The latest generation Mercedes-Benz SL is a regular guest on the pages of Motor1.com as our spy photographers use every little opportunity to provide us with pictures of camouflaged prototypes. This time, however, the photos you see in the gallery attached below come straight from the automaker.
Mercedes currently has engineers and test pilots on a special closed testing ground in Sweden with snow, where the new SL is doing a final round of cold and snow tests. There may not be many future owners of the SL Class who will take their cars on a trip through the snowy interior, but Mercedes wants to make sure the roadster can handle all kinds of difficult weather conditions.
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For this final round of winter testing, Mercedes is putting the finishing touches and calibrations to the roadster’s 4Matic four-wheel drive system, which will be offered in SL for the first time in history. Engineers are also working to ensure that the new fabric roof can withstand the harsh conditions that prevail near the Arctic Circle.
The next phase of SL development and testing will take place on the legendary Nurburgring track, where handling characteristics will undergo a final refinement. On the north loop of the circuit, the engineers will be “ensuring that this latest interpretation of the SL is even more based on its sporting roots”.
Mercedes also confirms that all versions of the new SL will be sold under the Mercedes-AMG brand. According to preliminary information, the base model will feature a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine with about 400 horsepower (298 kilowatts). Above that, the SL63 will have a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 and the range-topper is expected to be a high-performance plug-in hybrid with up to 800 hp (597 kW).
Mercedes says the new SL is “ready to make its debut later this year”.