Many were probably surprised when the new Mercedes SL was presented and it had a four-cylinder engine under the hood. A small four in this flagship? No, it didn’t feel right. Now, the AMG SL 63 S E Performance is being introduced, and there’s no four-cylinder in sight. Instead, they’ve used the well-proven twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8, paired with an electric motor on the rear axle.
The total output is stated to be a whopping 816 horsepower and 1420 Newton-meters of torque. The power sent to all four wheels allows it to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in just 2.9 seconds, and a top speed of 317 km/h makes this the fastest version of the SL to date.
The car is actually a plug-in hybrid that can be charged with a cord, but the electric range is really a joke. The tiny 6.1 kWh battery pack only allows for a measly 13 km of range, but the focus in this version is, as you might guess, performance and not the environment.
The car always starts on electric power, and when it feels the need for the combustion engine, it kicks in. There is brake energy recovery and different levels of regeneration, which should allow one to drive with just one pedal if desired. The car has steel springs, adaptive dampers, active roll stabilization, ceramic brake discs, and rear-axle steering. It also has an active front spoiler that helps prevent the nose from lifting at higher speeds.
The cost of the car is still unclear, with a launch set for some time in the spring.
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