Car Enthusiast - click here to access the home page


 


Mercedes-AMG reveals high-powered hybrid SL. Image by Mercedes-AMG.

Mercedes-AMG reveals high-powered hybrid SL
The plug-in SL doesn’t have much zero-emission range, but it has an awful lot of power.
<< earlier Mercedes-AMG article  

 


News homepage -> Mercedes-AMG news

What's all this about?

This is the new Mercedes-AMG SL 63 S E Performance.

Wow, that's a mouthful. How do they fit the badge on the back?

That’s not the important part here. The important part is the power. This is the most powerful Mercedes SL ever made. This is a lineage that started with the 122hp 190 SL let’s not forget…

Go on then. How much power? 550hp? 650hp? 700hp?!

Nope, higher than that. In fact, this high-performance plug-in hybrid SL gets 816hp, and 1,420Nm of torque.

That's... A lot...

Oh yes. While the SL was traditionally Merc’s comfort-oriented sports car, ever since AMG got its mitts on this version, it’s been a bit more performance-focused. This SL 63 S E uses a 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo engine mated to a 204hp electric motor mounted in the middle of the back axle.

It's a plug-in hybrid, so how far does it go if I only use the electric motor?

Erm... Eight miles.

Eight?

Yup. As Mercedes says: “the battery is designed for fast power delivery and consumption and not for the longest possible range” and that’s clearly the case. While you can trickle along on electric power for short bursts, think of this SL as being more like a road-going version of the hybrid system Lewis Hamilton uses in the Merc F1 car. So the battery, all 6.1kWh of it, uses F1-derived cooling technology allowing it to unleash savage bursts of extra acceleration when you need it, and always when you need it. The whole system has been designed to never leave you hanging.

Crikey. How fast is it?

Getting from 0-62mph takes just 2.9 seconds, and there’s a top speed of 196mph. Oh, and there’s a full active aerodynamics package, including a moving carbon-fibre flap under the engine that creates an F1-style (again) ground-effect suction under the car, and a mobile rear spoiler too. It’s not wildly inefficient either – being a hybrid it can manage an official 36mpg, and its CO2 emissions are 175g/km.

Does it stop as well as it goes?

It ought to. While there’s a clever regenerative braking system that can return as much as 100kW of energy to the battery while slowing down, there are also massive 420mm front and 370mm rear carbon-ceramic brakes with six-piston callipers for the ones in the front.

How about cornering?

The SL 63 S E comes with AMG’s Active Ride Control, which means you get electronically controlled dampers that are also hydraulically-interlinked. The hydraulic system replaces physical anti-roll bars and allows the suspension to flex with the road, keeping up the comfort levels, but also keeps the body flat and level when cornering hard. The hydraulic system even helps the steering to feel sharper, as it reduces the camber effect when the wheels are reacting with the road. There’s also 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive, which means that the rear electric motor can react super-fast on the back wheels to provide the extra thrust, but it can also feed its power and torque up to the front wheels if the rears start to spin up or slide.

What about the styling?

Actually, in SL terms, the 63 S E is pretty subtle — red badges, 20-inch dark-finished wheels, an E-Performance badge down by the front wheels, and the extra flap for the battery charging socket at the back.

Sounds good to me. When can I order one?

Hold your horses. Mercedes hasn’t really said as yet, but it seems likely that the order books will open at some point next year.



Neil Briscoe - 12 Dec 2023


2024 Mercedes-AMG SL 63 S E Performance Reveal. Image by Mercedes-AMG.2024 Mercedes-AMG SL 63 S E Performance Reveal. Image by Mercedes-AMG.2024 Mercedes-AMG SL 63 S E Performance Reveal. Image by Mercedes-AMG.2024 Mercedes-AMG SL 63 S E Performance Reveal. Image by Mercedes-AMG.2024 Mercedes-AMG SL 63 S E Performance Reveal. Image by Mercedes-AMG.

2024 Mercedes-AMG SL 63 S E Performance Reveal. Image by Mercedes-AMG.2024 Mercedes-AMG SL 63 S E Performance Reveal. Image by Mercedes-AMG.2024 Mercedes-AMG SL 63 S E Performance Reveal. Image by Mercedes-AMG.2024 Mercedes-AMG SL 63 S E Performance Reveal. Image by Mercedes-AMG.2024 Mercedes-AMG SL 63 S E Performance Reveal. Image by Mercedes-AMG.









    - Mercedes-AMG road tests
- Mercedes-AMG news
- SL images






AMG version of Mercedes CLE arrives. Image by Mercedes.
Mercedes-AMG reveals CLE 53
Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 4Matic has a 449hp mild-hybrid powertrain, does 0-62mph in 4.2 seconds.
 
Minor tweaks for Mercedes-AMG’s high-performance GLA. Image by Mercedes-AMG.
Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 S 4Matic+ update
The GLA 45 S 4Matic has had a light revamp, with styling mods and added tech.
Mercedes reveals second-generation AMG GT. Image by Mercedes-AMG.
Mercedes-AMG GT revealed
The new model is bigger and more high-tech than its predecessor but it still gets the rip-roaring V8.

