It’s easy to think of the Mercedes SL as an old man’s convertible; a soft and soggy soft-top for those who are more interested in the pose than the drive.
But that’s not really been true for a long time, and certainly not in the SL AMG models, which have offered real performance and decent dynamics since arriving as the SL55 AMG a decade ago.
But now we have the 2012 Mercedes SL63 AMG about to arrive, and it promises to be the best SL AMG to date. It gets all the pluses of the new SL – less weight, better dynamics, more toys – and throws plenty of grunt in to the mix with its new 5.5 litre twin turbo V8, good for 530bhp and a 0-62mph in 4.2 seconds.
You can push that already extreme power to higher levels by opting for the AMG Performance pack which will shave a smidge off the 0-62mph time and throw in an extra 27bhp. A soft and soggy soft-top is not an adequate description of the new SL63 AMG. In fact, if Mercedes wasn’t now making the SLS, it would be considered an out and out supercar.
More on the 2012 Mercedes SL63 AMG from Geneva next week.
2012 Mercedes SL63 AMG Photo Gallery
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(27 photos – click any thumbnail for full gallery)




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