We met the new Mercedes-AMG 43 SL: a myth that is reborn and recovers a “cheap” four-cylinder version

In  its eighth generation  , the  Mercedes SL  , now born exclusively under the baton of  Mercedes-AMG  , seeks to return to its essence. In this new opus (with the name R232) which is one of the most emblematic models of the German house returns to the hood, and to the V8 blocks, but also to the  four cylinders  . And for the first time, it's all-wheel drive.

We have already been able to see  and touch  this new model, in an exclusive event organized in Madrid to which we had access from Blablastore and where this new chapter of the star brand icon was presented before any other.

 

Concretely, what will be its access variant and hitherto unknown: the  Mercedes-AMG SL 43  , which is equipped with a four-cylinder engine supported by a  mild hybrid system  to save emissions and carry the  ECO label  . And unlike the other two models in the range, it is  rear-wheel drive.

I return four to four cylinders... 60 years later

The range of the new Mercedes SL, entirely developed by Mercedes-AMG, revolves around the Mercedes-AMG SL 55 4Matic+ and SL 63 4Matic+, both equipped with a 4.0-litre V8 biturbo engine and 476 hp and 585 hp respectively. But also in this  Mercedes-AMG SL 43  that we have now met.

This access option is partly special because it represents a return to the origins of SL. And it is that since  the mythical Mercedes-Benz 190 SL W121  , the "cheap" version of the first SL (  the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL  ), this model had not seen a  four-cylinder engine until now.

That is to say, 60 years later, since the 190 SL ceased to be manufactured in 1963, the Mercedes SL mounts a heart equipped only with  four cylinders in line  . Although yes, suitable for current times, as it is backed by a 48V electrical system.

It's also more powerful, of course: the 190 SL's 1.9-litre, single-shaft, eight-valve four-cylinder engine produces just 105 horsepower, while that of the SL 43 approaches 400 horsepower. Obviously, today a Mercedes-AMG delivery of just 100 HP was unthinkable.

With the same engine as the A-Class AMG, but mild hybrid

The engine of this  Mercedes-AMG SL 43  is not unknown in itself, since it is the same propellant which gives life, for example, to the Class A passed through the Mercedes-AMG filter. Specifically, the  A 45 S 4Matic+  .

We are therefore talking about a  2.0-litre block  , but with an  electric turbocharger  that is not found in the A 45 and in a longitudinal arrangement instead of transverse. Thus, this variant of the SL signs the  381 CV and 480 Nm  , available between 3,250 and 5,000 rpm.

Also, unlike the sporty compact, the SL 43 comes with a  mild-hybrid system  , making it the first Mercedes SL to carry the ECO label. It is also the only one in the new SL range that will have this badge in our market.

Like all other  Mercedes-Benz  EQ Boost micro-hybrids, the  48V electrical system  incorporates a small belt-driven RSG electric motor-alternator-starter coupled between the gearbox and the engine.

This reduced block signs the  10 kW (14 CV)  , draws its energy from an auxiliary battery and not only feeds the electrical systems, but also provides additional power to the combustion engine at specific times.

Although, as in the rest of its brothers, this mechanics is managed by the  AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 9G  nine-speed transmission. This box has a wet clutch for starting, replacing the torque converter.

Thanks to this element, the time in the transitions is reduced, in addition to being less heavy, helping to save kilos for the set.

The SL 43 accelerates from 0 to 100 km in 4.9 seconds and has a top speed of 275 km/h. Its consumption is between 9.4 and 8.9 l/100 km, while its emissions are set between 214 and 201 g/km of CO₂.

An elegant convertible grand tourer in which the canvas top is resurrected

Like the SL 63 and SL 55, the  Mercedes-AMG SL 43  is an attractive  two-door convertible with room for four occupants, split  2+2  in the two rows.

In this new generation, the now Mercedes-AMG SL is longer than its predecessor (the R231) signing the  4.7 m long  , almost 7 cm longer. It is also wider (1.91 m) and higher (1.36 m) and its  wheelbase now reaches 2.70 m  .

Despite that extra centimeter, and although we couldn't fit in any of the SL 43's seats, we appreciate that the rear seats are almost anecdotal in terms of legroom. Mercedes-Benz itself recognizes that they are not suitable for occupants taller than 1.50m or 1.35m if they are in a child seat. Yes, it has ISOFIX anchorages, as required by European regulations.

