Mercedes-AMG SL 55 review: Million-dollar monster

FOR all the time I spent with the Mercedes-AMG SL 55, I somehow forgot to open its boot to check it out. So much for expert car reviewing.

But then, the SL 55 is just that kind of machine, a manic thing that completely addles the brain through a combination of raucous performance and an ability to grab your attention by the short hairs.

The first job of any SL is to exude a sort of timeless elegance, but this new one takes a more hardcore approach to things, with the lunatics at Mercedes’ high-octane AMG division doing the engineering work. 

That takes the SL full circle, because – believe it or not – it hit peak sportiness in 1954, when the original 300SL came out. The gull-winged beauty began life as a racing car which crushed everything that tried to chase it, and became a production model only because a dealer badgered Mercedes-Benz directors to make it street legal, and promised to order 1,000 units if they did.

The nutters at AMG have made SLs go fast before, but this is the first time they’ve designed one from scratch. They obviously fell to the task with relish, because this SL is utterly different from its predecessor, a car I bet you’re struggling to remember.

It has four-wheel steering and four-wheel drive for the first time, and instead of a folding metal roof it now has a fabric top, which takes just 15 seconds to disappear. The two-seat layout has given way to a 2+2 cabin, which is Mercedes’ way of saying you ought to consider one of these if you happen to be in the market for a Porsche 911 Cabriolet. Like that car, the SL has a sportily pert backside, because the soft top means it can now do without a long rear deck.

The slim lights and long bonnet adorned with power domes suggest that the SL 55 isn’t a car to be trifled with (and there are V8 Biturbo badges on the flanks in case you fail to get the message). Sure enough, there’s a honking great engine in the form of a 4.0-litre V8 tuned for 476 horsepower, hooked up to a nine-speed automatic with an automated clutch, a set-up that trades smoothness for snappy gear changes.

Many AMG cars are engine first and everything else second, and the SL 55 is nearly one of them. The acceleration is violent enough to test every muscle between neck and sphincter, while the V8 sounds like a volcanologist’s wet dream. It’s such a charismatic piece of hardware that everything else seems to be a support act.

To go with the seductive engine, there’s finesse and poise. No more easing the nose into turns, followed by wildly fishtailing down the street on rear tyres rapidly turning into smoke. Instead, the SL corners with an aggressive sharpness, and it blasts out of corners with all the surefootedness of a hungry cheetah. 

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If you’re wondering how it stacks up against rivals, the SL 55 feels tauter than BMW’s M850i Convertible and less sensitive than the Audi R8 V10 Spyder.

Whatever it is, it’s amazing to think that the Mercedes is a two-tonne car, because it manages to feel solid without feeling flabby. Much of that is down to some serious tech. The body is a mix of magnesium, high-strength steel, aluminium and carbon fibre; and its rigidity is part of the reason the handling is so crisp.

The SL 55 also has active aerodynamics to stabilise it at high speed, which is handy because the snarling V8 can propel it all the way to 295 kmh.

For all that, there’s plushness befitting an SL, too. I had no trouble spending enough time behind the wheel to empty half the tank in a single day (although the engine’s monstrous thirst deserves some credit there, too), not least because the test car came with ventilated massage chairs.

The less said about the rear seats, the better – but if you think of them as somewhere to put the shopping, you’ll be delighted with them.

The infotainment system is straight out of the S-Class, only here the portrait screen tilts to reduce reflections when you fold the roof. The jet turbine air-con vents are a visual treat, and like all the modern Mercedes models the SL’s cabin is gorgeously lit at night.

There’s plenty of playfulness built into the user interface, from the maps of famous racing circuits (although not one for Sepang) so you can log data at your next track day, to the lap timer with a digital IWC watch face.

The steering wheel is a busy piece of real estate, with all sorts of touch-sensitive areas to control the sound system and driver displays, plus some configurable buttons to tune countless car settings. It’s a reminder that the Mercedes SL is no longer the kind of car you drive lazily with one hand on the wheel while your other arm is draped casually over the sill, fingers loosely cradling a fat havana.

You can still potter around slowly, of course, but the car’s own exuberant character means it simply wouldn’t abide it for long. It demands a firm, skilled hand, not tenderfooting. 

Besides, the SL 55 now costs (are you sitting down for this?) just over a million dollars here. If you’re going to buy a car that costs seven figures, you might as well drive the wheels off the thing.

That said, there’s the SL 43, which is S$155,000 cheaper. With 381 hp, it’s a respectably powerful alternative, but its mild hybrid 2.0-litre turbo engine is unlikely to capture the heart the way the SL 55’s V8 does.

Not to make excuses for not even peeping at the new SL’s boot, but with a million-dollar Mercedes-AMG it’s what you get at the front end that counts.

Mercedes-AMG SL 55 4Matic+

Engine 3,982 cc, twin-turbo V8

Power 476 hp at 5,500 to 6,500 rpm

Torque 700 Nm at 2,000 to 4,500 rpm

Gearbox 9-speed automatic

Top Speed 295 km/h

0-100km/h 3.9 seconds

Fuel efficiency 13.4 L/100 km

Price S$1,005,888 with COE

Agent Cycle & Carriage

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