Mercedes-AMG SL63 SE Performance Will Melt Your Brain With Its Speed

The last thing the regular Mercedes-AMG SL63 needs is more power. With 577 horsepower, it can go from 0-60 and hit triple digits with ease. But as the relentless march of technology has proven, there’s always room for improvement. Enter E Performance.

Using a rear-mounted hybrid motor (and a little extra power from a twin-turbo V-8), the Mercedes-AMG SL63 SE Performance adds 228 horsepower, for a total of 805 hp and 1,047 lb-ft of torque. Figures once reserved for high-end exotics are now available in Mercedes’ iconic convertible. Best of all, the extra boost doesn’t ruin what makes the modern SL such a great cruiser.

Thankfully, the transition to hybrid power hasn’t ruined the SL’s handsome looks. It’s the best-looking car since the R230-generation cars of the early 2000s, with precise proportions and a sleek, mean face that never veers into the craggy. Those precise body lines are the result of a switch back to a soft fabric roof, away from the power-folding hard top that has plagued the SL for more than 20 years.

The ragtop model change doesn’t help the SL’s weight. The standard SL63 weighs 4,321 pounds, and all the hybrid gear adds about 500 pounds. It only takes a few turns to feel how heavy this thing is.

Being a big, heavy boat is par for the course for the SL, but it’s carrying the weight of a midsize truck. Fortunately, AMG’s Active Ride suspension is standard. Instead of a traditional sway bar, it uses hydraulic lines connecting four dampers, each with its own actuator that can either engage or disengage in corners to improve the ride or stiffen it up to sharpen the handling.

Pros: Very Fast, Packed With Customizable Technology, As Comfortable As SL Should Be

I can’t say the suspension is perfect, as I only had an hour with the SL on very smooth German roads, but considering how impressive the equipment is on cars like the GT63 and G63, I’m confident it can handle whatever bumps you throw at it.

The drivetrain is equally impressive. It combines AMG’s spectacular 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 with an electric motor mounted in the rear where the rear differential would normally be. Combined, the system produces 805 horsepower and 1,047 pound-feet of torque—a truly ridiculous number.

When you step on the accelerator, the response is immediate; the electric motor cranks out 201 hp from zero rpm, filling in the pauses the turbos experience as they push air into the V-8. It’s a sense of overwhelming, never-ending thrust that I’ve never felt anywhere else… except in the GT63 E Performance, the car that shares its underpinnings with the SL. It feels like a pure electric car in terms of straight-line acceleration, except that the power doesn’t drop off, even as you hit 150 mph.

While I didn’t get to explore the SL63’s full potential on the German Autobahn, there’s clearly a similar amount of performance available. I hit 192 mph in the GT63, ​​and I have no reason to believe this SL won’t do the same. It’s fast as hell, yet somehow still relaxed and fun to drive. A true drop-top GT weapon.

Despite the SL’s weight, it handles corners gracefully. The steering is very quick, with a very tight center point. The nose responds to minimal driver input, tucking the long hood into corners with surprising agility. It’s a step softer and less responsive than its fixed-roof GT63 counterpart.

That’s a good thing to me. The SL wasn’t meant to be the ultimate convertible sports car. It was meant to be a fun, fast cruiser that could handle twisty roads if you needed it to. And it nailed that goal.

Cons: Complicated, Heavy, Expensive

Where the SL is most disappointing is in its cabin. Nearly every control or adjustment is handled through the 11.9-inch portrait-oriented screen that sits on the dash. Things like drive modes and entertainment are easy to change, but I wish the climate controls weren’t trapped inside the touchscreen. There’s not even a volume knob; the sound is adjusted via a slider at the bottom of the screen. The capacitive touch buttons on the steering wheel are annoying, hard to use, and easy to misclick. It takes a few hours to get used to them, but even when you do, they’re not as fun as the original’s simple set of buttons. At least the bucket seats are nice.

With a starting price of over $200,000, the interior is hard to swallow. But the E Performance makes up for it with truly blistering acceleration. A few full throttle pulls and you’ll forget you had to go through 83 menus to fold the roof. At least, Mercedes thinks so.

The electric motor’s 201 extra horsepower transforms the SL63 from a luxury convertible into a true rocket. In my opinion, that’s well worth the extra $20,000.