But of course habitability is not a characteristic in which this model stands out as it is in those of its kind or in purely sports cars. Further proof of this,  the trunk has been significantly reduced  , since it now covers between 208 liters and  240 liters  depending on whether the hood is down or not. They are between 245 liters and 137 liters less than its predecessor.

Born on a new platform developed by Mercedes-AMG, and which it will share with the next generation  of the AMG GT  , aesthetically it takes precisely the current AMG GT as a reference, although much more "watered down ".

Although we find the  Pan-American grille with vertical slats  or the pointed headlights, its line is more elegant and less aggressive. The grille is much more discreet, and the marked wheel arches are not present, nor the grooves on the sides, nor many of its aerodynamic elements.

We are therefore talking about a more classic and less muscular design, because more than a sports car, this SL would fit into open-air grand touring. Despite this, the brand prides itself on having worked on the body panels to minimize aerodynamic resistance: the SL signs a  coefficient of 0.31 cx  , which is not bad for a convertible.

Another great protagonist of this new generation of the Mercedes SL is the  canvas soft top  , which after several generations returns to this iconic model, passing the retractable hardtop of the previous ones to a better life.

The textile soft top of the  Mercedes-AMG SL  also influences the architecture, since it allowed a gain of 21 kg compared to the outgoing model, in addition to lowering the center of gravity of this car. And in turn the back is shorter, thinner and more elegant.

This canvas roof opens and closes, depending on the brand, in just 15 seconds and can deploy or fold while driving, up to 60 km/h.

Despite the aforementioned weight reduction, we are not talking about a featherweight, far from it. It is true that Mercedes-AMG specifies that it  is lighter than the previous  one: its architecture based on aluminium, steel, magnesium and composite materials allows it to weigh only 270 kg without the doors, the bonnet and the tailgate.

But adding these elements, and also adding the engine, other mechanical components and the whole technological arsenal, the new Mercedes-AMG SL reaches up to 1,970 kg in its SL 63 4Matic+ variant, which in its case includes all-wheel drive, or even the  1,810 kg  of the SL 43.

Elegance is breathed not only in its exterior forms, but also in the cabin, where smooth surfaces and high-quality materials reign. Leather and textile cover the door panels, the sports seats with integrated headrests and the dashboard.

There are also elements typical of the 21st century, such as  the door handles entangled with the body  and indebted to Mercedes-Benz models rather than AMG, since the name of the German brand is superimposed. And it is that this element is, for example, also present  in the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class  .

At its market launch, the new SL comes in twelve different body colors, including five Mentalized and six MANUFAKTUR, as well as up to three different colors for the soft top. The alloy wheels measure between 19 and 21 inches. The SL 43 incorporates the 19 as standard.

The only of the new SLs with rear-wheel drive and seasoned with technical advantages

For the first time  in its history, the  Mercedes SL  is equipped with all-wheel drive, but the  Mercedes-AMG SL 43  is the only one not to have it, being  rear-wheel drive  . However, like a good AMG, the new Mercedes SL 43 comes with a good set of dynamically focused tech trinkets.

AMG Active Driving Control  . This running gear, which is standard on this variant, features high-performance aluminum shock absorbers and lightweight coil springs. Although in the case of the SL it has new ingredients, such as the five-link front axle that is attached directly to the rim.

In addition, this technology of the SL 43 can be optionally accompanied by active hydraulic roll stabilization, which introduces hydraulic elements that replace conventional mechanical transverse stabilizers.

Thanks to them, the system compensates for rolling in fractions of a second, neutralizing it more effectively. This results, according to AMG, in improved comfort in a straight line and in the event of uneven road surfaces.

AMG DYNAMIC SELECTION. The Mercedes-AMG SL 43 has five driving modes: Comfort, Slippery Road, Sport, Sport + and Individual. As an option, if the DYNAMIC PLUS package is integrated, it adds the Race program, focused on the circuit. This package also adds advantages to the SL 43 such as the limited-slip rear differential or the AMG brake calipers in yellow.

active aerodynamics. Active aerodynamic ingredients are also present on the menu of the new Mercedes-AMG SL, materialized in various elements, highlighting the  AIRPANEL system  or the folding rear spoiler.

Starting with the first, it is an air regulation system based on vertical and horizontal slats. This is concealed behind the front air intake and the skirt, and its slats open according to the engine cooling, in order to offer the least possible aerodynamic resistance.

