Category: Exotic Sports 
Price Range: £59,975 to £153,050
Great automatic gearbox, endless supply of torque, surprisingly compliant ride.
Pricey, not exactly environmentally friendly, disappointing launch control.
One of the best open-top driving experiences (a lot of) money can buy.
It might be based on one of the ultimate posey cruisers, but get the SL 63 AMG on some proper roads and it will really show you what it can do.
The 6.2-litre V8 engine, which we've driven in a number of AMGs in the past, holds no surprises. Its linear power delivery is hugely impressive, with torque on tap right through the rev range and, thanks to the new gearbox, it's now an even greater joy to use.
AMG's new Speedshift MCT 7-speed system has dispensed with the torque converter of old for a series of wet-plate clutches (seven in total) that allows it to switch gears almost seamlessly and, when in Manual mode, in 100 milliseconds - the same as Ferrari's SuperFast system in the 599 GTB Fiorano.
This new gearbox has four different settings: Comfort, Sport, Sport + and Manual. The last setting is the best. It changes gear quicker and blipping the throttle on downshifts, a sound that is so addictive, you find yourself changing down at the slightest excuse. The blipping is also available to lesser degrees on the two Sports settings, but not on Comfort.
The ride is relatively compliant for a car with this much sporting character: in Comfort, you almost waft, cruising along, listening to the sound of that fantastic engine; but even when you decide to get a bit sportier, the car still retains much of its SL-ness.
Handling has also been improved, thanks to the new direct-steer system employed on the SL: the variable ratio steering rack means that cornering requires fewer inputs and there's a decent level of feedback, which makes for more accurate turn-ins.
Possibly the most disappointing aspect of the car is the new launch control feature. You have to stop, fiddle about with three or four settings (in the correct sequence), floor the throttle and release the brake to get... well, one of the least dramatic examples of a fast start ever experienced. We've seen better at traffic lights late on a Saturday night on countless occasions.
