Mercedes-AMG is not quite ready to show us the new generation SL sports car, but the performance division has fully revealed its cabin.
Not only is the Mercedes-AMG SL morphing from a two-seater into a 2+2 format for for the first time since the R129 generation of 1989, but it also takes the longstanding nameplate into the digital era with a set-up that Mercedes-AMG refers to as “hyperanalogue”.
The intention here was to create a mixture of analogue geometry and digital functionality, and an example of this can be found in the fully digital and configurable instrument cluster, which is integrated into an aviation-inspired 3D ‘visor’ structure. In the centre of the dash you’ll find an 11,9 inch vertical touchscreen, which can be adjusted into a more vertical position when the top is down in order to avoid glare from the sunlight.
Although some of the MBUX system’s functional content and operating structure have been inherited from the new S-Class, much of it has been supplemented and replaced by AMG-specific content and views to make the new SL “highly independent in terms of communication and information”. This includes menu items such as ‘Performance’ and ‘Track Pace’.
Moving to the back, the rear seats have been designed to accommodate people up to 1,5 metres in height, and when they’re not in use, owners can extend a draught-stop to shield front seat occupants from the wind.
“The SL is an icon of the brand with the three-pointed star: This roadster has stood for automotive fascination and desire for decades. A great opportunity and challenge for design, because every designer wants to create icons,” said design chief Gorden Wagener. “The result is a revolutionary interior experience caught between digital and analogue luxury. We created the most iconic SL ever since, the luxury icon of the 20s.”
This will be the first SL model fully designed and engineered by the Mercedes-AMG performance division of the company, and as an other point of departure it is also set to ditch the retractable hard top found on the current SL for a more traditional soft top format. Technical details have not been released as yet, but it is expected that the newcomer will share its basic architecture with the Mercedes-AMG GT sports car range.