 
 215 Racing
 9ff
 A. Kahn Design
 Abarth
 Abt
 AC Cars
 AC Schnitzer
 Acura
 Aehra
 AIM
 Alfa Romeo
 Alpina
 Alpine
 Amari
 APS Sportec
 Arash
 Arden
 Ares
 Ariel
 Arrinera
 Artega
 Ascari
 Aston Martin
 Atalanta
 Atomik
 Audi
 Austin
 Auto Union
 Autodelta
 Autofarm
 Autosport
 AVA
 Avatar
 Axon
 Aznom
 BAC
 BAIC
 Bentley
 Bertone
 Bizzarrini
 Bloodhound
 Bluebird
 BMW
 Bosch
 Bowler
 Brabham
 Brabus
 Breckland
 Bridgestone
 Brilliance
 Bristol
 Bugatti
 Buick
 Burton
 BYD
 Cadillac
 Callaway
 Callum
 Caparo
 Capstone
 Carlsson
 Caterham
 CCG
 Chang'an
 Changfeng
 Chevrolet
 Chevron
 Chongfeng
 Chrysler
 Citroen
 Climax
 Connaught
 Cooper Tires
 Corvette
 Cummins
 Cupra
 Dacia
 Daewoo
 Daihatsu
 Daimler
 Dartz
 Datsun
 David Brown
 David Brown Automotive
 DDR
 De Tomaso
 Delta
 Detroit Electric
 Devon
 Dodge
 Donkervoort
 Drayson
 DS
 Eagle
 Eagle E-type
 EDAG
 edo competition
 Eterniti
 Everrati
 Evisol
 Exagon
 FAB Design

 
 Factory Five
 Faralli & Mazzanti
 Fenix
 Fenomenon
 Ferrari
 Fiat
 Fisker
 Ford
 G-Power
 Geely
 Gemballa
 General Motors
 Genesis
 Ginetta
 Giugiaro
 Glickenhaus
 GMC
 Goodwood
 Google
 Gordon Murray
 Gordon Murray Automotive
 Gordon Murray Design
 Gray Design
 Great Wall
 GTA
 GTM
 Gumpert
 Hamann
 Hartge
 HBH
 Heffner Performance
 Hennessey
 HERE
 HiPhi
 Holden
 Honda
 Hulme
 Hummer
 Hyundai
 I.D.E.A
 Icona
 IFR
 Infiniti
 Ionity
 Isis
 JAC
 Jaguar
 Jeep
 Jensen
 Jetstream
 JJAD
 Joss Developments
 Kahn
 Kamala
 Keating
 Kia
 Koenigsegg
 KTM
 Kumho
 Lada
 Lagonda
 Lamborghini
 Lancia
 Land Rover
 Lexus
 Liberty
 Lightning
 Lincoln
 Lister
 Loma Performance
 Lorinser
 Lotus
 LupiniPower
 Luxgen
 Mahindra
 Mansory
 Maserati
 Mastretta
 Maybach
 Mazda
 McLaren
 Mercedes
 Mercedes-AMG
 Mercedes-Benz
 Mercedes-Maybach
 Mercury
 Metrocab
 MG
 Michelin
 MINI
 Mitsubishi
 MMI
 Monte Carlo
 Mopar
 Morgan
 Mosler
 MTM
 Munro
 NAC MG
 Nichols Cars
 Nissan
 NLV

 
 Noble
 Novitec
 Opel
 Overfinch
 Pagani
 Perodua
 Peugeot
 Piaggio
 Pininfarina
 Polestar
 Pontiac
 Porsche
 Praga
 Preview
 Prodrive
 Project Runningblade
 Project Velocity
 Proton
 Protoscar
 Qoros
 Radical
 Range Rover
 Red Bull
 Renault
 Reva
 Rimac
 Rinspeed
 RoadRazer
 Rolls-Royce
 Ronn Motor Company
 Rover
 RUF
 Saab
 SAIC
 Saleen
 Saturn
 Scagliarini
 SCG
 Scion
 SDR Sportscars
 SEAT
 Sin
 Singer
 Skoda
 Smart
 Soleil
 Spada
 speedArt
 Sportec
 Spyker
 SRT
 Ssangyong
 SSC
 Startech
 STaSIS
 Subaru
 Suzuki
 Suzusho
 TAD
 Tamiya
 Tata
 Techart
 Tesla
 The Little Car Company
 THINK
 Thunder Power
 Tojeiro
 Tommy Kaira
 TomTom
 Toray
 Toyota
 Trabant
 TranStar
 Trident
 Tushek
 TVR
 TWR
 UKCOTY
 Vanda Electrics
 Vauxhall
 Velozzi
 Vencer
 Venturi
 Veritas
 Vizualtech
 VL Automotive
 Volkswagen
 Volvo
 VUHL
 WCA
 WCotY
 Webasto
 Westfield
 Wiesmann
 Xenatec
 Yamaha
 Zagato
 Zarooq
 Zeekr
 Zenos
 Zenvo



 
 






External links:   | Irish Car Market News |

Internal links:   | Home | Privacy | Contact us | Archives | Old motor show reports | Follow Car Enthusiast on Twitter | Copyright 1999-2024 ©