My brother recently bought a new Mercedes-AMG SL43 (R232 model).

The SL is one of my personal favorite cars and one of the three models (911, SL, and M3) that I wanted to get someday when I was younger. In fact, theSL500 of R129I was on the andHe also owned an SLK350, the SL's little brother, the R171.Sometimes.

I really love the SL among Mercedes and have a special attachment to it.

Such is SL, but I had very mixed feelings when I saw the news of the announcement of this new model.The design is distinct from previous SLs, only AMG models are available, and the SL43 is a 4-cylinder turbo.

Hearing this, I honestly felt nothing but apprehension.

As a former SL owner, I wondered if my fears would prove to be true. Or would it end up being a blessing in disguise? I sat in the driver's seat to find out.

Mercedes-AMG SL43

Exterior and Interior

Much better looking than it looks in the picture.The AMG Monza Gray Magno matte paint is very beautiful and suits the body of this new model very well. However, if you ask me if this design is SL, I don't think so.At a quick glance, it could be mistaken for an AMG GT Roadster.The design seems to further emphasize the pushiness and raunchiness of the SLs up to now.

The roof isInstead of a vario-roof, it has a soft top, and the seats are four-seaters.

As you approach the car, the door handles automatically extend out to welcome you. After opening the doors, which are unusually heavy for recent years, the driver climbs into the car, where a huge control monitor sits on the center console, a style familiar from the new C-Class and S-Class models.

The driver's seat area is slightly curved so that it wraps around the occupant.Compared to previous SLs, it feels a bit small.

The seats are very comfortable, but the cushion thickness, etc., is thinner because of the sporty design rather than the SL's traditional luxury line of seats. The Mercedes traditional electric seat adjustment buttons on the doors are touch sensitive and require some getting used to.

Rear seats are completely for children.It would be better to separate the two. It is almost as good as a Porsche 911 and is for complete emergencies.

Incidentally, since it is now a 4-seater, it would seem that the seats could be folded down wide to rest, but my brother said that the seats of this SL automatically move forward when the backrest is folded down beyond a certain angle to a certain extent. I wonder if they are not using the same control unit from the two-seater era. He said.

He is not happy that the seats cannot be folded down completely to rest, despite the fact that it is a four-seater.

Almost all of the various functions and settings in the carOperated by a tablet-like monitor in the center consoleThe SL is a very simple car, but it has a touch screen. Once you get used to it, air conditioning, audio, navigation, etc. are no problem, but in the case of the SL, even the opening and closing of the roof must be operated using this touch panel, which is hopelessly inoperable.

It can be opened and closed while driving, but the switch must be slid and maintained. It is very difficult to do this on a touch panel, and even the touch response is sometimes poor, and when the car is running, vibration can cause the fingers to move apart.This causes the top to stop at the halfway point, making it even more rushed and dangerous.This will be the case.

This interface is a major departure from Mercedes' traditional safety-first policy of not confusing the driver with the controls even while driving, and we would like to see it improved as soon as possible.

Engine Handling

The engine wakes up with a starting sound that is brave among recent noise-regulated vehicles.

Shift into D range and start driving. Hard!" .I can't help but say it.

It is hard enough that you should not drive it thinking it is an "SL" of yesteryear. It may be due to the fact that this particular car is equipped with 21-inch wheels as a dealer-installed option, but even if that is not taken into account, it is still on the hard side. Of course, it does not have the unrefined thrust of a custom car, but depending on the road surface, the body shakes vertically. Frankly speaking, it would be difficult to use this car as a date car at low speeds.

Compared to the Porsche, the 992 is clearly more comfortable.

First, let's take a look at the 2-liter four-cylinder engine, armed with an electric turbocharger that is akin to the F1 engine, which was introduced with much fanfare. We open the throttle slowly or a little faster to see how much torque is produced. But there is a problem before that.

The control of the AMG Speedshift MCT, a 9-speed AT, is terrible.

