Crown

I am sure that very few if any Ferrari customers would give a second look at the SL, even at these highly discounted prices.

However, if you exclude the prestige and clout that Ferrari carries, the AMG will most probably be the better ownership and driving proposition day in and day out.

--

"Porsche....and Nothing else matters"

Someone considering a Ferrari Roma wouldn't consider the SL in my opinion. If someone is looking for a daily driver which isn't too flashy but also isn't too boring. I think that the SL is a car you can drive to the office without having to worry too much about what other people say. The 911 Convertible would probably fall into the same category. A Ferrari Roma would be a different story in my opinion. Not a good daily driver, unless you don't care about other people and what they say. At least here in Germany.

I broke the SL63 in now last weekend and have a more realistic impression of the car now after 1650 km.

Here are a few positive and negative observations:

1. Acceleration is brutal, the 800 Nm torque are really something. No traction issues, at all. Zero. Fantastic.

2. OEM tires (Michelin Pilot Sport 4S in the special Mercedes AMG flavor M01) harmonize very well with the SL63. 

3. Standard brake isn't that great, it started rubbing after a very short while and I wasn't driving excessive speeds (up to 250 kph only because of the low tire pressure I have right now on the tires). I probably should have gone for the ceramic brake but since this isn't a track car, I shouldn't expect wonders from the brake (and the weight of the car). The brake works well but I wouldn't "trust" it too much when it is very hot outside and after some extensive Autobahn driving. It already started rubbing after only a couple of minutes on the Autobahn, doing speeds up to 250 kph.

4. Aerodynamics Package: My car has the optional Aerodynamics Package with active aerodynamics. I didn't really put it on my MUST HAVE list when I was looking for a SL but now I can highly recommend it if you are planning to do some highspeed driving. I did the same Autobahn section I did in my SL63 dealer testcar (without Aerodynamics Package) at around 210 kph with sweaty hands and this section is quite curvy (a Tesla Model 3 Performance in front of me was "shaking" so badly at 200 kph in that curve that I thought he is going to crash his car any moment, it looked crazy) and not only curvy but also a bit uneven, so most cars will start getting "nervous". Did the same section at 250 kph in my SL63 and it felt almost as my Performante, with the difference that the chassis was quiet, not moving a bit and it was like driving on rails. Only observation I had was a tiny bit of "movement" in the chassis because this is of course no Lamborghini. 
I am pretty sure that the Aerodynamics Package made THE difference here, would highly recommend it for spirited drivers.

5. The sound of the exhaust/engine is just amazing for a 2024 car equipped with GPF. I don't know how Mercedes did it but apparently they installed a larger diameter GPF (according to one source) and did some sound fine tuning. It is really sounding sufficiently loud and nice. Not too loud to get on someone's nerves but loud enough to enjoy it. Oh boy do I enjoy the V8 sound of this AMG.

6. There is a turbo lag if you fully accelerate from a very low rpm (under 3000 rpm), you need to be aware of it. It is best to keep the rev figure above 3000 rpm if you don't want that lag. My Z4 40i feels better here but this car has a mono turbo setup.

7. Acceleration from a stop without LC is laggy if you fully press the throttle (kickdown) BUT, you can trick the throttle if you just press the throttle to the first "resistance" point first and THEN further (kickdown). Acceleration is really brutal, it feels more brutal than in my Trackhawk but the Trackhawk has no lag from a stop, it just thrusts forward when you fully press the throttle.

8. Fuel consumption is surprisingly low. Did 335 km last Sunday, 235 km of it at speeds around 100-160 kph and the last 100 km at full throttle most of the time and up to 250 kph. Average fuel consumption was 14.3 l / 100 km only. Wow.
My average fuel consumption during break-in was around 13.3 l / 100 km. Not bad at all. With some restraint and driving in C mode only, I am quite sure that you can get an average of around 12 l / 100 km if you keep the speed under 140 kph. Not bad for such a car.

