Active Body Control

Sports Car

Facelifted Mercedes SL revealed in LA

Mercedes unveiled its facelifted 2016 SL at the Los Angels Auto Show.

With order books opening in January and first deliveries from April 2016, the revised SL features a host of 'significantly enhanced technical and visual features'.

The front end in particular has been made 'significantly sportier' says Mercedes, and as a result the bonnet, bumper and headlamps, among other features, are all new. The diamond radiator grille extends downwards, while two 'powerdomes' accentuate the long, drawn-out bonnet. Also adding to the SL's new appearance is the new standard-fit LED Intelligent Light System with headlamp housing extending far to the outside. The sporty silhouette is emphasised by the enlarged cosmetic air outlets with wing-like chrome inserts in the dynamic, broad vehicle wings and the exterior mirrors positioned on the beltline.

More powerful engines, the automatic transmission 9G-TRONIC, DYNAMIC SELECT with five transmission modes and Active Body Control with the curve tilting function all feature on the latest model. The vario-roof now opens at speeds of up to 25mph.

Ola Kallenius, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, Mercedes-Benz Cars Sales & Marketing: "The SL is an all-season vehicle that is fully suited for daily use, but above all it is a dream car for those special moments as a couple. Whatever its owner desires - it fulfils the expectations with technical perfection."

The model range now comprises the SL 400 with V6 engine uprated to 270 kW (367 hp) and 500 Nm (additional 25 kW/35 hp and also 20 Nm) as well as the SL 500 with the powerful 335 kW (455 hp) V8 engine. As standard the power transfer is handled by the new 9G-TRONIC nine-speed automatic transmission. With DYNAMIC SELECT the vehicle characteristics can be adjusted in seconds at the touch of a button, as the system modifies the setup of the engine, transmission, suspension and steering at the driver's behest.

Additional variants include the two Mercedes-AMG models in the guise of the SL 63 and SL 65, the latter with a V12 engine.