wheel steering does little to reduce the size of the turning circle (a lumbering 12.8m), it constantly shrinks the length of the new SL’s 2700mm wheelbase, making it feel lithe and wieldy when it probably shouldn’t be.

In Comfort mode, the SL63’s steering remains keen and precise but doesn’t feel as perfectly weighted as it does in Sport mode (it’s a bit too light and aloof in Comfort), and the all-wheel steering doesn’t feel quite as aggressive in its angle of attack – making Sport mode the ideal set-up for demonstrating the new SL63’s on-road dynamic prowess.

Its ride on double-wishbone, coil-sprung suspension with adaptive damping isn’t that much firmer than Comfort mode, yet it feels more connected in corners, with sharper turn-in, more neutral mid-corner balance and more aggressive corner-exit thrust.

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On the right road (or circuit, perhaps), the SL63’s newfound agility and hunger for corner-carving are tremendous, backed by a level of predictability and feedback that heighten confidence.

Only when pounded hard through really tight turns does the SL63 start to drift wide – betraying its overall weight – though if we had to highlight a chink in its dynamic armour, it would be the perpetual tyre roar on coarse-chip surfaces from its excellent Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres (275/35ZR21 front, 305/30ZR21 rear). 

It’s only at very low speeds does the SL63 present any driving challenge. The transmission’s wet multi-disc start-off clutch makes it feel somewhat lumpy when parking, and the composite brakes (390mm front discs, 360mm rear discs) – while excellent in hard driving – can be grabby if you aren’t super-smooth in your inputs when inching forward.

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VERDICT

The new-generation Mercedes-AMG SL63 4Matic+ isn’t about pleasing everyone, however.

It isn’t meant to be a set-and-forget luxury car, even though it’s surprisingly liveable on challenging surfaces. It’s all about being a much more focused roadster than it’s ever been.

And given that it effectively replaces both the AMG GT roadster and the old SL, it does a superlative job walking the line of arresting elegance, supreme luxury and balls-out aggression.

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It may not be as practical as its less well-proportioned predecessor, but in all honesty, who buys an SL63 as their only car?

Indeed, this is a bruiser of a performance car. It always sounds wonderful, it always feels expensive (apart from when the Alcantara-lined roof pours water onto your right leg after you open the door in rain), and its band width in all those drive modes makes it so many performance cars in one.

It may not be as practical as its less well-proportioned predecessor, but in all honesty, who buys an SL63 as their only car?

Even so, when the thunderous performance, engaging handling and show-stopping design of the new SL63 4Matic+ are so damn good, no owner is really going to care that its boot won’t take a suitcase. You just strap it in like a passenger instead…

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