The Generation Game: Mercedes-Benz SL

[Liquid]

The Generation Game: Mercedes-Benz SL

1954-1963 Mercedes-Benz SL (W198 & W121)

Bodystyles: 2-door roadster, 2-door coupe
Engines: 1.8L I4 (W121); 3.0L I6 (W198)
Drivetrain: FR
Weight: 1,158kg / 2,552lbs (W121); 1,320kg / 2,904lbs (W198)

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1963-1971 Mercedes-Benz SL (W113)

Bodystyles: 2-door roadster, 2-door coupe
Engines: 2.2 - 2.8L I6
Drivetrain: FR
Weight: 1,300kg / 2,866lbs

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1971-1989 Mercedes-Benz SL & SLC (R107 & C107)

Bodystyles: 2-door roadster, 2-door coupe
Engines: 2.8 - 3.0L I6; 3.5 - 5.6L V8
Drivetrain: FR
Weight: ~1,600kg / 3,520lbs

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1989-2002 Mercedes-Benz SL (R129)

Bodystyles: 2-door roadster, 2-door coupe
Engines: 2.8 - 3.2L I6; 3.2L V6; 5.0 - 6.0L V8; 6.0 - 7.3L V12
Drivetrain: FR
Weight: 1,750kg / 3,850lbs

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2001-2011 Mercedes-Benz SL (R230)

Bodystyles: 2-door roadster, 2-door coupe
Engines: 3.0 - 3.7L V6; 5.0 - 6.2L V8; 5.4L supercharged V8; 5.5 - 6.0L twin-turbocharged V12
Drivetrain: FR
Weight: 1,850kg / 4,070lbs

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2012-2020 Mercedes-Benz SL (R231)

Bodystyles: 2-door convertible
Engines: 3.0 twin-turbocharged V6; 3.5L V6; 4.7 - 5.5L twin-turbocharged V8; 6.0L twin-turbocharged V12
Drivetrain: FR
Weight: 1,700kg / 3,740lbs

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2022-present Mercedes-Benz SL (R232)

Bodystyles: 2-door 2+2 roadster
Engines: 2.0L turbocharged I4; 4.0L twin-turbocharged V8; 4.0L twin-turbocharged PHEV V8
Drivetrain: FR; 4WD
Weight: ~1,800kg / 3,960lbs

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Mercedes-Benz treats the first two cars as belonging to the same generation despite the different internal model codes. The original SLC was also treated as being part of the SL lineage until being launched as a separate vehicle much later. With the phasing out of the Benz portion of the marque's name, the current SL is marketed as a Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes-Maybach.

Results & Nominations Thread

 

[TexRex]

Come on.

SLC looking so very right in blue leather.

I would be thumbing the horn pad constantly. The cream upper is a bit of a letdown, gotta say.

Just wedge a 6.9 under the hood backed by a 5-speed with long gears.

 

[Liquid]

Of all the SLs I have seen in my life, nothing is as stunning as the R107. It looks magnificent from every angle with Mercedes-Benz's best design language.

 

[ScottPuss20]

It's the R230 for me. When I started playing racing games and watching Top Gear, it was at the top of the Mercedes line-up so I very much idolised it. The car showed up in Midnight Club 3 as the SL65 and it was the king of the Luxury class. It was a similar deal in Midnight Club LA. Jeremy Clarkson had the SL55 and being able to drive it in GT5 as a Premium model was awesome. Loved that car. Of course, the R230 formed the basis for the insane SL65 Black Series. I also recall having a 1:24 model of an SL55 in metallic red with some chrome wheels... a proper DUB edition. Should've kept it.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

I don't think the W198 should be part of this, so I didn't vote for it. Was hard for me between the R129 and the R230 as I find both of them incredibly handsome. Went with the R129 because of the bulletproof engines and overall engineering excellence.

 

[Darla Starch]

R129 gang 🤝

 

[Liquid]

R129 does also look great and is the most menacing SL and it's from Mercedes-Benz's granite period. A very close second but the R107 just has a touch of class that I can't ignore.

 

[TexRex]

I appreciate the technological advancements of the R129, and the R107 was absolutely ancient when it finally went out, but I never did care for its styling.

 

[TheCracker]

Of the first generation, the 300SL (especially the 'gullwing') is one of the all-time most beautiful cars - but the 190SL was awkward and dumpy, so they cancel each other out. The 2nd gen (W113) for me is a great design and was also really the template for the SL going forward. A luxury open top two seater with no real sporting pretenses.

 

[BGreenFace]

First gen 300SL no doubt
One of the most beautiful car and the very innovative gullwings doors is just the cherry on top.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Not to nitpick, but I think it's also worth noting that the W198 and the W113 were vastly different cars, despite looking similar. In my opinion, the W198 is completely different concept than subsequent SLs. The W113 is basically the formula that lived on to this day.

300SL Chassis - tubular space frame. Literally a race car chassis, famously requiring the gullwing doors because the sills were so high.

190 SL Chassis - A shortened version of the W121 Saloon

 

[TexRex]

Not to nitpick, but

 

[ClydeYellow]

As far as I'm concerned, the R107 is the ultimate Benz: an opulent and self-indulgent slab of German steel, best served in champagne beige.

And what is the W198 even doing here? It's an SL in name only! (Yeah, yeah, I know what SL stands for, shush)

 

[Centroid]

I am very disappointed I missed this one. I was going to vote, but was struggling to choose between the first 4.

