MotorMouths

The 2012 SL Class is still every bit as lovely and talented as when it made its debut almost a decade ago. Yes, the SL has a timeless design that will likely ensure it turns heads even well into the next model’s run.

Mercedes has managed to improve the SL’s comfort, its dynamics, its safety and its performance, while also increasing its efficiency. This really is grand touring at its best.

The Mercedes-Benz SL has come to represent style and luxury. The 2013 edition continues in that fine tradition, with excellent performance and a first-class interior. If you’re a big shot and want to show it, the SL is a fine choice that’s impeccably finished and delightful to drive.

Mercedes-Benz has stayed true to the SL’s roots, crafting a lighter, more powerful, more fuel-efficient roadster that’s as comfortable and classy as it is attention-getting and absurdly quick.

So even if you find the 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550 odd to look at, dull to drive hard and aggressively expensive, remember that it moves through long road trips with fantastic aplomb while keeping passengers in uncompromised comfort.

For decades, each new Mercedes SL was a milestone. They were benchmarks, cars other luxury roadsters would target but fail to equal. The 2013 SL doesn’t reach those heights, but it’s a step in the right direction.

The SL roadster has always been thought to offer the ideal combination of style, performance and luxury. With this new SL 550, the sixth generation of the SL-Class has made a grand entrance.

The SL550 earns its price tag. Top down on a sunny day, it feels like a rich man’s Miata: top up, carving through stop-and-go traffic, it’s as luxurious as an S-class. Add in superior build quality and a hewn-from-a-block solidity, and it remains the gold standard in this class.

Effortless performance, proper luxury and trend-setting technology make the new 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class as iconic as its predecessors

A sports car it most certainly is not, but if you need to cover huge amounts of ground quickly, comfortably, safely, and in grand style, the SL remains a remarkably comfortable and capable, if not rewarding, grand tourer in a class of one.

With the 2013 SL, we’re back to added muscles, broader shoulders and a more forceful face. Needless to say, the SL is comfortable with the top up, but the surprise is how cozy it is with the top down.

It’s hard to find fault with a solidly built, comprehensively equipped luxury convertible such as the SL. With plenty of space inside, the car provides a welcome sense of privilege along with a palpable impression of mechanical sophistication.