The letters SL have been on Mercedes-Benz road cars since 1954. For decades, magazines and even Mercedes itself used Sport Leicht and Super Leicht interchangeably; in 2017 a find in the company's archive settled it as Super-Leicht, super light. The SL 63 AMG in these photos is an R231, the version sold in the US for the 2013 to 2019 model years: a twin-turbo V8, a folding hardtop that stows itself in the trunk, and all of its power sent to the rear wheels. For 2022, Mercedes replaced it with an all-wheel-drive SL under a fabric top.
- SL stands for Super-Leicht, German for super light. Mercedes used Sport Leicht and Super Leicht interchangeably until 2017, when a find in its corporate archive settled the question.
- The SL 63 AMG name has worn three different V8s: a naturally aspirated 6.2-liter from 2008, the twin-turbo 5.5-liter pictured here from the 2013 model year, and a twin-turbo 4.0-liter with all-wheel drive since 2022.
- The R231 car made 530 hp at launch, 557 hp with the AMG Performance Package and 577 hp in its final 2017 to 2019 US model years, all of it to the rear wheels through a 7-speed automatic.
- Its hardtop folds itself into the trunk, a feature the SL line first offered in 2001. The 2022 SL traded it for a fabric top that saves 21 kg (46 lb).
What Super‑Leicht actually means
Mercedes traces the SL name to the 300 SL, which raced in 1952 before it became a road car. In 1952, the W194 sports racer finished first and second at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and first and second at the Carrera Panamericana. Two years later, the road-going 300 SL was introduced not at Frankfurt or Geneva, where Mercedes usually showed new models, but at the International Motor Sports Show in New York in February 1954. The idea came from Max Hoffman, Mercedes' U.S. importer, who saw a market among affluent American performance enthusiasts.
What the initials stood for stayed loose for decades: magazines and company officials used both Sport Leicht and Super Leicht. In 2017, a chance find in the Mercedes-Benz corporate archive settled it as Super-Leicht, super light. The same two letters sit on the trunk lid of the SL 63 AMG in these photos.
One badge, three very different V8s
The SL 63 AMG name is younger than the SL badge itself, and each time Mercedes redesigned the car underneath it, the engine changed too.
- 2002 to 2008
Before the SL 63 name
The R230 generation's first AMG models were the supercharged SL 55 AMG, released in 2002 with 493 hp, and the twin-turbo V12 SL 65 AMG, released in 2004 with 604 hp.
- 2008 to 2012
The SL 63 AMG debuts, naturally aspirated
The facelifted R230 brought the first SL 63 AMG in 2008, replacing the SL 55 AMG: a naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8 making 518 hp.
- 2013 to 2019
R231: a twin-turbo SL 63 AMG, the car pictured here
The redesigned R231 SL brought back forced induction: a twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 making 530 hp at launch, 557 hp with the AMG Performance Package, and 577 hp in US cars from the 2017 model year, through a 7-speed automatic to the rear wheels only. Mercedes quoted the new SL 63 at 275 lb lighter than the car it replaced. It was the last SL 63 AMG built this way.
- 2022 to today
R232: the badge goes all-wheel drive
The next SL, presented in October 2021 and launched as an AMG-only line, arrived for 2022. Its SL 63 pairs a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8, 577 hp, with all-wheel drive, a 9-speed transmission and 2+2 seating as standard. The folding metal roof gave way to a fabric top worked by electric motors instead of hydraulics, 21 kg (46 lb) lighter.
The R231 in the photos on this page
The badges tell you which SL 63 AMG this is. The fender reads V8 Biturbo, Mercedes' word for twin-turbo, and the R230 SL 63 before it was naturally aspirated, so this is an R231. Mercedes rated the launch car at 530 hp, or 557 hp with the AMG Performance Package, and US-market cars were rated 577 hp from the 2017 model year.
- Engine
- 5.5-liter M157 twin-turbo V8
- Output
- 530 hp at launch, 557 hp with the Performance Package, 577 hp for 2017 to 2019
- Torque
- 590 lb-ft at launch, 664 lb-ft with the package and from 2017
- Transmission
- 7-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT, rear-wheel drive
- 0 to 60 mph
- 4.2 sec at launch (4.1 with the package), 4.0 sec for 2017 to 2019
- Curb weight
- About 4,059 lb (Mercedes' preliminary 2013 figure)
- Starting price
- About $155,000 for the final 2019 model year
On the launch cars, the AMG Performance Package added 27 hp, 74 lb-ft of torque and a higher electronically limited top speed, 186 mph instead of 155 mph.
V8 Biturbo
AMG cabinWhy the R231 stands apart
For 2022, Mercedes rebuilt the SL around all-wheel drive, a fabric top and 2+2 seating. That leaves the R231-generation SL 63 AMG, sold in the US for seven model years, as the last one with rear-wheel drive only and a folding hardtop.
