As with every Mercedes-Benz evolution, the new SL too is a much awaited automobile. Due out, most probably at the Frankfurt Motor Show this year, the new SL as seen in spy pics comes as a sleeker iteration of the current design and this is in spite of it being longer and wider than the present SL.
The traditional canvas soft-top will make way for an SLK-style folding roof, and the grille will be narrower with redesigned headlights, an attribute that will distance it from other, more mundane Mercedes convertibles.
Engine options will range from a top-of-the-line V12 for the SL600 that spews around 400 bhp, a 5000 CC 300 bhp V8 plus a 224 bhp 3200 CC V6 that will power the SL's entry-level variant.
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The new SL will be the first production car to feature Bosch-developed electro-hydraulic brakes (EHB), which maintain constant brake pressure, reduce brake fade and produce greater braking power.
And of course, air suspension, which facilitates adjustment of ride height either automatically or manually to lower the centre of gravity at speed, or raise it for greater comfort at lower speeds, will be standard.
The SL may also get some direct-injection petrol engines under its hood, though these will appear only by next year.