9. Tire pressure setups are annoying: For a not fully loaded car, the recommendation is 2.1 bar (31 psi) on all four tires. Unfortunately this only works up to a speed of 250 kph. If you want to drive over 250 kph and enjoy the top speed of 315 kph, you need to up the tire pressure to 2.8 bar (41 psi) front and 2.6 bar (38 psi) rear. Ouch. With 2.1 bar, the car drives through curves like a go-kart, very nice and grippy. With higher tire pressures, the car feels a bit weird, the "connection" feel to the road isn't there as good as before. It gets even worse when you have luggage in the car: 3.1 bar (45 psi) front and 3.3 bar (48 psi) rear. Ouch again.
I decided to stick to the 2.1 bar (31 psi) all around, this pressure is great for spirited country road driving and for the Autobahn up to 250 kph. I don't drive on the Autobahn too often anymore anyway, so the 2.1 bar are really great for this car. Highly recommended.

10. I drove around slightly over 4 hours and my iPhone, which was located on the charging matt in the car, shut down because of overheating. WTF? This only happened to me on the beach in Miami when I left my iPhone in the direct sun. I noticed that the phone gets very hot while charging/streaming at the same time. My son has the same problem with the charging in his BMW 3 series (G80). Seems to be a common issue. Maybe I should just keep the phone in a different location, NOT charging it or I should use charging with a cable. It is so annoying, it took around 10 minutes for the phone to cool down.

11. The top open/closes up to a speed of 63 kph on the speedo. Funny, officially it should work only up to 60 kph. It is quite convenient that it is 60 kph and not 50 kph. Works absolutely great. Driving the SL63 with an open top is sooooo enjoyable, especially because of the exhaust sound but also because the neck warmer works amazingly well. Yes, even the Performance seats have the neck warmer.

12. Car attracts more attention than expected. Due to the fact that you can barely see a new SL here on the road, many people don't know this car. I removed the rear badges (AMG and SL63) because of my customers but when I went to fuel up my car at the fuel station, an guy around 40-50 came up to me and asked me what kind of Mercedes this is: I told him this is a SL63 and then he looked at me surprised and said "I thought Mercedes doesn't make them anymore?". I told him that this is the new one and he was very surprised and told me "Hammer", which translates into "amazing". 
I got some thumbs up, mostly from younger people (boys) but in general, people are looking at the car and I remember that this did NOT happen when I was driving the all black testcar from the dealer last year. 

13. I'm a little bit disappointed with Dolby Atmos. Used it with Apple's Spatial Audio and I can't say I hear much difference/benefits. If the Dolby Atmos logo wasn't there, I wouldn't really notice it at all. On the other hand, the 3D High End Burmester System is AMAZING, even with an open top, it just sounds spectacular with the right music. So happy my car has it.

14. The Performance seats are getting more and more comfortable. Drove over 335 km without a stop and I didn't experience any back pain or whatever. Amazing seats and I love how they look. They are fully adjustable, including the side bolsters.

15. No issues with the car so far, nothing. Knock on wood. My dealer has scheduled a software updating appointment next week but I'm not sure I am going to do it. The car is fast and eats little fuel and there are no issues. I don't think I should update the control units. I WILL have them update the MBUX software though, there is a new version (445.xxx) available, mine is a bit outdated (329.xxx). It is weird that there is no software update available through the software OTA update feature. 

So far, I think this car is worth every penny. It is fun to drive, very comfortable and sounds amazing. Highly recommendable, especially since I seem to be spared from the issues (battery) some early adopters had with the car.

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Lamborghini Huracan Performante (2019), BMW Z4 M40i (2022), Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk (2019 EU)

A very informative review.

Enjoy the car

"Porsche....and Nothing else matters"

RC,
Thanks for the detailed observations.

Sounds very enjoyable.

