Mercedes-Benz SL500

Car review: LUKE MADDEN

What is it?

It’s the latest generation of the ever-popular Mercedes SL, a car that has always been praised for its comfort and refinement more than it ever has for its sportiness. This could be the SL that changes all that though as it’s far lighter, far more advanced and comes with more powerful and more efficient engines than it ever has before.

You’ll have to be willing to pay for that long list of talents though as the V6-powered SL350 starts from £72,495, while the SL500 – which is powered by a turbocharged V8 – costs £83,445. Of course, as a small business owner you may well think you deserve this sort of car for your success – and we couldn’t blame you.

What’s hot?

• The new SL’s body is made entirely of aluminium for the first time, which helps – in the SL500 – to make it 125kgs lighter than the model it replaces
• The SL500 model, with its 429bhp 4.7-litre twin-turbo engine, produces a brutal wave of exhilarating acceleration…
• …but the SL350 is impressive in a straight line too with a 0-62mph time 5.9 seconds – that’s 1.3 seconds slower than the SL500
• In corners; there’s a load of grip and the SL will hold on to the road far harder than you’d expect
• Most impressive though is the comfort. We drove a car with the stiffest suspension you can get on an SL and it still felt as supple as an S-Class. The optional air suspension will be more comfortable still
• And the refinement is extremely good, with whisper-quiet conversations still possible at motorway speeds
• It won’t cost the earth to run either thanks to an improvement in fuel economy of 22 per cent from old SL500 to new SL500. That translates to around 31mpg

What’s not

• The SL may be very capable in the corners but it’s really not that much fun. You won’t get the kind of feedback and feeling of connectedness you get in a 911
• That bulbous front end may not appeal to everyone
• The options will quickly add up and our SL500 test car actually came to over £100,000

Road test verdict

The new Mercedes SL really is a great all-round roadster but it won’t provide the same kind of driving thrills as the new Porsche 911 Convertible. Instead, the SL focuses on delivering blistering speed and capable cornering without compromising the limousine-like ride or refinement.

• Want more pace? Try the AMG variant – read more here.

Eco-tweaks such as stop/start have helped bring CO2 emissions down but pence per mile costs will be still be high and even the greenest models sit in a high company car tax BIK band, so this is probably one car to run outside your company – and charge the business mileage costs back using the AMAP rates.  No matter which SL you choose, be prepared to pay plenty to buy it and plenty to run it too.

(And if you’re confused by AMAPs, don’t be – read this instead.)

The low down