Top 10 best sports cars 2024 | Autocar

Over the years, the Mercedes-Benz SL has swung between out-and-out sports car and sunshine-seeking cruiser, but with this latest seventh iteration, the drop-top two-seater is aiming to be more of the former and less of the latter.

Underpinned by an all-new aluminium platform, the R232 has been engineered exclusively by the performance-enhancing engineers at AMG, which gives you the clearest indication of its intent.

Other clues to the SL’s renewed focus include the use of a weight-saving fabric roof in place of the old car’s folding metal hardtop, the option of four-wheel steering for enhanced agility and the fact that the entry-level engine is the 470bhp twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 in the SL 55, which results in a claimed 0-62mph sprint of 3.9sec and 183mph top speed. If that’s a bit tame for you, the SL 63 offers a 577bhp version of the same unit.

Whichever way you cut it, the SL is a more dynamic and capable car than its predecessor, its quick steering, strong grip and taut body control allowing it to scythe through corners with greater precision and poise.

It’s aided by four-wheel drive that allows you deploy all of the V8’s considerable firepower out of a corner yet also has enough of a sense of humour to permit some throttle-induced yaw shenanigans when you’re in the mood.

That said, anyone expecting Porsche 911 levels of driver interaction and agility will be disappointed, as the SL still feels a little too big and bloated in this company.

However, it counters this by being more easy-going when you just want to get from A to B, its adaptive dampers slackening off for a more compliant ride and its cosseting interior feeling as luxurious as that of the S-Class limousine.

As a result, it’s a fine all-rounder, one that’s willing to play when you’re in the mood but capable of cosseting when you’re not.