MotorMouths

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

The SL550 is a brilliant automobile. It costs a pretty penny, but cars like the SL550 Roadster are all about a feeling, not a value, and this Roadster feels like it’s worth it.

In the sports car world, the SL has always been a bit of an anomaly. You own an SL to project a sense of well-being and being well off. But as a true-blue sports car, it falls short. Don’t expect a supreme road carver — it would ruffle your coiffed hair.

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.

Constantly improving, the sporty Mercedes-Benz SL hardtop convertible offers the best of all worlds and feels at home anywhere from the office to the racetrack to the country club and back, sometimes all in the same day.

The 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class is more powerful and efficient, and the lighter weight makes it sportier. The SL550 isn’t a full-on sports car, though. It’s a more relaxed grand tourer that offers very capable handling, but is also tame in traffic.

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.