2023 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Mercedes-Benz redesigned the SL last year, marking the arrival of the seventh generation of the iconic grand tourer. It returned after a one-year hiatus, wrapped in tauter and sexier bodywork resembling the automaker’s AMG GT model while adding a couple of rear seats, useful only when absolutely necessary.

In addition, the previous-generation SL’s power-retractable hardtop disappeared in favour of a new fabric soft top, and Mercedes gave the car the latest technology while making it fast in something other than a straight line. You can tailor the car’s appearance through a long list of paint colours, wheel designs, and interior treatments, and there is an AMG Night Package with blacked-out trim.

While up to three variants of the SL are offered in the United States, in Canada the sole version available is the 2023 Mercedes-AMG SL 63. (A non-AMG version of the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class doesn’t appear to be on the docket, either.) The new car price tag hits at $221,500, not including the destination charges and fees, which are set independently by each dealership. (Note the version of the SL shown in the photographs is the U.S. version of the SL 55, which is slightly less powerful than the version sold in our market.)

Our SL test car had the AMG Night Package and Intelligent Drive Package, plus augmented video for the navigation system and a gesture-control interior assistant. Mercedes topped the car off with a black microfibre headliner and a security system.

Mercedes is an expert at crafting luxurious and high-tech yet subtly retro interiors, and the SL is no exception. The company refers to the SL’s cockpit as hyper-analog, which Mercedes claims translates to “purist but digital,” and the test car’s cabin dripped with quality, class, and modernism. Unfortunately, the preponderance of touch-sensing controls dings a driver’s satisfaction with the surroundings.

(Note the vehicle reviewed for this section is the U.S. version of the SL 55, which is not available in Canada. The SL 63 is the sole variant offered in the Canadian market, which to date we have not reviewed.)

The Mercedes-AMG SL 55 has a hand-built, twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine under its long and low hood. It cranks out 469 horsepower between 5,500 and 6,500 rpm and 516 pound-feet of torque from 2,250 to 4,500 rpm. It breathes through an AMG Performance exhaust system with adjustable sound levels and is connected to a nine-speed automatic transmission (with a manual mode) and all-wheel drive (AWD).

According to Mercedes, the SL 55 accelerates from zero to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds. (As this version is not sold in Canada, 0 to 100 km/h estimates are not available.) We didn’t take the car to a drag strip to verify the acceleration claim, but we’ll say the car is mighty fast in the more aggressive driving modes, and it isn’t shy about vocalizing its speed.

The sole Canadian variant, the AMG SL 63, is also powered by a hand-built, twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8, but here it cranks out 577 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. The rest of the drivetrain is the same, and 4Matic+ AWD is standard in Canada. Fuel economy estimates from Natural Resources Canada rate the SL 63 at 18.2 litres per 100 kilometres in the city, 11.8 on the highway, and 15.3 combined.

Numerous primary and secondary driving modes allow you to tailor the car’s behaviour. Around town, we used Comfort, which makes the SL feel soft and lazy. Sport adds some verve, and Sport+ rouses the beast within. An Individual mode allows you to choose your own configuration.

In standard spec in Canada, the SL has AMG High Performance composite brakes, AMG limited-slip rear differential, yellow brake calipers, an AMG Active Ride Control suspension, active 2.5-degree rear-axle steering, and 21-inch wheels. A front-axle lift system is optional.

Rear visibility with the top raised is terrible, which is why Mercedes includes a standard surround-view camera system with a shortcut button to this feature under the centre display. In addition, you can also set up GPS coordinates to save a specific camera view for a certain area so that it automatically comes up on the display when you’re driving. Parking sensors are also standard, along with an active semi-autonomous parking assist system that owners might actually use due to the visibility problem.

In urban and suburban environments, in Comfort mode, the SL loafs along, absorbing most pavement irregularities while trying to eke out something approaching reasonable fuel economy. On the highway, all buttoned up, it cruises effortlessly and is reasonably quiet inside. So, in typical driving situations, this car is a cruiser, not a bruiser.

Take the SL onto some favorite backroads or to a racetrack, choose a more aggressive driving mode, and this droptop Benz’s personality changes dramatically.

We ran the SL hard for a test drive on mountain roads. In Sport+ mode, the car proved fast and firm with excellent body control in cornering. Accelerator response is immediate, speed gathers effortlessly, the brakes prove indefatigable, and grip is astounding. In this mode, the engine and exhaust add an appropriate soundtrack.

However, there are signs that the SL isn’t a pure, hardcore sports car. For example, the steering still feels a little too light in Sport+ mode, and some perceptible body motion remains, including occasional sudden lateral movements that grab your attention. Nevertheless, like the good German car that it is, the SL supports intensely focused driving and supplies significant rewards.

Cars like the Mercedes SL are about form, not function. This is an automobile to be seen in and to drive fast, so if you’re having trouble gracefully entering or exiting the car and you can’t find a good place to stash your Nalgene water bottle, tough. Get a Mercedes-AMG GLE Coupe instead.

However, the SL must deliver luxury, and it excels at providing comfort for two people. Mercedes optionally wraps the power-adjustable front seats in premium Nappa leather that doesn’t get scorching hot when you park in the sun with the top down. A Burmester suround sound system is standard in Canada.

In addition, the SL has a dual-zone automatic climate control system with an AirScarf neck heating system, a removable wind deflector to reduce cabin turbulence, and a heated steering wheel. When a thick marine layer moved in as we drove north, these features were exceptionally effective at keeping an unprepared driver wearing a T-shirt and shorts cozy and warm.

