Mercedes-Benz SL-Class 2,0L 2023

There is a particular confidence in specifying an SL in Sun Yellow. Most buyers reach for black, grey or silver and let the shape carry the conversation. This one was originally imported from the United Kingdom in a colour that ends the conversation before it begins and it is now for sale in Cyprus with a specification sheet that leaves very little unticked. The SL 43 had the hardest job in the R232 range. Fitting a four-cylinder to a Mercedes-AMG SL was always going to attract objections. The engine answers most of them. The M139 is assembled by hand by a single AMG technician and carries an electric exhaust gas turbocharger developed from Formula 1 practice. A slim electric motor sits directly on the turbocharger shaft and spins the compressor before exhaust gas arrives to do the job. The lag that every small-capacity turbo engine is accused of never really turns up. Torque arrives from just above idle and holds. 375 hp and 480 Nm push a rear-wheel-drive roadster to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds and on to an electronically governed 275 km/h. The nine-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT gearbox uses a wet clutch instead of a torque converter, which is why the shifts feel deliberate rather than smoothed over. Combined consumption works out at roughly 9.1 litres per 100 km with CO2 emissions of 206 g/km, placing the annual Cyprus road tax at €560. The roof is fabric rather than folding metal, a deliberate return to how an SL used to be built. It stows in about 15 seconds and will open or close at up to 60 km/h, which matters more in practice than the number suggests. Traffic lights on Makarios Avenue rarely last long enough for a metal roof to finish its performance. On an island where the top stays down from September to June, that is the difference between an occasional convertible and a daily one. The equipment is where this particular example separates itself. Airscarf blows warmed air across the back of the neck from vents built into the head restraints. It sounds like a gimmick unt