Mike

918 Spyder + 992 Dakar + Mercedes EQS580v4 + Tesla Roadster 1.5 & Model S P100D AP2 + BMWs (Z8 + 3.0 CSi+'95 M3) + Bentley Arnage T

W8MM:

RC,
Thanks for the detailed observations.

Sounds very enjoyable.

Indeed. Very nice daily driver and "cheap"...if you get it with a discount.

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Lamborghini Huracan Performante (2019), BMW Z4 M40i (2022), Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk (2019 EU)

It’s nice to see you so happy with the SL RC, congrats

mcdelaug:

It’s nice to see you so happy with the SL RC, congrats

Thank you. It is a very nice daily driver, highly recommended but it cannot replace a supercar or something like that.
For someone who is looking for a convertibe/roadster with a nice sounding and powerful engine, the SL63 is really a very good choice (not for the real MSRP though but the SL63 has been heavily discounted lately in many regions, until the supply lasts because Mercedes lowered production capacities to produce the new AMG GT).

This car cannot be a substitute for a GT3 or a Performante though.

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Lamborghini Huracan Performante (2019), BMW Z4 M40i (2022), Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk (2019 EU)

Enjoyed your impressions RC - thanks

The tyre pressure stuff is quite interesting and for people outside Germany a bit moot but for regular Autobahn blasters it presents a bit of a PIA as you say. The fact that you say it feels a bit odd with the mega high pressure makes you realise that one tyre set up cannot do everything now days.

I was reflecting on my 2009 997 GT2 which only has one recommendation for tyre pressures ie 2.0 bar front and 2.3 bar rear which can see you well up to 328kph/204mph, these are eextremely low pressures compared to heavy modern cars which I guess is mainly because of the relative weights ?

My German tuners put in 2.4bar in the front and 2.7bar in the back for my 370kph/230mph (untested) tuned GT2 and I think for their TUV approved tuning kits they have to alter the various plates to the new pressures..... 2.7 bar in the back gives a pretty choppy ride round town   I run it at regular recommended pressure daily at home.

997 GT2 2023 tune,  3.9 Mezger, 850PS

992 GT3, people carrier spec.

993 Turbo, 2006 built 3.8, 577PS/797NM, 1440kg DIN sold to a worthy enthusiast.

TB993tt:

Enjoyed your impressions RC - thanks

The tyre pressure stuff is quite interesting and for people outside Germany a bit moot but for regular Autobahn blasters it presents a bit of a PIA as you say. The fact that you say it feels a bit odd with the mega high pressure makes you realise that one tyre set up cannot do everything now days.

I was reflecting on my 2009 997 GT2 which only has one recommendation for tyre pressures ie 2.0 bar front and 2.3 bar rear which can see you well up to 328kph/204mph, these are eextremely low pressures compared to heavy modern cars which I guess is mainly because of the relative weights ?

My German tuners put in 2.4bar in the front and 2.7bar in the back for my 370kph/230mph (untested) tuned GT2 and I think for their TUV approved tuning kits they have to alter the various plates to the new pressures..... 2.7 bar in the back gives a pretty choppy ride round town   I run it at regular recommended pressure daily at home.

Very true, unfortunately.

My former Shelby GT500 is the best example: The car had semi-slicks as a standard tire and they were barely driveable even on dry roads, almost undriveable on wet roads and they were really bad at temperatures under 10°C.
So I decided to go for a new wheel set with approved PZero tires. I loved the rim design and I was happy to get a tire I was familiar with for street use. 

Well...Pirelli required(!) the tire to use 3.4 bar tire pressure all around for high speed use with the Shelby GT500. Only with the 3.4 bar tire pressure, the car was approved for speeds over 300 kph (my car was tuned to 765 hp and was capable of doing REAL 345 kph but I never drove faster than 300 kph because at speeds over 300 kph, the brake was basically useless and it was a very scary feeling).

Driving with 3.4 bar was a pain in the ass, it was barely enjoyable. So I found a compromise. I talked to Pirelli, even got to talk to a tire engineer there (which was quite commendable) and we agreed both that if I lower the tire pressure to 2.6 bar, I would be able to safely drive up to 270 kph with ONE passenger and no luggage in the car.

