2016 Mercedes-Benz SL facelift - first spy pictures
Updated Mercedes-Benz SL will go on sale in the UK next year, after the smaller SLC
These are the first spy pictures of the Mercedes-Benz SL, which will come to the UK next year offering a range of technical and styling upgrades.
This test mule's camouflaged front end hides a redesigned bumper and grille design, which looks to bring the SL in line with the current Mercedes-Benz family, and in particular with the Mercedes-AMG GT sports car.
Styling changes over the current SL include larger, more prominent air vents and a reprofiled lower grille, which gives the car a more sporting appearance. At the rear, the updated SL gets similarly light changes, with tweaked exhaust outlets and minor alterations to the rear bumper.
The SL’s engine line-up is unlikely to change significantly, meaning the current range of 3.0-litre V6, 4.6-litre and 5.5-litre V8s and 6.0-litre V12 engines will carry over.
Reflecting similar changes made to the SLK back in April, Mercedes’s new nine-speed automatic transmission will be optional for the first time, replacing the existing 7-speed automatic unit.
In the SLK, the new transmission helps to improve fuel consumption by 5.3mpg while also improving that car’s 0-62mph sprint time.
Inside, the SL will receive new materials and details designed to refresh its premium image, as well as a new free-standing infotainment screen running the latest version of Mercedes’s COMAND software. A touch-sensitive controller for the system, already in use elsewhere in the Mercedes range, will also feature.
With the facelifted SLC (formerly SLK) scheduled to launch at the beginning of 2016, it’s likely the updated SL will be seen towards the middle of next year
by Darren Moss
