Mercedes-Benz New Zealand has added the new SL sports car to its line-up with the 2+2 soft-top roadster priced from $361,900.

The SL badge is nearly 70 years old, and the German luxury brand is celebrating the latest model with the top-spec Mercedes-AMG SL 63 4MATIC+.

"With the new SL, we have created a repositioning of the iconic SL design. The expressively modelled exterior conveys a light and purist impression and brings sensual beauty and extravagant design into perfect harmony", says Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer Mercedes-Benz Group AG.

The new body shell was created – as with the first SL released in 1952 – literally on a blank sheet of paper: Not a single component comes from the predecessor SL, or any other model such as the AMG GT Roadster.

The chassis is designed as a lightweight composite aluminium structure and consists of an aluminium space frame with a self-supporting structure. The design guarantees maximum rigidity and is thus the perfect basis for precise driving dynamics, high comfort, optimal packaging, and sporty body proportions.

Compared to the previous model series, the torsional rigidity of the body shell structure increased by 18 per cent. The transverse rigidity is 50 per cent higher than the already outstanding value of the AMG GT Roadster. The longitudinal rigidity is 40 per cent higher.

The AMG 4.0-litre V8 biturbo engine is assembled purely by hand at the company's site in Affalterbach. In the SL 63 4MATIC+, it develops 430 kW and maximum torque of 800 Nm for a 0 to 100 km/h acceleration of as little as 3.6 seconds, while the top speed is 315 km/h.

It’s paired with an AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 9G transmission, specially adapted to the requirements of the new SL to combine an emotionally appealing gearshift experience with extremely short shift times. 

The interior has  Nappa leather, complete with the AIRSCARF neck-warming feature, plus has an 11.9-inch tablet-style central display housing the latest generation of the acclaimed MBUX multimedia system, featuring extended MBUX functions. 

It will arrive in New Zealand later this year with orders open from June 8.