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Mercedes SL (2012) caught testing in the snow
By
Tim Pollard
Spy shots
14 January 2010 14:58
Last month we brought you some early spy photos of the new 2012 Mercedes-Benz SL on one of its first tests on road. Now we've snapped the coupé-convertible on test in the snows of Scandinavia.
This SL looks like it's been shot! Check out those bullet holes...
That'll be the classic Mercedes development disguise – black cladding adorning most body panels to keep prying eyes at bay. Damn.
But we can still make out enough to sense the new SL will stick with a similar recipe in its next iteration: it'll feature a folding hard top again, and the proportions are clearly visible under this disguise. Make no mistake, this is one very long car.
We hear there will be new aluminium know-how underpinning the next SL to keep the kilos at bay. Codenamed R231, the new SL roadster was co-developed alongside the SLS Gullwing supercar – both share alloy spaceframe know-how to chop weight from the scales.
Engines due for the new 2012 SL
Expect a range of V6 and V8 engines on offer. Most will be petrol, but we wouldn't be at all surprised if Mercedes breaks its duck and offers the next-gen SL with diesel power for the first time. Jaguar is known to be developing a derv-supping XK and the stigma attached to diesel sports cars is rapidly drying up.
And although V12s seem like dinosaurs in this carbon-obsessed new decade, some markets demand the fulsome cylinder count. So it's likely that 12-pot power will be retained, along with a brace of AMG-fettled go-faster roadsters.
