The next generation Mercedes-Benz SL are regular visitors to the pages of Motor1.com while our spy photographers use every little opportunity to give us shots of camouflaged prototypes. This time, the photos you see in the gallery below come directly from the car manufacturer.
Mercedes currently has engineers and test drivers at a special, secluded test field in the snow in Sweden, where the new SL is making a final round of cold weather and snow tests. There may not be many future SL-class owners taking their cars on a journey through the snowy countryside, but Mercedes wants to make sure the roadster can handle all sorts of difficult weather conditions.
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For this final round of winter testing, Mercedes is putting the final finishing and calibration on the roadster’s 4Matic four-wheel drive system, which is being offered in the SL for the first time in history. The engineers are also working to ensure that the new dust roof can withstand the harsh conditions near the Arctic Circle.
The next phase of the SL’s development and testing will take place on the legendary Nurburgring track, where the handling features will finally be refined. On the northern loop of the track, the engineers will “ensure that this latest interpretation of the SL takes its sports roots even more than ever before.”
Mercedes also confirms that all versions of the new SL will be sold under the Mercedes-AMG brand. According to preliminary information, the base model will include a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine with about 400 horsepower (298 kilowatts). In addition, the SL63 will get a twin-turbo V8 liter from V8 and the topper is expected to be a high-performance plug-in hybrid with as much as 800 hp (597 kW).
Mercedes says the new SL will make its debut later this year.