Now guess what my Mustang dealer, the idiot told me: He told me, after installing the new wheel set with PZeros that other drivers are safely driving without any issues 2.4(!) bar on all four tires and speeds over 300 kph and nobody ever had a problem. Well...YEAH...if someone would have a problem, he would be DEAD...so impossible to report a problem then.   Seriously, just because a dangerous situation works for some for a while doesn't mean it is safe. I was shocked that the dealer didn't understand the dynamic of tire setups and the dangers, so I got in a fight with him and never went back there. Luckily my "tuner", THE Mustang guru in Germany (Peter Schropp) was a very knowledgable and capable mechanic, so I had all my maintenance stuff done there, amazing workshop.

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Lamborghini Huracan Performante (2019), BMW Z4 M40i (2022), Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk (2019 EU)

Mark Twain: “Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.”

mcdelaug:

Mark Twain: “Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.”

True but the tire pressure is really a very complex and not always easy to understand topic, so I get it why some people don't understand the importance (or the dangers). I wish there was a technology to adapt the tire pressure automatically from within the car without the need of an external air pump (I think such a system is actually mandatory in Brazil for trucks and busses but maybe I'm wrong) but I guess this wouldn't be technologically possible with the current tech, at least not without adding substantial weight (and design issues) for the car.

Cool...kind of.


Speaking of dealers and mechanics: I usually make a very good connection to the mechanic of my car(s) and it works very well because most of the mechanics know how to do their jobs and they understand the issues and dangers. Not all of them (had once a mechanic who came from Skoda to Porsche and this guy was an idiot...he didn't understand the different tire pressures at lower and higher speeds, he was new to Porsche and he was too old to adapt/learn, which was another problem, also because I was substantially younger than him) but most of them.
I usually don't deal with the sales guy or the owner of the dealership but mostly with the mechanics. I get along with them very well...always. There must be a reason for that.  (yes, of course I give them money but they usually deserve it, they do a good job). 

--

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Lamborghini Huracan Performante (2019), BMW Z4 M40i (2022), Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk (2019 EU)

Update to my SL63 AMG experience (car has 2400 km now):

