Mercedes-Benz SL400 2015 review

The indulgent SL harks back to when arriving in style and on time were equally important. I couldn't live with Mercedes-Benz's SL400 hardtop roadster but I'd never pass up the chance to drive it.

In part the attraction is its classic looks - this car shares a badge with the original 1950s 300SL Gullwing, rare examples of which sell today for more than $4.5 million - and in part it is the fact even the entry level version is a car expressly built to cover ground quickly, when not being ogled driving through the top-end shopping strips.

It growls on start-up, a resonant rumble that reinforces the imperious roadster lineage. The initial kick from the new twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 is enough to make owners forget this is not an outright sports car.

For many, this will be a second or third Benz, the "weekend car"

Drop the roof, engage the sports mode and your commute is accompanied by a muted but menacing snarl, punctuated by occasional snap and crackle from the exhaust - noise all the more entertaining for the lack of a lid to suppress the sound.

This is a status symbol as much as a means of transport, an affectation that shows both an appreciation for fashion and an indifference to the cost. For many, this will be a second or third Benz, the "weekend car".

The "base" model, the SL400 costs an eye-watering $229,000. If that sounds rich, it is still $83,000 cheaper than the next rung up, the V8-powered SL500.

The price is almost $3000 up on the outgoing SL350 but to compensate there is greater interior refinement and improved features, more power and torque and better fuel economy. For the record the entry roadster can hit 100km/h in 5.2 seconds. Drive it less aggressively and there's a claimed 7.8L/100km to be had.

Equipment includes standard adaptive cruise control, active blind spot and lane departure alerts, auto parking software, six airbags, 14-speaker digital audio and (when stationary) digital TV, plus adaptive auto-dimming headlamps.

Adaptive dampers are also part of the standard package and the shift from Comfort to Sport is evident even to me. The nature of the car changes from cruisy grand tourer to pseudo sports coupe, though it lacks the corner-carving aggression found in the AMG variants.

The SL's bias, even in this base model, is for luxury over performance - the AMG GT will take over the speedster role when it arrives in the coming months. The luxury touches on the SL include the likes of the "Magic Vision Control" windscreen wipers that spray water on the downstroke so the occupants don't cop a self-inflicted misting.

The SL delivers an engaging drive in a boulevard cruiser type of way. The leather-wrapped interior is snug, a driver's haven where the elements barely intrude even with the roof down, thanks to innovative ventilation that pipes hot or cold air around the neck and a front air deflector and rear draft stop that enable normal conversations with the lid lowered at 110km/h.

Behind the wheel, the driver finds the long, low bonnet isn't the vision handicap it appears from outside the car - it is fairly easy to place the SL in a corner at anything approaching the limit. Get closer to the threshold and the SL will get tail-happy if you're too enthusiastic with the throttle out of corners.

Roof up or down - and it takes about 20 seconds to achieve this feat, at up to 15km/h - the body feels solid, with little of the shake that troubles lesser open-top cars. The brakes are solid, though repeated applications will extend the pedal travel, never to the detriment of deceleration.

Even with the hardtop down, there's also enough boot space for two slim overnight cases. Capacity is 241L while taking in the scenery or 381L sheltering from the elements. The obvious rival is BMW's 6 Series convertible from $192,975. Jaguar's F-Type and XK convertibles sit either side of the Benz in terms of length.