New Mercedes-AMG SL – ‘OFFICIAL’ Spy shots and 4WD confirmed

As the debut of a new Mercedes SL nears – developed and tweaked by AMG – we get ‘official’ spy photos and confirmation of 4Matic 4WD.

You might have expected Mercedes to let the SL wither on the vine as car tastes change and the SL has long lost its’ultimate’ luxury convertible tag, especially as it’s been a decade since the current Mercedes SL arrived.

But if you look back to the first SL in 1954, you’ll soon realise that up to a decade between SL generations is about right, so Mercedes is bang on target for a new SL this year – and here it is.

Disguised, of course, but the photo above is an ‘official’ spy photo of the new SL – fettled by AMG – out playing in the snow, complete with its new fabric folding roof. Why on snow, you may ask? Well, this time round the SL with come with Mercedes 4MATIC 4WD.

The looks seem more aggressive than past generations of the SL, the long nose and short tail remain, there’s a Panamerica grille and an impression that the new SL will be much more of a drivers car than iterations past. Although it’s still going to be the ‘comfy’ option compared to the AMG GT.

It looks likely the new SL will come exclusively with AMG’s more powerful powertrains under the bonnet, starting out with a SL 43 with a 3.0 litre straight-six and rising to an SL 63 and beyond, all helped by electrickery and with a plug-in hybrid version expected. That said, here could be an entry-level SL 300 too.

The new Mercedes SL will debut later in the year. Expect more teases before then.