Maybach Inspired: Upcoming Mercedes SL Refresh Will Return to Being a Softer Grand Tourer

• The Mercedes-AMG SL will undergo a refresh next year, returning to its original positioning as a true grand tourer with a focus on comfort, according to a report from Autocar. (The current-gen model is shown above.)

• The move is reportedly the result of positive feedback on the Mercedes-Maybach SL, a blingy, luxury-focused trim launched last year.

• The SL is also set to ditch the base four-cylinder engine in favor of an inline-six, while the new V-8 from the 2027 S-class, featuring a flat-plane crankshaft, will also join the SL.

When Mercedes launched the latest generation of the SL-class in 2022, the iconic grand tourer underwent a major character shift. Now closely related to the GT Coupe and marketed under the AMG banner, the SL became significantly sharper than past models, focusing more on performance than cruising in luxurious comfort. But now, according to a report from Autocar, Mercedes is planning to return the SL to its roots when a refreshed version arrives next year.

The SL will become softer and will move back to its position as a grand tourer, rather than a sports car, despite still sharing its platform and powertrains with the GT, a source told Autocar. The decision to re-distinguish the personalities of the SL and GT is reportedly the result of “an overwhelmingly positive reaction” to the Maybach-branded SL, a “high-ranking insider” told the publication. The Mercedes-Maybach SL arrived last year, festooned with hundreds of Maybach logos and featuring an opulent cabin and a softer suspension setup.

While the SL’s more relaxed persona will largely come down to changes to the chassis tuning, the refresh is also set to shake up the powertrain offerings. At the bottom end of the lineup, the four-cylinder SL43 is set to be discontinued. Mercedes is rumored to be parting ways with the turbocharged 2.0-liter engine ahead of impending regulatory changes in Europe.

Instead, Autocar reports that Mercedes-AMG will launch a new SL53 variant featuring a version of the 3.0-liter inline-six seen in the new GLC53. In that SUV’s lineup, the new GLC53 replaced the four-pot GLC43, with the supercharged and turbocharged six-cylinder producing 443 horsepower.

The V-8-powered SL55 and SL63 will also get a new powertrain, switching from the cross-plane crankshaft design in the current engine to a new V-8 with a flat-plane crankshaft, first seen in the refreshed 2027 S-class. This new engine has been designed to comply with the strict Euro 7 emissions regulations that go into effect this fall.

The SL55 will likely produce around 530 horsepower—the output of the engine in the S580—while Autocar reports that the SL63 will get a significant boost to nearly 650 horsepower, up from the 577 ponies in the current model. The Maybach-branded SL680 will dial back the SL63’s V-8 to just over the 600-hp mark.

The fate of the SL63 S E Performance, the top-of-the-line model with a plug-in hybrid setup producing 805 hp, is less clear. Autocar‘s sources suggest the model could be killed off. Official details on the updated Mercedes-AMG SL-class should emerge later this year.

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