Mercedes-Benz SL63 2008 Review

That's the feeling you get — even nearly two decades later — when you're bestowed with the key to 386kW and 630Nm of German powerhaus roadster with a $400,000 price tag.

My dad never had anything quite like this, although he certainly wants to, but ripping along a back road in something that actually handles was a novelty for a Jeep driver.

Fast-forward 20 years from the 505 Executive Peugeot to the SL 63 AMG from Mercedes-Benz and the feeling is similar, although the G-forces in any direction are somewhat greater.

The new-look SL 63 doesn't really handle so much as treat the road with disdain, ignoring corners and obliterating straights. We've had other examples of the facelifted SL and they get along pretty well, but the 63 puts them back into the cruiser category, shifting the goalposts well beyond kicking range.

The all-alloy high-revving naturally aspirated 6.2-litre V8 — already seen in several AMG products — produces 386kW at a musical 6800rpm and peak torque of a very hearty 630Nm at 5200rpm.

One of the great (and exclusive) features of the SL 63 is the seven-speed auto, which employs a wet clutch set-up instead of a torque converter. Aside from the fact that the transmission gives a big throttle blip on downshift, it shifts quickly (more than 20 per cent) and crisply in the Sport modes (a further 20 per cent in S+) and almost imperceptibly on Comfort mode. Full manual mode offers gearshifts (with paddles or the gearshifter) that take place in 100milliseconds.

Short of being on a racetrack the transmission's top half is unlikely to experience the engine's redline, but at least in the first

two gears the demon scream of the V8 is addictive — as the instruments flash red to suggest an upchange.

The paddles can be left alone as the S+ on

the dial, to select the automatic's mood, offers early downshifts and works well under brakes.

The suspension and transmission settings can be programmed into the AMG button — in a similar vein to the M-button in a Beemer — so sports settings can be found quickly.

The suspension can be tightened up at the touch of a button as well, or as part of the

AMG button, and in Sport mode the body control is admirable — except, perhaps, from the tyres' perspective.

The SL 63 sits amazingly flat and points its nose with the authority of a much lighter and more nimble sports car, although the tail feels as though it could bite a driver without the proper skills to control it, sans electronics.

Comfort mode still does a good job of containing body roll as well as providing a decent ride quality.

It's not a boulevard ride quality but it manages to iron most road bumps out with alacrity. Only when the low-profile (front 255/35 and 285/30 rear) rubber whacks something sharp in the road surface is there

any real disturbance.

At full noise the SL 63 AMG hits 100km/h in 4.6 seconds and must feel like it's hitting a wall when the limiter kicks in at 250km/h.

But with the flexible engine and seven-speed automatic the official figure for fuel use is 13.9L/100km, although we saw numbers nearer to 20 litres per 100km.

It's easy to forget the SL is a convertible but lower the roof — a 16-second delay to proceedings — and the symphony is louder and even more delightful.

Hit the seat heaters and the Airscarf system for a chilly night — or the seat coolers for other extremes — and the elements become far less of an issue.

With bi-xenon adaptive headlights a night run becomes far easier as well, something that will make the seat-cooling fans less useful as well as reducing the sunburn factor.

There are many ranks and titles used in marketing terms to describe cars. If the LandCruiser is “King Off The Road”, then the SL 63 is the Emperor — and there's a lot to like about its new clothes.

Snapshot

Mercedes-Benz SL 63 AMG

Price: from $401,235

Engine: 6.2L/V8 386KW/630Nm

Transmission: 7-speed automatic 0-100km/h: 4.6seconds

Economy: 13.9L/100km (claimed), 19.6L/100km (tested)