Reviews - Mercedes

Overall Rating

This old generation SL has a smug, slightly ostentatious Eighties feel but still confers some status - particularly since footballers and gangsters have now moved on to the Lexus SC430.

• Classic styling, matchless engineering
• Superb six-cylinder and V8 engines
• The most refined convertible of its time

• Image has suffered in the past
• Very high running costs
• There are sportier luxury convertibles

The long-running SL first seen in 1989 was an old-school luxury soft-top by the time its graceful replacement arrived in 2002. It's no less a car for that, as it bears the hallmark of true quality as well as delivering performance and refinement matched by few of its contemporaries. The wide, low-slung SL is in its element wafting along sun-washed boulevards - think California or Cote d'Azur. But the precisely engineered power hood is one of the best; it's sufficiently well insulated to make SL a refined all-weather car for Britain's unpredictable climate. The cabin is a cosseting cocoon with superb seats. Even the SL280 provides stress-free long-distance motoring provided you don't demand the kind of surging acceleration offered by the V8 SL500. Ride is unflustered by poor surfaces and very stable at speed. The driver always feels in control thanks to excellent roadholding, firm body control and accurate steering.

NCAP: Not tested

Best Models: SL320 V6; SL500

Worst Models: None

Replacement: by current generation SL from 2002

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