Mercedes-Benz will introduce the new SL65 AMG at the New York auto show this April, we’ve learned. The company just took the wraps off of its new, sixth-generation SL this past January, so far showing the SL550 (pictured above) and SL63 AMG. (You can read our first drive of the SL550 here.) We’re delighted that an Affalterbach-tuned V-12 version will remain in the SL’s lineup—especially after hearing some rumors that the SL65 wouldn’t return.
The previous SL65 AMG utilized a 604-hp, 6.0-liter V-12 which cranked out 738 lb-ft of tire-melting torque. That engine was mated to a very robust five-speed automatic transmission that Mercedes-Benz has employed for eons. We don’t know whether the new SL65 will feature the same powertrain—in later installations in the S- and CL-classes, output was bumped to 621 hp—or if an upgrade will be made. After all, when equipped with the optional Performance package, the new SL63 AMG’s twin-turbo V-8 makes 557 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque. Mercedes says that the type of people that buy eight-cylinder Benzes are very different from 12-cylinder shoppers; because of that, we suspect the SL65′s power to stay at about the same level of the last car’s. (Also, because the 12-cylinder AMG models sell in such limited numbers, it is more difficult to justify the additional expense to overhaul the powertrain.)
Pricing should start in the $200,000 range. Deliveries of the SL65 and the V-8–powered SL63 are scheduled to start in July, while the SL550 lands a little earlier, in April or May.
Source : Google Reader
No comments:
Post a Comment