MERCEDES-AMG SL 63

New SL is a little lacking in 55 form. Chassis upgrades and extra 108bhp might help

- MATT PRIOR

TESTED 9.3.23, HERTFORDSHIRE ON SALE NOW

We have extensively driven the Mercedes-AMG SL 55 in the UK, and now arriving is the faster 63 variant of this new 2+2 roadster.

Both use a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine, but whereas the 55's has 469bhp and 516lb ft, the 63's has 577bhp and 590lb ft. As well as electronic tuning differences, the 63's unit gets tweaks to the intake manifold, exhaust and cooling.

Both drive through a nine-speed automatic gearbox with a wet clutch (rather than a torque converter), with four-wheel drive and fourwheel steering also standard. Both have coil springs too, but the 63's chassis gains revised active engine mounts, an electronically controlled limited-slip differential at the rear and hydraulic anti-roll bars, rather than mechanical ones. Those should let the suspension, which on the 55 we have found brittle in places, breathe more freely.

The 63 is the only SL to get a frontaxle lift, too, and beyond that it has minor interior material changes and some bespoke wheel options.