• engine OBD light came on while driving on the Autobahn at around 205 kph and engine cut off power (turned engine off, OBD light was off, engine ran at full power again but 10 min later, same issue at around 205 kph). Checked for errors (OBD scanner, I always have one with me), found a misfiring on cyl 1, 2, 3 and 4. Brought car to dealership for 5 days, they checked everything, an AMG engineer from Berlin(?) was onboard as well. They put a new fuel pump and fuel filter in, cleaned the system (whatever this means). Suspicion was that because the car was standing at a dealer almost a year, there was some sort of "dirt" in the fuel system. There was a recall pending for the fuel pump anyway (different issue), so... They also updated all control units in the car which were updateable at the factory dealership, including the ECU and also the MBUX infotainment system (now running on latest V 445.221). I also had an engine and rear axle differential oil change done (not necessary). Problem went away, drove 500 km with the car, no issues anymore.
• car is a torque monster, it feels more powerful than it actually is and it is very fast. I have my tire pressure adjusted to 250 kph because I drive my car mainly on country roads and in the city and the handling is much better with that lower tire pressure. On the Autobahn, I didn't pay attention and the car accelerated in no time to 290 kph...performance is really very very good. There is a turbo lag if you aren't in a lower gear but the torque is just amazing. Car feels double the power of my Performante. 
• RACE (track) driving mode is the sportiest and safest (neutral) one, surprisingly. Similar to Performante Corsa mode, the RACE mode makes the car very neutral, to achieve maximum track performance. Chassis is very stiff in this mode BUT there is still some noticeable body "looseness" you can feel, which bothers me a little bit in very tight corners. The rear axle steering is amazing though, you can feel it working (unfortunately) when you drive at the limit but it really helps stabilize the car. I like it but it feels a bit unusual.
• my car is equipped with the optional aerodynamics package and I think it is really worth every cent. Driving through some tight Autobahn curves at 250 kph is quite amazing, the car feels very planted. It doesn't provide the driving on rails feeling of the Performante but it feels very stable and safe, there is no movement in the body. I drove the same Autobahn section in a car not equipped with the aerodynamics package and the difference is quite surprising. Another advantage of the aerodynamics package is the additional cooling of the gearbox and brake system. I wish AMG would advertise this package in a better way, so people understand what they're missing. This is NOT an visual aerodynamics package only.
• fuel consumption is not as high as expected (average 20 liters / 100 km, driving speeds up to 250 kph often and full throttle). The car can be driven in C mode and a gentle throttle under 12 liters / 100 km.
• the steering is quite good, close to the 911 but not quite there yet. For a Mercedes defininetely very good, especially in RACE mode. 
• car feels heavy and safe and stable on straights but through curves, it feels quite nimble and light. Until you have to brake from higher speeds...
• the standard brake system is not adequate I'm afraid. I wish I'd chosen a car with the ceramic brakes. Rubbing, fading, even at not that high outside temperatures (27°C), a bit disappointing. The brake feels safe though but it doesn't come close to the Porsche standard brake for example. My car weights around 1940 kg and at this weight, the car should have ceramic brakes as standard or at least a bigger brake.
• interior quality is better than expected, I love the Alcantara-type suede material.
• since the software update of the control units no more battery issue but I keep my car key stored in a faraday box (got this recommendation from a fellow SL63 owner). Haven't used the car for a week now and the app doesn't report any battery issues, so I'm good. 
• the Burmester 3D High End sound system is just amazing, especially when the roof is open. The sound is...breathtaking, so much fun. Perfect system for a roadster.
• the car is so much fun driving with an open top, Mercedes did really well here. No issues with the roof so far.
• the tiltable middle console display works well in the sun but I still think it isn't the perfect solution. A fixed high end 2000 nits display with an anti-reflective coating would have been the better choice in my opinion. The large display looks a bit weird indeed (like an iPad) BUT you get used to it fast because it is very responsive and makes your life easier.
• the sound of the car, interior and especially exterior is mesmerizing. Especially when driving with an open top, it is just WOW. So much fun, one of the best sounding V8 engines equipped with a GPF on the market. Maybe THE best sounding.

So far, I am very happy with the car but that OBD issue withe misfiring was quite annoying, I was so afraid that there is a more serious problem. 

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Lamborghini Huracan Performante (2019), BMW Z4 M40i (2022), Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk (2019 EU)

Glad you are enjoying it Christian  

RC:

So far, I am very happy with the car ...

Fabulous to hear. 

Mike

918 Spyder + 992 Dakar + Mercedes EQS580v4 + Tesla Roadster 1.5 & Model S P100D AP2 + BMWs (Z8 + 3.0 CSi+'95 M3) + Bentley Arnage T

Here’s an update on the new AMG GT S E-Performance or whatever long name they have for the PHEV variant. https://www.motor1.com/news/716970/mercedes-amg-gt63s-e-performance-range/ Oh noes!   That AMG PHEV system is being compared to one used in the Corvette e-Ray.    

CGX car nut:

Here’s an update on the new AMG GT S E-Performance or whatever long name they have for the PHEV variant. https://www.motor1.com/news/716970/mercedes-amg-gt63s-e-performance-range/ Oh noes!   That AMG PHEV system is being compared to one used in the Corvette e-Ray.    

I am very curious about this car, there is also the SL63 variant available now. The price is acceptable, better than for the SL63 but right now, discount is "only" 9% here.

Should be a beast in the 100 to 200 kph speed range. I assume something around 6 seconds, maybe a even slightly under.

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Lamborghini Huracan Performante (2019), BMW Z4 M40i (2022), Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk (2019 EU)