There may be individual differences, but the shifting shock from first to second gear is so severe that it is lousy, as if the "AMG Speedshift MCT" was introduced for the first time in this SL.

No matter how carefully I operate the gas pedal, I feel a jolt from first to second gear.

As expected, the shift shock is not felt in 3rd gear or higher, but this does not allow the driver to enjoy the response of the electric turbocharger. We can only hope that the shift control program will be improved as soon as possible.

After leaving the city, we headed to the highway, testing the handling on the curves at interchanges along the way.The handling is excellent, as one would expect from the tightened legs.The tires have a good ground feel, and the handling is typical of a sports car, and I think that AMG is indeed the best when it comes to this bodywork and athletic performance.

The two-liter four-cylinder also makes it easy to turn and even agile. However, the car lacks a sense of doshiness and a luxurious feel as if it were licking the road surface.

So, instead of 'SL'.The handling scores quite high when viewed as a sports car developed by AMG.

Feeling at high speed

From the merge onto the highway, the car is set to Sport Plus mode and the accelerator pedal is pressed deeply. The electric turbo has ample torque and response, as expected. The power feel alone makes it hard to believe that this is a 2-liter four-cylinder engine. At the very least, it has the power and response of a high-performance six-cylinder engine.

With 381 hp, it's fast enough, and unless you're used to AMG's 63 or similar, you won't have any complaints about its speed.Incidentally, my 992 Carrera Cabriolet is almost equal to the 992 with 385 hp, but the 992 is faster by feel.The difference may be due to the weight of the car, but more than that, the density of torque and power extension is different. the SL's engine is great enough, but it seems to lack a little extension from a certain speed.

High speed stability is more than adequate.Less speed, here, as one would expect from SL, butEven with the top closed, wind and road noise comes in quite a bit.The interior noise level is comparable to that of a 992 Carrera Cabriolet, and at speeds where the car is leading the overtaking lane, or in a tunnel, you have to be a little more conscious of raising the volume of your voice to have a conversation with the front passenger.

This is another point where the SL is completely sports car-oriented, unlike its predecessors.

Try a fast corner at a faster speed range. Try changing lanes from in to out and out to in; the SL43 is more than fast enough, and there is not the slightest hint of uneasiness. However, when I poke around the corners of the heavy box, I find that the front head movement is agile, but the rear tracking is a little uncomfortable.

If you drive a 992 on this same curve, the entire chassis can be driven in a clean, on-the-rail, completely on-the-rails pattern, but with an SL, the soles are a bit snarled. It is not a perfect circle, but a slightly angular circle. This is more a matter of feeling than performance.I felt that there were some areas that were a little lacking in terms of "feel" of driving, not in terms of physical speed.

Sohyo (General Council of Trade Unions of Japan)

My brother said.I don't know how to feel about this car.He said.

I agree with that opinion after having ridden this SL this time.If you think of it as an "SL," it is too sporty. On the other hand, if you compare it to the rival 911, it is not such a serious sports car.It is not clear what kind of standing the car has.

So, depending on what you expect from this car, your evaluation will vary greatly. At least for me, who expected the "SL" up to now, I honestly do not rate it highly. But on the other handIf you buy it expecting it to be more of a sporty car, I think that's a high praise.

On the way there, my wife, who was in the passenger seat, andWhat car does this SL resemble?The answer I came up with in talking with718 Cayman/BoxsterIn a nutshell, you can think of it as a larger, more luxurious version of the 718. In a nutshell, the SL can be thought of as a larger, more luxurious version of the 718. Needless to say, the sound and feel of the engine, the cyborg-like speed of the sports car, and the rigidity of the chassis have much in common.

Finally, I would like to ask the developer, "What is your plan for the future? "Why did you name it SL?And.

By the way, if I were to name this car, I would name it "AMG GT C Cabriolet". I dare call it a "Cabriolet" instead of a "Roadster". I think this car often feels more comfortable when you drive it with this image in mind.