2024 Mercedes-AMG SL63 S E Performance: Excess Is Best

When senior editor Ezra Dyer recently presented the idea that convertibles only need around 150 horsepower to deliver a relaxing and sometimes sporty open-air experience, it made sense. However, the 2024 Mercedes-AMG SL63 S E Performance, which produces roughly five times that amount, presents an interesting counterargument. And after some time behind the wheel of AMG’s latest plug-in-hybrid hot rod, we admit Affalterbach’s mad scientists might have some good points—805 of them, to be precise.

Silent and Violent

Just like the GT coupe with which it shares a platform, the SL63’s E Performance variant wields a 603-hp twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 with 627 pound-feet of torque, routed through a nine-speed automatic that utilizes a wet clutch instead of a traditional torque converter. At the rear axle is where the E Performance powertrain gets complicated. An electric drive unit consists of a motor with 201 horses and 236 pound-feet, a two-speed transmission, an electronically controlled limited-slip differential, an inverter, and a 4.8-kWh liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack. The e-motor can even send torque forward to the front axle to enable electric-only all-wheel-drive.

The SL lives in a world of excess. When the SL badge was initially conceived in the early 1950s it stood for Super Leicht—Super Light, for the monolingual folks. Fast-forward some 70 years later, nothing about the current-generation SL comes off as svelte. Mercedes says electrified elements add roughly 500 pounds to the gas-only SL63, which should put the E Performance in the neighborhood of a chunky 4850 pounds.

Speaking of excess, with all the powertrain elements at full tilt, the combined output is a monstrous 805 horsepower and 1047 pound-feet once all that fuzzy EV math is factored in. And just like the equally strong GT63 S E Performance, delightful sensations abound, especially with Race Start engaged. The 4.0-liter V-8 shakes in its mounts and fills the air with pops and burbles. Release the brake and the SL leaps forward, attacking the road ahead. The brutal acceleration waffle-stomps your innards through your rib cage. The electric motor puts out full thrust in 10-second doses before tapering off to deliver 94-hp blasts in 60-second increments. Just as with its hard-topped sibling, we expect the race to 60 mph to be over in under 2.5 seconds, while the quarter-mile wraps up in just over 10.

Though we expect the E Performance to return just a handful of electric-only miles, moving along on battery power alone is especially appreciated in the SL. Toggle through eight driving modes to reach Electric and the V-8 shuts right up, leaving just the wind in your hair (or, in our case, what’s left of it) and the airy scents of southern Germany’s freshly baled hay. Mercedes says the SL E Performance can cruise at up to 87 mph in electric mode. There are four levels of brake regeneration available, none of which deliver true one-pedal driving, and the strongest modes are locked out when the battery is nearly full. In the sportiest drive modes the V8’s starter-generator can quickly recharge the battery. Should the battery be depleted upon arrival, the SL’s 3.7-kW onboard charger can replenish the pack in about two hours when plugged into a 220-volt outlet or nearly five hours on a 110-volt setup.

Super Legit

Despite what its mass may suggest, the SL63 S E Performance doesn’t stomp around like a petulant elephant. Instead, the SL’s standard rear-axle steering helps the car gracefully navigate twisting hillside roads. There isn’t any more feel through the tiller, but whereas the GT’s steering feels reactive, the SL’s is more relaxed; for that, you can thank a structure with 40 percent less torsional rigidity, narrower Michelin Pilot Sport S5 tires, and electronically controlled dampers with softer valving. Like the GT, the SL skips a traditional anti-roll-bar setup and uses a hydraulic anti-roll control system instead. The corners are hydropneumatically linked to mitigate body roll, and the system tuning varies in Comfort and Sport driving modes. In the SL, the system operates at a lower pressure to allow for additional body motion.

Unsurprisingly, the E Performance pairs its hustle with strong brakes. Up front, six-piston calipers pinch the standard (and massive) 16.5-inch carbon-ceramic rotors. In the rear are 15.0-inch rotors but only wimpy-looking single-piston calipers. While they will clamp down with authority, we can’t overlook the annoyance of the brake pedal’s varying pressure, something we also disliked in the GT’s E Performance variant. The left pedal’s response is never consistent, nor is there an indication of what pedal feel you’ll actually get. Firm and ready, or a smidge of travel? Who knows! Mercedes-Benz’s mysterious moving brake pedal, an intentional choice that will adjust pedal position even under sustained braking pressure, continues to frustrate us. Who asked for this?

Then again, who asked for an 805-hp convertible with a plug-in-hybrid powertrain and all-wheel drive? We’re not sure, but hopefully they’re willing to pay supercar money for this high-luster hustler. Its $208,150 starting point is a big pill to swallow, but the dual-major aptitude of the SL63 S E Performance will undoubtedly satisfy any owner who gets their hands on one when they arrive in the U.S. later this summer.

Source: Reviews - aranddriver.com