Skip advert
Advertisement

New Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG revealed

Mercedes pulls the wraps off its latest SL65 AMG - a 621bhp, 4.0sec to 62mph V12 convertible with stop/start

Mercedes-Benz has pulled the wraps off its all-new SL65 AMG. Mere weeks after the SL63 AMG made its public debut at the 2012 Geneva motor show, it’s been replaced at the top of the SL range by a far more muscular sibling. Going against the current downsizing trend at AMG, the SL65 retains the old car’s twin-turbo 6-litre V12 and a prodigious power output – new manifolds, wastegate ducts and a sports exhaust system see power rise from 604 to 621bhp, while torque remains at an electronically limited 737lb ft. Both figures compare very favourably to the new SL63’s 530bhp and 590lb ft in standard trim. They hustle the two-ton SL65 to 62mph in just four seconds – close to current supercar pace – and a typically German 155mph limited top speed. The speedometer climbs past 220mph, though… AMG’s 7G-Tronic automatic gearbox is standard fit, a first for the company’s bi-turbo V12. There’s the usual plethora of driving modes, from ‘Controlled Efficiency’ (aka Comfort) to Sport Plus and Manual. Pop the gearbox in its eco-friendly mode and you’ll have most hope of meeting the car’s claimed 24.4mpg fuel economy and 270g/km CO2 emissions. There’s a stop/start system – there can’t be many of those on 12-cylinder cars – to nominally cut your fuel costs. Despite weighing in at 1950kg, the SL65 is actually 170kg lighter than the model it replaces thanks to a new aluminium bodyshell and carbonfibre bootlid as well as lighter suspension components. ABC active suspension is fitted as standard, with a Sport mode firming the damping and cutting roll rates, and a Comfort mode softening things up for more serene journeys. There’s also electromechanical steering with variable, speed-sensitive assistance. Being an SL, there’s a trick convertible roof, the folding hard top retracting in 20 seconds. Magic Sky Control – a glass roof that switches electronically from light to dark – is an option, while Airscarf neck heating is standard. The all-new Mercedes SL65 AMG goes on sale this Autumn; prices haven’t yet been confirmed, but expect little change from £150,000. It should undercut the less powerful SLS AMG Roadster, though.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

The new Toyota GR Yaris costs £44,250 – too much for a hot supermini?
Toyota GR Yaris Gen 2 – front
News

The new Toyota GR Yaris costs £44,250 – too much for a hot supermini?

Our early impressions of the Gen 2 GR Yaris suggest that it’s an improvement in every area that counts, but can it be worth £18k more than an i20 N?
27 Mar 2024
The new Mercedes-AMG G63 has arrived, and it still has a V8
Mercedes-AMG G63
News

The new Mercedes-AMG G63 has arrived, and it still has a V8

Some of Affalterbach’s range-toppers are swapping eight cylinders for four, but the AMG G-class retains its V8 for 2024
26 Mar 2024
Land Rover Defender OCTA: twin-turbo V8 and McLaren-style suspension tech for hot off-roader
Land Rover Defender OCTA – front
News

Land Rover Defender OCTA: twin-turbo V8 and McLaren-style suspension tech for hot off-roader

The OCTA promises to be the fastest, toughest and most capable Defender yet when it launches later this year
26 Mar 2024