The first to let the air in are the vertical ones, when the mechanism reaches a certain temperature, while the horizontal ones only open at times of maximum stress and at high speeds, starting from 180 km/h.

As for the  rear spoiler  , it is concealed in the bodywork and  deploys automatically  thanks to piloting software according to speed, longitudinal or transverse acceleration or steering speed.

Mercedes-AMG states that it normally begins to act above 80 km/h and can be  angled up to five different angles  (up to 26.5º), either to reduce wind resistance or to add to the stability of the car.

Finally, the Mercedes-AMG SL also has a carbon fiber profile on the underside which reacts to the different driving modes selected by moving up to 4 cm to optimize grip.

As an option, the SL 43 can be fitted with a  steered rear axle  , which is another new feature previously unseen on the SL. This Active Rear Axle Steering (HAL) turns the rear wheels according to speed to improve both stability and dynamic response.

Thus, up to 100 km/h, the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the front wheels, while above 100 km/h, they do the same in the same direction as those of the preceding train.

In short, and although many of these technologies and additions are optional, the Access SL comes with a good arsenal in the service of dynamics. Its benefits promised on paper we obviously could not taste them in this first look at the model: we will have to wait to try it.

A technological arsenal in the footsteps of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class

In the  Mercedes-AMG SL  , the elegant and neat interior, where smooth surfaces and textile elements reign, is combined with purely digital elements, as demanded by current fashion and in which screens cannot be missing.

By taking a look at its interior, our gaze inevitably goes to its  huge touch screen, tablet style  and arranged vertically. At  11.9 inches  , this screen is identical in configuration to that of the S-Class and benefits from an adjustable tilt between 12 and 32 degrees in order to avoid the reflection of the sun.

The second screen of the Mercedes-AMG SL materializes the  convertible's digital instrumentation  , which measures  12.3 inches  and is integrated into a three-dimensional visualizer. But it also includes for the first time a  configurable Head-Up Display  that projects onto the windshield.

And of course, in this new chapter of the SL, there is no shortage of technology, both in the service of connectivity and comfort or active safety “made in” Mercedes-Benz, but passed through the AMG filter.

For example, it has the most recent variant of  the MBUX infotainment system  , which is now in its second generation and was precisely created in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. However, it has  specific AMG design visual masks  , which are painted both on screen and in digital instrumentation.

Unfortunately, we weren't able to tinker with it and navigate menus, but it offers functions similar to that of the Mercedes-Benz sedan.

Thus, we find the virtual home automation assistant, the browser with augmented reality and real-time and connected traffic information, the DAB digital radio, the wireless connection for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto or even advanced functions to manage certain elements of the car, like as a gesture control to open or close the hood.

It also benefits from  biometric authentication by fingerprints  , which allows the Mercedes-AMG SL to access the various configuration profiles with a single gesture, or even an advanced  seat ventilation/heating  system  , including a specific for the headrests.

As for the  assistance systems  , it also has technologies already present in the new S-Class or C-Class. Among them we find the  adaptive cruise control  which, added to the lane guidance or the signal drive, can automatically adjust the speed to the one marked by the road, as well as to other vehicles or corners. And besides, it displays all this information in 3D format in the instrumentation.

Automatic emergency braking, blind spot detector, cross traffic warning and automatic parking assistant are also present. In fact, the logical thing is that, like the S-Class, its driver assistance systems may later house SAE Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous driving capabilities.

The most rational Mercedes-AMG SL

Orders to resume service of the  Mercedes-AMG SL 43  will open this spring. To dealers, as the German firm has told us, it will arrive between two or three months after the start of orders, so we are already talking about summer.

The flagship brand predicts that precisely this SL 43 mild-hybrid will be the variant that will bring together the biggest sales cake of the new SL family, "  not only because it is the most affordable but also because it is the most rational  ". Either way, we're not talking about a high-volume model.

Of course, the  ECO label  is still a good claim today, since it can save possible restrictions applied in  low emission zones  or in high pollution protocols in cities, in addition to bonuses in parking zones regulated.

To know its  price  , it will be necessary to wait for  the opening of the orders  . Certainly, by dispensing with some technical elements included in its older brothers, it will be more fitted, but ultimately we are talking about an AMG model. At the moment, neither this variant nor the SL 55 and SL 63 4Matic+ have a price on our market.