Whichever SL ends up in your garage, a folding roof, its seals and a leather cabin are worth keeping out of the sun, dust and weather between drives.
Keep it coveredCovers for the SL, matched to your exact car
Questions owners ask
What does "SL" actually stand for?
Super-Leicht, German for super light. For decades, magazines and even Mercedes-Benz used Sport Leicht and Super Leicht interchangeably; in 2017 a find in the company's corporate archive settled it as Super-Leicht. The name goes back to the 300 SL race car of 1952; the road-going 300 SL followed in 1954.
Is the SL 63 AMG rear-wheel drive?
The R230 and R231 SL 63 AMGs, sold from 2008 through the 2019 model year, including the car in these photos, sent power to the rear wheels only. The current Mercedes-AMG SL 63, sold since 2022, has all-wheel drive.
How much horsepower does the SL 63 AMG make?
It depends on the generation and the year. The R230 SL 63 AMG, sold in the US through the 2012 model year, used a naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8 making 518 hp. The R231 car pictured here used a twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8: 530 hp at launch, 557 hp with the AMG Performance Package, and 577 hp for the 2017 to 2019 US model years. Today's Mercedes-AMG SL 63 uses a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8, also rated at 577 hp.
When did Mercedes stop building the SL 63 AMG?
Mercedes dropped it after the 2019 model year, and Kelley Blue Book lists no 2020 or 2021 SL 63. The name returned for 2022 on an all-wheel-drive car with a fabric soft top instead of the folding hardtop pictured here.
Sources (13)
- "SL" is short for Super Leicht (super light); Mercedes-Benz used Sport Leicht and Super Leicht interchangeably until 2017, when a chance discovery in its corporate archive settled it as Super Leicht. en.wikipedia.org
- Mercedes dates the SL name to 12 March 1952, when it presented the 300 SL (W194) racing car, a pure motorsport car with no road version planned at the time; the road-going 300 SL followed in 1954. marketscreener.com
- The road-going 300 SL was introduced in New York in February 1954 instead of at Frankfurt or Geneva; the idea came from U.S. importer Max Hoffman, targeting affluent performance enthusiasts in the American market. en.wikipedia.org
- Mercedes-Benz revealed the road-going W198 300 SL at the International Motor Sports Show in New York in 1954. motorauthority.com
- The W194 took a 1-2 finish at the 1952 24 Hours of Le Mans (Lang and Riess first) and a 1-2 finish at the 1952 Carrera Panamericana (Kling and Klenk first). en.wikipedia.org
- The R230 SL was introduced at the 2001 Frankfurt Motor Show with a Vario Roof retractable hardtop; the 2006 facelift cut the roof's opening time from 20 seconds to 16. The SL 55 AMG (500 PS, 493 hp) was released in 2002, the V12 SL 65 AMG (612 PS, 604 hp) in 2004, and the 2008 facelift's SL 63 AMG (6.2-liter V8, 525 PS, 518 hp) replaced the SL 55 AMG. en.wikipedia.org
- The 2013 SL63 AMG: 530 hp and 590 lb-ft, or 557 hp and 664 lb-ft with the AMG Performance Package; 0 to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds (4.1 with the package); 155 mph top speed, 186 mph with the package; AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed; curb weight 4,059 lb (preliminary), 275 lb lighter than its predecessor. emercedesbenz.com
- The R231 SL 63 AMG used a twin-turbo ('biturbo') 5.5-liter V8, later rated 585 PS (577 hp) and 900 Nm (664 lb-ft); the SL 63 AMG was discontinued from 2019 due to poor sales. en.wikipedia.org
- The 2016 Mercedes-AMG SL 63 was rated 557 hp (original MSRP $150,625); the 2017 was rated 577 hp and 664 lb-ft with 0 to 60 mph in 4.0 seconds (original MSRP $152,345). kbb.com
- The 2019 Mercedes-AMG SL 63 Roadster: 577 hp, 664 lb-ft, 0 to 60 mph in 4.0 seconds, starting at around $155,000. kbb.com
- Kelley Blue Book lists Mercedes-AMG SL model years 2016 to 2019 and 2022 onward, with no 2020 or 2021 model. kbb.com
- The SL63 AMG with the 6.2-liter V8 making 518 hp was still sold in the US as a 2012 model. cars.com
- The R232 SL was presented on 28 October 2021 and marketed only as a Mercedes-AMG until 2024; its SL 63 4MATIC+ makes 585 PS (577 hp) with all-wheel drive and a 9-speed AMG Speedshift MCT; it switched from a folding metal roof to a fabric top using electric motors rather than hydraulics, saving 21 kg (46 lb); it has 2+2 seating as standard. en.wikipedia.org
Photos: Josh Bryan/stock.adobe.com
