Mercedes-AMG SL63 vs. Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet

[ccap41]

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2022-mercedes-amg-sl63-vs-2022-porsche-911-turbo-s-cabriolet-comparison-test-review

"Time was when the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class was the segment's benchmark. Its beautiful design, competent handling, and punchy V-8 made it a favorite among a certain group of buyers, a recognizable symbol that told the world they'd made it to the top. Although the previous generation was a departure from its traditional style, the 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL63 retains the SL line's powerful V-8 ethos and a striking design while adding two vestigial rear seats for more perceived practicality. It may not "look" like an old SL, but we applaud Mercedes for giving the famous nameplate another run in an era when SUVs and electric cars make the market's biggest waves.

 

Meanwhile, a certain Porsche 911 claims some of the category's deepest roots. The 2022 Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet is markedly different from the SL—it has two fewer cylinders, more power, and its famous rear-engine architecture, plus it's shorter and lighter than the Mercedes-AMG. But as one of the most popular sports cars on the planet—and with the new SL on hand as part of our Performance Vehicle of the Year evaluations—we snatched the opportunity to find out how these two German-engineered machines match up.

We evaluated each car's ride and handling on city streets, freeways, and on Angeles Crest Highway, one of the country's best driving roads. ACH's sweeping curves, tight corners, and light traffic were perfect for getting a feel for these convertibles, and although there was a clear difference between their road manners, both were quite compelling.

We preferred the Porsche's overall behavior on ACH, but we enjoyed the Mercedes for its strong engine and transmission combo. With 577 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque, its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 delivers a fun experience regardless of how hard you push it, and the nine-speed automatic transmission shifts up or down swiftly and on time. "It has good power, monster torque, great sound, a good gearbox, good throttle response," executive editor Mac Morrison said after his first few runs on the Crest.

As punchy and lively as the Mercedes was, the Porsche felt superior. The 911's 3.7-liter flat-six engine delivers 640 hp and the same torque as the SL63, and it easily performed stronger off the line than the AMG, because it weighs 424 pounds less and packs 63 more horsepower. As an overall GT car, "You can't ask for much better as far as responsiveness and directness," Morrison said.

As we've often praised in other Porsches, the steering's response and precision is hard to match. Driving the 911 and the SL back to back also demonstrated the Turbo's superior suspension setup. On bumpy sections where the SL felt soft and out of place, the 911 delivered a unique connected experience. Its chassis felt dynamic and happy on the twisty road, with little need for steering corrections; the Mercedes' doesn't offer the same kind of feedback or feel.

Away from ACH's challenges, the SL shined on city streets and highways with long sweeps. Somewhat oddly in Comfort mode on less than smooth roads, the car feels stiffer than you likely expect. Its heavy nose, where 54 percent of its weight sits, also notably impacted the way it performed on ACH. It handles well through quick and medium-speed corners, but it's easy to tip the chassis balance into understeer for hairpin turns. However, you won't typically notice that when cruising on city streets and highways.

The Porsche, on the other hand, is capable of obliterating any type of road. "It's a rocket ship of grand-touring style, with outrageous performance," Morrison said. "There are lighter and better-handling 911s, but you really only know that if you've driven those other versions. If this Turbo S Cab was your only experience of the lineup, you'd walk away saying it has no weaknesses as a road car." Indeed, whether you cruise with the top up or down, this Porsche feels like as much car as you've ever wanted. As our test numbers show (see chart below), it's on a different performance plane compared to the 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL63.

Just like their exterior designs, the Mercedes' and Porsche's cabin are drastically different, especially when it comes to the number of hard buttons. Mercedes designers opted to place all virtual buttons—including HVAC controls—at the bottom of the main screen, causing the driver to take their view off the road to adjust fan speed or temperature. The appearance is clean and contemporary, but we found it frustrating. Similarly, the steering wheel's capacitive buttons are easy to activate by mistake when moving your thumbs or hands, and having to swipe a "button" even for things like adjusting stereo volume is an imprecise exercise. "I guess I'm 100 years old now," said Morrison, who's actually in his 40s. "But I never wished for a car to become one giant digital tablet. Instead of getting used to this stuff as the miles rolled by, I instead found it more irritating."

