The Ultimate Boss Car – Mercedes-AMG SL 63 Roadster

The SL has long been Mercedes ultimate Boss car. It’s lineage is as long as it is storied, with the 300 SL being near universally hailed as one of the greatest cars ever made, contributing to the fact it is the most expensive car ever sold – an immaculate condition SLR racing version recently sold for 135 million euro.

Mercedes throw the combined might of their entire company and at the SL, and the top of is the AMG SL 63 Roadster. It’s not only the ultimate in refinement, it’s an absolute performance weapon with few equals on the road. And that’s why I call it the boss car. It’s essentially incomparable.

The SL does not claim to be practical. It does not claim to be sensible in any regard. I mean, you could get the shopping or pick up the kids in this. But why would you? You have staff to do that? Officially a two plus two yet the back seat space is vestigial and limited from an adult perspective, I couldn’t fit my five foot nine self in. I don’t think you buy this car for the back seat, but the SL traditionally had one so Mercedes have kept with tradition.

What makes this car so special is how it balances all of these extremes into a perfectly composed vehicle. An incredible mile munching roadster, as comfortable cruising down Fifth Ave as it is on a Grand Tour, as it is on a track. And everything with extraordinary German precision. No rattle, no squeak, probably for the life of the car.

All of the SLs, and especially the SL 63 are for those who live a refined life and insist on the best. Yet it doesn’t shout, “look at me, look at me.” It doesn’t have to. This is a grown up’s car. The car you buy when you’re at the top of your game, the car you drive when you have a weekend off from your leading your multinational.

It’s a large car with an ultra stiff chassis, adjustable suspension and four wheel drive all do their job. Making driving anywhere from effortless To entertaining. Many superlative supply. Drivers of AMG models will be used to the sophisticated setup available from exhaust, suspension, engine response and dynamics. The extraordinary thing with this car is how much fun it is when you’re going ordinary speeds as well. It’s simply a pleasure to be in. You might jump in the car for a short trip and go on a 150 kilometer side-quest. Just because you love it. I did.

It’s a convertible, of course, so this is probably not your main track weapon, But performance wise, it’s more than capable of it. And if that’s your thing the Mercedes Track Pace function, has guides for a wide number of tracks around the world where you can record your exploits. Hockenheim, Suzuka, many more.

The seemingly mile long bonnet, featuring AMG’s telltale performance ridges, houses a front mid mounted 4 litre V8 Putting out 430 kilowatts and an extraordinary 800 NM of torque through a 9 speed to all 4 wheels, propelling it from 0 to 100 in just 3.6 seconds, a wild ride in any car. Yet the SL 63 tempers that with calm sophistication, a precision jackhammer, covered in calf skin. Yet when you unleash all the power it is as if Thor himself has turned up to party with a bag of hammers. And if the engine note itself isn’t fantastic enough as it heads to the 7000 RPM red line, wait till you change down, because that’s when the party really begins. With a symphony of snap, crackle, pop.

The Mercedes Benz UX that controls the console, dash and heads up display will be familiar to those who’ve driven recent Mercedes. It’s iteratively refined each generation and it’s very good. It’s highly configurable and voice recognition is so good that most useful functions can be achieved through speech. “Hey, Mercedes, put down the windows.”, “Hey, Mercedes, take me home.” The steering wheel is now shared across all AMG models, with a four bar system that’s worth spending some time to learn to use properly, because with your thumbs, you can control all the screens. The SL 63 will compliantly raise it’s nose, guided by GPS memory. For instance, coming into my driveway or entering the supermarket car park. The seats will massage you. They are ventilated, of course and unbelievably configurable and the headrests have a heated ‘air scarf’ function, perfect if you have the top down in cool weather. The soft top is fast and almost silent, and can be operated at up to 60 KPH, quite handy if you need to change it while you are tooling around In traffic.

Air vents are sculptural beauties that look like jet turbines. They not only direct the air but twist them one way or the other to adjust the air flow. In a nice touch, LEDs light them and change color as you heat up or cool down the car, with the independent zones available. The sound system is Burmester and, of course, superb. The car I drove was Black with a gray interior. The general design aesthetic is understated as is everything, apart from the extraordinary performance and incredible exhaust note. But a lot of people passing the car might not realize how special it is.

Many functions have gone into the central screens or onto the menus that are available through the drivers functions, which has enabled Mercedes to trim down any potential clutter. While I miss buttons, important functions like seat adjustments feature real buttons and air conditioning functions are always available. There are plenty of USB C charging slots. However, they are all positioned to retain that restrained esthetic look.

SL originally stood for super light and well that’s not quite the case any more, this car still holds true to the SL being the tour de force of the Mercedes range. It might be a little bit screen heavy for some who prefer a simpler life, however when Mercedes do things they do them well and whatever your preference for controls, you’re gonna adapt to whatever you love the most. And this car is lovable, it’s a pleasure to be in, it’s a pleasure to drive and it’s a pleasure just to stare at it and grin.