Mercedes-Benz SL-Class Convertible review
At a glance
Price new | £69,675 - £173,890 |
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Used prices | £9,481 - £50,437 |
Road tax cost | £305 - £735 |
Insurance group | 48 - 50 |
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Fuel economy | 23.2 - 31 mpg |
Range | 379 - 558 miles |
Miles per pound | 3.4 - 4.5 |
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Available fuel types
Petrol
Diesel
Pros & cons
Powerful engines, quality interior, strong residuals, more efficient engines
Not as fun to drive as some rivals, vague steering, expensive servicing costs
Mercedes-Benz SL-Class Convertible (12-20) rivals
Overview
Sporty, elegant and stylish, the Mercedes-Benz SL has a lot of appeal. Then again, there are hardly any shrinking violets in this sector. Rivals include the Porsche 911 Cabriolet, the BMW 6 Series Convertible and the Jaguar XK Convertible. So what to do? In a bid to keep the pressure on, Mercedes-Benz has put the SL on a diet. Every version has shed up to 140kgs, and now comes with a new range of cleaner and more powerful BlueDIRECT engines featuring stop/start technology to make life more uncomfortable for rivals.
Now largely made of aluminium, the car is lighter than the previous generation and feels more agile as a result. That weight loss has also made the car more efficient and it emits less CO2 than the older models. In terms of handling the SL is still second-best when compared to the Porsche 911, but it is a dramatic improvement over the previous car.