The 2022 Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet is far from perfect, but we didn't complain as much about its ergonomics and interior features. Its lack of cubbies to place your belongings or drinks is its main cause of user frustration, along with the fact the shifter partially blocks the HVAC controls. We were happy to find there are still radio tuning and volume knobs, and you don't have to go through the screen to change the cabin temperature.

Opening and closing the AMG SL63's roof is another frustration. What should be an extraordinarily easy task is made aggravating by the action of digging through the infotainment screen's menus and, once you find it, swiping and holding yet another virtual button on the display until the top is secured completely. Even though we're based in Southern California, we imagined a scene when it starts raining and you try desperately to put the top up. We massively prefer the two physical buttons located on the Porsche's center console for lowering and raising the roof.

These annoyances aside, the SL63's cabin is a nice place to sit. The classic rounded air vents with fancy speakers and tons of carbon-fiber finishes make for a plush and modern vibe. The 11.9-inch touchscreen along with the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster boost the car's technology game, and the quality of the materials is top notch. The 911 isn't far behind, but between the two cabin's we prefer the SL63's. Although the Turbo S Cabriolet also features premium materials, it lacks the fancy screens and clean look. But neither cabin comes off entirely at a level you expect when playing in the $200,000 range.

As for driving with the soft tops in place, neither car was particularly quiet, though the 911 was a tad better at minimizing wind noise coming from the side mirrors. On the other hand, the Mercedes-AMG's trunk is more spacious than the 911's frunk. And similar to the 911, its new rear seats aren't comfortable for adults or even children for very long, but they're a good place to put a suitcase or even a bag of golf clubs.

Value Can Still Sorta Apply

It's always difficult to talk about value with cars nearing or exceeding $200,000, but it's a big part of MotorTrend comparisons and a huge consideration for buyers. The Mercedes-AMG SL63 we drove carried a base price of $182,250, and our test car added almost every option available, increasing its price to $208,085. The Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet, on the other hand, had a starting price of $231,350 and included more than $20,000 in extras to push its as-tested price to $252,940.

 

Is the Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet $44,855 better than the 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL63? After driving them back to back, we lean toward yes. The price difference is large enough for buyers to think about choosing one over the other, but the gap is unlikely to sway many people willing to spend more than $200,000 on a two-door convertible. And when they sit behind the wheel and head to a twisty road (or even drive briskly to the golf course), they will appreciate the dynamic experience and connected feel the Porsche has over the Mercedes.

The 911 is simply faster, more fun, and easier to operate than the Mercedes. Despite the SL63's flashier, more tech-forward interior, it's easy to realize Porsche invested most of its resources on developing the chassis and its handling. That's where the $44,855 difference becomes apparent—it's not in places you can touch or see, but rather where you can feel and enjoy it all behind the wheel.

The Final Decision

The 911 in general is known for being fun and dynamic on challenging roads while also being comfortable as a daily commuter. Our experience in the 2022 Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet continued that tradition—it excelled no matter where we drove it. It's a car that draws smiles whether you're cornering hard on Angeles Crest or cruising on Pacific Coast Highway with the top down.

The 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL63 is a stylish and capable grand tourer that will please a lot of buyers, but its dynamic performance isn't as sharp. It's reasonably comfortable for day-to-day activities and is a little more practical than the Porsche given its longer wheelbase and somewhat bigger back seat. But its heavier weight and longer wheelbase reduce its performance and handling.

Both cars are competent and approach the segment in different ways, but the 911 Turbo S Cabriolet is the clear winner. Its direct feel, handsome design, and wild cornering abilities pushed it to the top. The AMG SL63 brings back the old SL charm, but its driving limits held it back in this comparison. The Porsche feels more special in that regard, and when you're spending this kind of money on a niche car, well, you deserve to feel special."

