2025 Mercedes-AMG SL 63 4MATIC+ Review

The SL kicked off the sports car thing for Mercedes in style. Now an AMG, it’s no longer ‘super light’ but is certainly a stylish, swift and sumptuous GT.

Funny the things you recall from years ago, driving special cars. There was this one time decades ago we got a quick drive of a Mercedes SL. Top down, we took it for a blast up a hill road, and heard a bang while attacking a corner. Turns out the roll bars had deployed, thinking we were about to run off the road. 

The same thing certainly didn’t happen when driving the latest 2025 Mercedes-AMG SL 63, happily. Nowadays the safety electronics are better behaved.

The latest iteration is a far cry from that 2000s model. Back then it was a rear-drive atmo V8 machine. Now it features a biturbo V8, AWD, all-wheel steering and active antiroll bars. Meaning the ones under the car, not in it. Cepting not those ones either because this has a different system for roll control.

Anyhow, when we first drove the newcomer, now in its seventh generation, we were literally learning on the go. We couldn’t easily determine how to adjust the lumbar support, so we asked the MBUX assistant who quickly brought up the seat comfort screen. She’s helpful. Same for the motorised folding soft top. You just slide and hold the open icon on the menu. Fifteen seconds later, the car’s roofless. It takes the same to reverse the procedure and it can be done on the move, up to 60km/h. The new simpler system removes 21kg of weight compared with the former set-up too.

More pumped

The latest SL draws inspiration from the AMG GT in design, but it shares not a single component. It doesn’t have quite the athletic stance of the big coupe but it’s cool and, like that machine, it sure can hike. Being a small market and roadsters being a minuscule part of that, New Zealand takes just the single variant. And it’s probably the pick of the bunch. This is the third model up in the range, with a very generous amount of performance and specification, albeit at a rather serious outlay: $361,900 before cost option packages. It does come standard, though, with the AMG Dynamic Plus package, comprising active engine mounts, and an electronically locking rear axle.

A two plus two then

Like the 911, this has a lengthy pedigree. The first one hit the streets in 1954, wowing the world with gullwing doors. Also similar is its ability to take four passengers, at least in theory. The pair in the back better be lap dogs or little. Mercedes recommends no rear seat passengers taller than 1.5m because it’s fairly snug back there. The boot isn’t generous either, at 210L. Enough, barely, to fit a golf bag but only with the irons. The lid is powered. Unnecessary, but you get it anyway.

Back up front, we didn’t find the driver’s seat that great on longer trips, though the massaging and heating functions help. This has sweet sounds, delivered by an 11-speaker 650w Burmester premium system. It plays the radio exceptionally well. And it’s super-easy to save favourite stations and delete the talkback dross. Same for the phones. There’s a deep bass badaboom sound as a welcome.

AWD and AWS now

And so to the drive. It was clear on turnarounds that it had rear-wheel steering for a helping hand. There’s a hint of binding on full lock too, despite the RWS, suggesting AWD. That and the fact it didn’t break loose in gravel. Plus there’s the giveaway of a 4Matic+ badge. Which kind of explains why we could just keep upping the pace during the cornering shots. I recall the M5 had scooted through the same bend at pace and this had no trouble matching and bettering that. Perhaps that’s because it’s somewhat lighter (2.0 vs 2.4 tonnes) and lacks the motor and battery gubbins the BMW carries. It’s damn near as quick too, despite not having the hybrid mumbo of the top SL. That model is dubbed Performance SE, a plug-in. It offers 600kW and up to 1420Nm, with a claimed sprint time of 2.9sec. Whew.

But you’d hardly call this one reluctant. Push the AMG button or dial up Race+ on the wheel and the seatbelt gives you a bear hug as the revs rise to 4000 and it lets rip under launch control. On a fairly average surface we comfortably met the 3.6sec claim on the second run. And the warble from the exhaust is quite something. It brings the boys to the yard, if you get my drift. And on that, yes, this also has Drift mode. Oddly unnecessary.

We had high hopes it would break the two-second mark for the overtake, and sure enough, using Race Start it easily cracked that, ending at 1.75sec. While not quite as quick in the sprint as the M5, it bettered it on the overtake and also on the emergency stop. Beefy brakes are needed, in something with a vmax of 315km/h and a speedo that stops at 360.

No, these two aren’t direct rivals, other than both being German AWD and AWS machines, each with bellowing biturbo V8s. But we drove them almost back to back. It shows that a little less weight and output can do just as fine a job.

Both can suck back the juice but. We saw mean fuel use of 14.2L/100km and a long-term average of 18.8L/100km. That said, our best was 8.7 at a constant 100km/h. A 70L tank lasts for an indicated 375km. That’s worse range than most EVs manage these days, a turnaround for the books.

Ride and handling balanced

Without electrification you can sense the lighter weight of this versus the M5 when cornering. That may partly be because of AMG’s Active Ride Control (ARC). It uses adjustable hydraulic struts to limit roll in corners. The system really does keep the SL level in the twisty stuff, the big asymmetric Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres generating absolute grip. Helping is torque vectoring between axles. But arguably its greatest attribute is the effect ARC has on ride comfort. The actual Comfort setting is almost limo-like, rare in a roadster. It’s tech that works a treat.

So you can literally drive this around town and it wafts in superb fashion. The least comfy bit is exit and entry, especially for back seat passengers. Despite being low-slung, the outward visibility isn’t so bad. And the view directly behind is surprisingly generous with the soft top up.

Not cheap but impressive

One of the reasons this carries such a lofty sticker price is that it features an aluminium spaceframe, for much improved rigidity. That also permits the softer suspension settings. There’s plenty of aero trickery going on too, for less drag and lift. Louvres up front are normally closed to reduce drag and direct air underneath. A retractable spoiler helps with aero at the back.

A special feature is the front axle lift function, raising the nose by 30mm for awkward driveways. There’s also a digital light system that turns night into day. Other items include sports seats in nappa leather, an Airscarf for top-down motoring warmth, a heated wheel, head-up display, wireless charging and the list is almost unending.

So overall, it’s hard not to be impressed by this tour de force. It’s a stunning GT-type machine, with a lofty asking price, given it’s really only a two-seater with limited load space. SL fans should not be disappointed, however. 

And when you consider the direct rivals, like 911 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Vantage Roadster, Conti GTC, GranCabrio Trofeo, it might not seem so expensive after all.  

Mercedes-AMG SL 63 4Matic+
$361,900  /  13.9L/100km  /  319g/km
0-100 km/h 3.54s
80-120 km/h 1.75s (53.63m)
100-0 km/h 32.17m
Speedo error  96 at an indicated 100km/h
Ambient cabin noise  75.1dB@100km/h
Engine  3982cc / V8 / T / DI
Max power  430kW@5500-6500rpm
Max torque  800Nm@2500-5000rpm
Drivetrain  9-speed auto / AWD
Front suspension  Multilink / sway bar
Rear suspension  Multilink / sway bar
Turning circle  12.4m (1.8 turns)
Front brakes  Ventilated discs (390mm)
Rear brakes  Ventilated discs (360mm)
Stability systems  ABS, ESP, TV
Safety  AEB, ACC, BSM, LDW, RCTA, ALK, AHB
Tyre size  f-275/35R21  r-305/30R21
Wheelbase  2700mm
L/W/H  4705 / 1915 / 1354mm
Track f-1660mm  r-1625mm
Fuel capacity  70L
Luggage capacity  213L
Tow rating  Not rated to tow
Service intervals  12 months / 20,000km
Scheduled servicing  3yrs
Warranty  5yrs / unlimited km
ANCAP rating  Not tested
Weight (claimed)  1932kg