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Mercedes-Benz SL-Class Convertible (2012-2020) review

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Parkers overall rating: 4 out of 54.0

At a glance

Price new £69,675 - £173,890
Used prices £9,190 - £50,437
Road tax cost £305 - £735
Insurance group 48 - 50
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Fuel economy 23.2 - 31 mpg
Range 379 - 558 miles
Miles per pound 3.4 - 4.5
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Available fuel types

Petrol

Diesel

Pros & cons

PROS

Powerful engines, quality interior, strong residuals, more efficient engines

CONS

Not as fun to drive as some rivals, vague steering, expensive servicing costs

Written by Parkers Published: 6 June 2019

Overview

Sporty, elegant and stylish, the Mercedes-Benz SL has a lot of appeal. Then again, there are hardly any shrinking violets in this sector. Rivals include the Porsche 911 Cabriolet, the BMW 6 Series Convertible and the Jaguar XK Convertible. So what to do? In a bid to keep the pressure on, Mercedes-Benz has put the SL on a diet. Every version has shed up to 140kgs, and now comes with a new range of cleaner and more powerful BlueDIRECT engines featuring stop/start technology to make life more uncomfortable for rivals.

Now largely made of aluminium, the car is lighter than the previous generation and feels more agile as a result. That weight loss has also made the car more efficient and it emits less CO2 than the older models. In terms of handling the SL is still second-best when compared to the Porsche 911, but it is a dramatic improvement over the previous car.