Apparently, a seventh gen SL is under development by Mercedes AMG and according to the talks it will share a lot of features with the GT Roadster, including a soft top. If you remember, there were a few spy photos from the Nürburgring that appeared a few months ago on the web and on those was a shorter Mercedes S-Class Coupe, that back than was believed it was a test mule for the new SL. Thanks to Autocar report now we know that this is not the actual case and that the next-gen SL will ride on the same platform as the AMG GT, the recently announced Roadster version to be precise. This is mainly because Daimler has a desire to lower the price of the development, which is a wise thing to do especially when knowing that the SL is not the company’s best-selling vehicle.
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Thanks to this decision Mercedes is saving a whole bunch of cash just from using GT Roadster’s hardware but on top of all that they are able to double down on the development and get the seventh gen SL ready for 2019. This Mercedes-AMG endeavour will result in one more good thing, and that is the fact that 2019 SL will be much lighter on his wheels than the current R231 version. Apparently, the new roadster will adopt GT’s carbon-fiber torque tube and aluminum body structure which are going to make that possible.
The next SL is not done borrowing stuff just yet. It will also host the GT’s forged aluminum double wishbone suspension, but it will get somewhat changed to better accommodate the needs of the SL. One more thing pops up as a possibility, and that is the air suspension that might find its way under the SL which is not that strange, especially for the luxurious and expensive grand tourer. According to the Autocar report, this one is known internally as codename “R233” which in the start indicates that this will be a totally different car than the current version. What confirms that is the fact that it will lose the metal top in order to accommodate a lighter fabric roof that has only one flaw – it will make a lot less room in the trunk when in roof down mode.
Besides a roadster variant, the talk is that the 2019 Mercedes SL might return to the coupe body style once again, but it is still too soon to officially confirm that. But what Autocar has, somewhat boldly, stated is that the 2019 SL will have an E50-badge version with a new inline-six engine from next year’s S-Class facelift, together with the biturbo 4.0 L V8 that will come from from the E63. What is still under a dark blanket is the V12 powered SL600 and SL65. It is unknown if they will live to see another gen because of the stricter emissions standards, but what we know for a fact is that the SL version without a V12 option in the offer just isn’t going to cut it. If the market raises its voice more loudly, Daimler engineers just might make the twelve-cylinder unit more economical in order to receive the stamp of approval from the authorities.
