The new entry-level Mercedes-AMG SL takes a whole new approach.
The iconic Mercedes-Benz SL roadster has gone through a lot of changes. For 20 years, the SL was a hard-top convertible, and the latest generation has returned to a soft fabric top. Along with that, the AMG models of the car have been powered by V8 and V12 engines for years, and with the new Mercedes-AMG SL 43, that’s all about to change. The newest entry-level AMG SL model comes equipped with the M139 four-cylinder engine, and while that might sound like blasphemy to AMG fans who remember the SL 63s and SL 65s of old, the engine has already proved its worth in smaller AMG models like the GLA 35 and 45, the GLB 35, and the CLA 35 and 45.
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The engine gives the SL 43 a total of 381 horsepower, thanks to unique turbocharging technology that can be traced back to Formula One. This unique electric exhaust gas turbocharger uses technology that comes from Mercedes-Benz’s own F1 Team. An electric motor drives the turbocharger directly before the exhaust gas does so itself, reducing the time it takes to get a response from the turbocharger and removing the compromise that exists between a turbocharger and a supercharger for efficient boost. This technology helps the SL, despite having a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine to accelerate to 60 mph in less than 4.9 seconds, and climb up to a 170 mph top speed, which makes for a grand tourer with the performance to excite, more efficiently than ever before.
Source: Mercedes-Benz