The first gen is its own thing, and not an indicator of what came after. It is insanely cool, with the gullwing doors and racebred chassis.

The second-generation model is just so pretty!

The third-generation model is really what defined what an SL was, both by size and having the V8 engine option.

The fourth-generation model is a technical tour de force.

If I had to choose between them, it would probably be the fourth-generation model for the technology, and still being from the era of Mercedes, where they were bomb-proof. Whilst still being a looker.

 

[AerodyManiac]

One of my favourite automotive lineages, perhaps even more so than the 911 or Ferrari with their V8s and V12s, except this time I got to vote on it, unlike the BMW Z. Maybe it’s better that I state what I love about each generation individually.

Spoiler: W198 & II

The sleek, low-slung design and long-hood-short-deck body really cemented its place in the all-time FR sports car HOF. For me, body-coloured hub covers are a minimum for this car to look good, but make the rims body-coloured with chrome surrounds and it suddenly becomes a showstopper. I remember somebody (I think it was Liquid?) asking on this forum if US-spec bumpers actually make any car look better, and the first thought I had in mind without responding was this car. Yeah, I know that aesthetic tastes differ wildly from person to person, but arguably the US bumpers on the W198 doesn’t detract any of its attractiveness compared to an Euro-spec? It’s a shame that I only lust after it when it’s painted in a solid grayscale colour or a shade of blue though, nothing else seems to fit the classic drab aura this car has The II refines many things that the Gullwing is not perfect in, including the headlight covers that sometimes look bulbous at some angles (like the 190 SL in OP), although I prefer the version with the clear lens running the entire height. Also looks good in many more colours now.

Spoiler: W121

ehhhhhh I like the chrome plate adorning the place before the rear wheel arches, but that’s it, really. I find it a bit dumpy too, although I actually used to like it more than the 300 SL Roadster before; I must be viewing only the individual embellishments back then. It still looks great from some angles & colour though.

Spoiler: W113

This car looks stubby, but in a good way. Looking from above, the rear looks so squared off, the car almost bore no resemblance to any Mercedes that carried the word (or any part thereof) “Sport” in their moniker. And yet that’s what makes it so attractive: its rugged and different aesthetics that has no added embellishments. Once again, I prefer the single-piece clear headlight lens. Just a slight addendum: While I was Googling photos of the Pagoda when writing this post, I came across this fascinatingly-painted edition, which looks really good to me. Imagine this painted in 1970! (Probably not the case, but I had fun entertaining this thought.)

Spoiler: R107 & C107

Car still looks stout and exquisite (especially with all those chrome adornments), but now has less of that exotic factor associated with cars designed in the ‘60s. Notably the last Mercedes to have hitherto won a rally race, and even more amazingly with an auto gearbox. Although that’s leaving out, unsaid, factory support with a helicopter ready to tug entire sub-assemblies to where your stricken and damaged Mercedes is.

Spoiler: R129

Somehow this generation never really grew on me. It looks good, while looking more modern than any of its predecessors, but it just never fit into the image I had in mind what an SL should look like.

Spoiler: R230

To me, Mercedes really hit the ball out of the park with this one’s styling. The 2008 facelift just looks gorgeous from every angle, from the headlight+foglight design to the side mirrors with their blinkers, and even right down to the numerical fonts on the instrument panel. These fonts are just dripping with German class, restraint and ease-of-viewing. I mean, just look at ’em!

I could be wearing some really rose-tinted glasses, though. I was exposed to the facelifted R230 every other weekend for some time when my father would bring elementary school-me to the nearest MB dealer to accompany him & my mother while he (I think) configured his new E-Class (also facelifted). Which just makes me wonder how reliable an R230 SL when treated decently is, because AFAIK my father’s E-Class is still running largely fine and without serious issues throughout all these years. Same can’t be said once I got my driver’s license and started driving it though But I’ve heard that the ABC suspension on this generation’s SL is difficult to maintain.

The 2006 facelift looks gobsmackingly pretty too. While I maintain my opinion in the thread discussing facelifts that the ‘08 facelift looks better than the ‘06 edition, I’m starting to appreciate the 2006’s beauty, particularly in higher trims, which look quite the stunner when detailed and cared for. The Performance Pack on the SL 55 AMG looks like a visual mismatch to the car’s round styling, though, with the bulging intake surrounds on the bumper a particularly grave offender. The 2001 OG R230 didn’t age well, and I’d rank the pre-facelift R129 above that iteration just for the looks.

Not much to say about the R231 and R232, because I don’t really like them. The shift from Euro-American aesthetics to Asian aesthetics is a factor (I’m seeing that in particular on the facelifted R231), but what I find really abhorrent on these 2 generations is the bloated waistline. I get parking anxiety from not seeing how far a pillar is from the furthest edge of my E-Class’ body already (and that anxiety extends on the road to not being familiar with how wide my car is relative to the space it’s in too), and you’re telling me that the bodywork below the window sills has grown both wider and higher, and it’s only gonna grow even wider and higher from now on? Yeah no thanks I’ll stick to my ‘00s assortment.

I eventually went for the R230 for familiarity and sentimental value, although the W198 and W113 were solid contenders for my pick too; I could’ve easily picked them and not felt much remorse.