[ccap41]

For as much as I've been a fan of Mercedes for awhile now, their interiors are making me dislike Mercedes as a whole. They just need to go back to simplifying the user controls and GET RID OF the capacitive "buttons" crap. 

I don't think I could serious consider a modern Merc just based on how the driver controls ANYTHING on the inside. 

[smk4565]

Mercedes is going a bit too much tech for the sake of tech.  The prior SL (and all the other Mercedes convertibles for like 30 years) had a simple up/down lever in the center console for the convertible top.  That seems much easier than sliding your hand and holding it on the touch screen.  Agree with @ccap41 on the buttons, that door mounted seat control has been in use for like 40-50 years, works perfectly, they don't need some capacitive touch thing.

Would be nice if they could get some weight out of the front of the SL, there is a more powerful SL coming supposedly with E-performance, so that will probably still undercut the 911 Turbo S in price and have way more power.

But I am glad the SL is still here and is still a roadster, and they didn't make it an SUV.

Edited December 22, 2022 by smk4565

[oldshurst442]

Correct me if Im wrong tho...  about the SL not being an SUV...like ever, not like what Chevy is, on a rumour, proposing that Corvette also becomes an SUV...on RUMOUR...NOT on an actual Chevrolet admission, but on a rumour of a rag mag written 2 years ago...on RUMOUR.

Ill repeat, correct me if Im wrong about the SL...   NOT about IT ever being an SUV, not now OR the future, but for the SL being re-invented a gazillion times though.  

ORIGINAL SL  It was a race car.  Then it was a road car GT car.

Then it had a 4 cylinder.  All in less than a decade.  And THAT 4 cylinder SL, prior to it being a race car JUST slightly less than a decade prior let me remind you, was peddled in the US just as the MUSCLE CARS were becoming a thing...

It continued on that way for another decade when it gained a V8.  Become a true GT car again.

BUT...this is where it becomes tricky.

M-B uses Dodge and its next generation Viper to build this revival

 

but has the true SL lineage in its line-up

but as THE  gold-digger's prefered ride.  And the SL had become that way since the 1970s...  It was a true GT car then with the V8, Ill be honest, but it no longer was the race car...   It had become a trophy wife/gold digger car

Beautiful car...but no race car.  Gold digger car.

And then...still in the line-up as a GT car

...Mercedes does another car, a sports car/race car

plus a roadster

 

 

Correct me if Im wrong...but the SL has STRAYED far far far from what it was ORIGINALLY!!!  And it was replaced by somethingn else.  The SL might as well BE an SUV form what it was when it first came out and enamoured the world.  Including Canada's Prime Minister, father AND son.  

 

THAT car above...WAS the Mercedes-AMG GT of its day...

The SL today is just a gold digger's ride...like I said...it might as well BE an SUV.  An Escalade from Cadillac would be the equivalent of the SL...  The SL and the Escalade both fight for the same gold digger dollars...  

[oldshurst442]

Set race records. Puts Mercedes back on the map after WW2

 

Sets race records for Porsche.  Puts Porsche on the map...

\

 

Continues to set race records for Porsche.  Same good ole 911...

 

Mercedes gives up on SL name loooong time ago...creates other name plates to set race records.  But eerily loomks like it could BE an SL...

 

But leaves the SL to be oooed and awed by Beverly Hills trophy wives and gold diggers.  THAT is what Mercedes wants from an SL.

 

same difference 

 

[ccap41]

I've always viewed the SL as a car that people buy who want a Mustang or Corvette convertible but have too much money to spend so they get a slower and lazier SL. Nice car and all, but it has always seemed to sit in a weird position, IMO.  

[oldshurst442]

6 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

I've always viewed the SL as a car that people buy who want a Mustang or Corvette convertible but have too much money to spend so they get a slower and lazier SL. Nice car and all, but it has always seemed to sit in a weird position, IMO.  