With its most recent redesign, the SL gained two small rear seats with nearly vertical backrests. By moving both front chairs as far forward as possible while still squeezing adults in, we put a couple of teenagers back there. The result was comical, the older one claiming her head was higher than the windshield. Plus, the driver was crammed in behind the steering wheel with reduced legroom. So, these are appropriate for carrying people only when no other alternative exists. And then only for short distances.

Behind the back seat, you’ll find a 213-litre trunk with a power-operated lid. While that’s not much cargo space, it’s better than what you get in a Mazda MX-5.

Mercedes says you can personalize the SL through up to 800 different settings, so you’re going to spend a ton of time configuring this car to your preferences. After that kind of investment, the last thing you want is for someone else in the household to botch it up. That’s why Mercedes provides biometric authentication with a fingerprint reader that saves the settings for up to seven different driver profiles. Better yet, you can transfer a profile to another Mercedes with the same technology.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, you’ll face a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster offering numerous display themes. You can also show the navigation map in this location, and numerous data panels convey detailed information about the car. A head-up display is optional.

To the right, Mercedes mounts an 11.9-inch touchscreen in portrait orientation. It uses the automaker’s Mercedes Benz User Experience (MBUX) technology and includes a digital assistant that recognizes naturally spoken commands. It also has Bluetooth, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, wireless smartphone charging, and one year of traffic and map updates.

The infotainment display shows four main panels of data. We put the navigation map on the upper part of the display, with smaller radio and phone panels underneath it. The climate controls live on the bottom third of the display.

The MBUX display suffers glare and reflections and quickly collects fingerprints. You can program the display to automatically adjust when the top is down in a bid to reduce sun glare. However, then it is awkwardly close to the driver.

Under the screen, a row of touch-sensing shortcut buttons makes it easier to quickly access commonly used functions. You can adjust the volume using a touch-sensing slider in this location or on the steering wheel. You tune the radio using buttons on the display, and we recommend choosing favourite stations that are easier to select while driving.

Another of the shortcut buttons pulls up a menu of commonly used functions, including the (optional) ability to raise the front suspension for added clearance, activate or deactivate lane-assistance features, turn on or off the parking sensors, and quickly block trunk access. From this menu, you can dive deeper into all vehicle settings.

While testing the MBUX voice-activated digital assistant with the SL’s top down, it did not perform as well as we’ve observed in previous Mercedes models, unable to or inaccurately interpreting some commands.

In addition, the SL’s touch-sensing controls require too much hand-eye coordination to use while driving, causing distraction. Worse, they often produce inaccurate responses, and it is too easy to accidentally select the wrong thing or activate an unwanted function, resulting in confusion that adds even more distraction.

A telltale within the controls demonstrates Mercedes knows the approach is not ideal. The hazard flashers, nestled in the row of touch-sensing shortcuts, is a physical button. Apparently, the automaker realizes this is a critical function that you need to properly activate on the first try.

Also, Mercedes should offer convertible top controls separate from the touchscreen. Why? It takes a moment for the screen to boot up after you start the engine, so if you’ve parked the car with the top down and it starts to rain, you have to wait for the display to load while your premium Nappa leather upholstery gets wet. From the engine start, it took 15 seconds before we could access the top control menu. While raising the roof, our knuckles accidentally touched a different part of the screen, causing the top controls to disappear and forcing us to start over. From start to finish, it took 44 seconds to raise the roof. The fastest time we recorded, when the engine and MBUX were already running and without any screen mishaps, was 20.3 seconds.

Oddly, toward the end of the evaluation drive, the digital instrumentation started giving us audible and visual alerts that the rear spoiler was inoperative. We don’t know why it was doing that, and frankly, that’s not the kind of information that deserves to distract a driver.

Among the SL’s standard safety features are blind spot monitoring and a vehicle exit warning. Two of the more unusual items are pop-up roll bars that help to protect occupants in a rollover accident and Pre-Safe Sound. That latter technology emits a “pink noise” immediately prior to a collision that helps protect your hearing from the sounds of the impact, including the deployment of the SL’s 10 airbags.

An Intelligent Drive Package is a reasonably priced option, and it adds 13 additional safety and driver assistance systems. Highlights include adaptive cruise control with lane-centring assist and lane-change assist, an active emergency stop assist system, and active braking for intersections, cross-traffic, and sudden congestion situations.

While testing the driving assistance tech, it worked remarkably well in the flat light under the clouds of a marine layer. However, when driving into the late afternoon sunlight, the lane-keeping and lane-centring systems seemed less sure of themselves. One thing we liked was the ability to hold the steering wheel lightly at the bottom of the rim without causing alerts imploring us to put our hands back on the steering wheel.

It's worth noting the lane-keeping assist system is decisive in the German tradition. If it thinks you’re unintentionally vacating a lane, it steps in and firmly corrects your path. When warranted, you’re grateful. When not, you’re irritated.

There are a few rivals to this car, ranging from the Jaguar F-Type at the low end to the Aston Martin Vantage on the high end.

Between the Jag and the Aston, the Mercedes faces off against a couple of serious competitors. One is the BMW M8 Competition convertible, which is less elegant and sophisticated but can be more rewarding to drive, in part due to its more intuitive controls and technology.

More likely, the Porsche 911 Cabriolet is the car that can give the SL a run for its money. But the 911 is a performance car with plenty of luxury, while the SL is a luxury car with plenty of performance. Is that a minor distinction? Perhaps. But in this segment, it can sway a buyer to either the Porsche or the Mercedes.

Note: Images show a US model.