2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550 Gets Some Magical Features
The 2012 North American International Auto Show, where German automaker took the wraps off the all-new 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550, a sixth-generation car whose evolutionary redesign sports a slightly arced character line and a blunted pedestrian-friendly nose. Seven years in development, the Mercedes-Benz SL550 body showcases a number of sophisticated material forming and welding techniques.
Mercedes said the new Mercedes-Benz SL550 was superior to the previous car in rigidity and safety; Gunter Fischer, SL-Class program manager, said in a media presentation here that the 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550 structure sets a benchmark for roadster torsion rigidity.
But the Mercedes-Benz SL550 isn’t all serious business: cavities in the body unit serve as resonating chambers for the sound system’s woofers. The Mercedes-Benz SL550 goes on sale next spring. 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550 pricing has not been released but expect it to come in over $100,000, as the current model starts at $103,650.
What’s more, Mercedes says torsion rigidity is up by 20 percent, and that a new 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550 weighs some 275 lb. less than a comparably equipped current SL550; that’s good for fuel economy and agility. Steel, says Mercedes, is used only in the Mercedes-Benz SL550 A-pillars and windshield header, while cast magnesium is used for the rear panel to help keep weight down.
Far more significant, though, is this: The Bremen-built Mercedes-Benz SL550 is based on a new aluminum-intensive chassis comprised of extruded door sills, hydro formed rails, cast pieces (firewall, suspension towers) and varying thicknesses of sheet, all held together via MIG welds, friction welds, rivets, self-tapping screws and 120 meters of bonding material.
The Mercedes-Benz SL550 powertrain is includes a 4.6-liter direct-injected, turbocharged V-8 that develops 429-horsepower — 12 percent more power than the maker’s previous V-8. The Mercedes-Benz SL550 torque is up a whopping 32 percent, at 516 pound-feet. In a media presentation, Dieter Zetsche, chairman of Daimler AG, said that the 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550 V-8 offered the performance of the previous V-12 with the fuel economy of the previous V-6.
Although the aluminum-block engine has stop/start technology to save fuel, no 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550 fuel economy figures have been released. A 7-speed automatic with paddle shifters is the only gearbox available, and Mercedes says the Mercedes-Benz SL550 0 60 mph in a fleet 4.5 seconds while the top speed is electronically limited to 130 mph.
The 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550 Magic
Although not called out as magical by Mercedes-Benz, the 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550 accessories includes very advanced features. The Mercedes-Benz SL550 Magic Sky Control consists of a panel in its retractable hard top that goes from dark to transparent at the touch of a button.
Not quite as magical is Magic Vision Control, a system that dispenses wiper fluid from openings on the wiper blade, rather than spraying haphazardly over the windshield from two jets on the hood. 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550 will come with an automatic parallel parking system and a sensor under the rear that opens the trunk when someone waves a foot across it. Both of these Mercedes-Benz SL550 technologies were recently introduced by Ford, stealing some of Mercedes-Benz’s thunder.
The new Mercedes-Benz SL550 will also be a connected car, with access to Google Local Search, Yelp, and Facebook through Mercedes-Benz’s MBrace telematics service. The 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550 FrontBass is a unique audio system, in which the woofers are integrated with the car; this system uses spaces in the body as resonance chambers for the woofers, which should give them a lot more depth than standard door-panel-mounted woofers.
2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550 @ 2012 Detroit Auto Show
Tags:2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550, Mercedes-Benz SL550, powertrain, Price, V-8
