The Future of the SL-Class

The SL-Class from Mercedes-Benz has been a mainstay of the brand since 1954, starting as a grand touring vehicle targeted towards a market of affluent performance enthusiasts looking for a toned-down Gran Prix vehicle. The first vehicle to receive the SL-Class tag was the 300 SL, which would become the Gullwing, a design recognized even to this day as performance and utmost style. Yet, Mercedes-Benz has chosen to release design of the SL-Class over to AMG®, in hopes of creating a vehicle even more spectacular.

This will be the first time AMG® has overseen the design of the SL-Class, even though there have been many SL-Class AMG® vehicles in the past. What this means for the future SL-Class is that the next-generation of this model will have naturally higher performance and a more sporty feel to the vehicle, which is essentially taking it back to the roots of the SL-Class. Even better, the next SL-Class will share a platform with the Mercedes-AMG GT, the current pinnacle of Mercedes-Benz performance, called the Modular Sports Architecture.

One of the main reasons that the Mercedes-AMG GT and SL-Class are being designed together on this new platform is to create better economies of scale and boost profitability by driving down the costs with engineering. At the other end of that though, the SL-Class is expected to be developed in the style of a grand tourer once again: Mercedes-Benz must differentiate the SL-Class from the Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster, since they are both currently high performance convertibles, but also the SL-Class is supposedly replacing the S-Class Cab later on.

Illustration by Ben Summerell-Youde/Fox Syndication, Car&Driver

One of the biggest changes to the current SL-Class design though will be the move away from a hardtop convertible back to a fabric roof, lowering vehicle weight drastically while improving trunk space. Another improvement brought by the soft top will be a 2+2 cabin, although with fairly small rear seats. What are your thoughts on the SL-Class? Should Mercedes-Benz stick with the current design or move to this performance design?