The SL has its place in the automotive landscape.  Its clearly an original product being the first of its kind after WW2.  Its been  copied since its conception as a GT car meant for, like how I said it, a trophy wife's car/gold digger plenty of times.  But that was me trolling SMK when I call it a trophy wife/gold digger car.  I aint wrong though viewing the SL that way.   You would also be correct in your position of it.

Cadillac twice has tried to copy the formula, BMW as well.  BMW three times to be exact.  (if not more)  The BMW 507,  The BMW 8 Series and the Z8.  It has been the benchmark for decades. 

But I took offence with this statement.

13 hours ago, smk4565 said:

But I am glad the SL is still here and is still a roadster, and they didn't make it an SUV.

Knowing how he wasted time and energy derailing that Corvette thread about a rumour of a Corvette SUV and Corvette being its own brand.  A RUMOUR started by a rag mag that was written 2-3 years ago.  NOTHING coming out of GM/Chevrolet has hinted any of that to be true.  It HAS come out FROM GM that the CAMARO would be going down THAT road. IN China though... 

Smuggily, SMK is glad that the SL is 'still' a roadster and while true, and that Mercedes didnt make it into an SUV, while technically also true,  Mercedes has changed the role of the SL looooong ago and has turned it into a rich soccer mom's/trophy wife/gold digger's  ride since the mid 1960s waaaaaay before there was even such a thing.  Escalades, Range Rovers, and all those fancy pancy soccer mom SUVs are just the equivalent of the SL's mission SINCE the mid-1960s.

When Corvettes and 911s and Lamborghini Miuras and Ferraris were pumping out race cars IN those mid 1960s and well INTO today, the SL has loooong ditched THAT formula and the SL CREATED that exotic supercar formula when it was first introduced.

SMK LOVES to talk a BIIIIIIG game denouncing a Corvette, but he says he likes the Corvette, but he denounces it every chance he gets, but the Corvette hasnt strayed from the formula it was first created in.   

The SL is nowhere NEAR the supercar it once was.  It CREATED THAT niche only to abandon it not even a decade later.  Only for Mercedes to revisit it and retro it, but never calling it the SL.    Just called it the Gullwing. And then creates another supercar in the AMG GT, makes it look like an SL, past and modern, to compete in the realm of a Porsche 911, AND a Corvette since the AMG GT is a BIG V8 front mid-engined, RWD sports car, EXACTLY like a Corvette, but leaves the SL just as a trophy wife car...

I like the SL.

I call it a trophy wife car. But I wouldnt mind owning one for myself.  Several model years in its history as well.

Starting with this one

I LOVE this era of SL

 

And this one.  LOVE this one. And this one is the quintessential trophy car/gold digger model

 

this one too. Its a GREAT SL. Great looking car. Great performer for its time. 

 

And the last SL that I love.  Its very effiminate.  The other quintessential trophy wife/gold digger SL.  But I love it.

 

But lets make this real again.  If SMK is permitted to spew bullshyte about how GM is possibly screwing with the Corvette, a RUMOUR but in reality, not a bad idea if executed properly, I could screw with the SL as Mercedes DID screw with the SL formula and DID succeed with it. Mercedes went BACK to the ORIGINAL SL formula, but with a DIFFERENT name. They left the SL alone AS a trophy wife/gold digger car SL went Mercedes re-invented it niot even a decade later after Mercedes created the FIRST LEGIT modern supercar with the FIRST SL...    SMK shoudnt try to hide THAT fact... 

[smk4565]

11 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

Correct me if Im wrong tho...  about the SL not being an SUV...like ever, not like what Chevy is, on a rumour, proposing that Corvette also becomes an SUV...on RUMOUR...NOT on an actual Chevrolet admission, but on a rumour of a rag mag written 2 years ago...on RUMOUR.

Ill repeat, correct me if Im wrong about the SL...   NOT about IT ever being an SUV, not now OR the future, but for the SL being re-invented a gazillion times though.  

ORIGINAL SL  It was a race car.  Then it was a road car GT car.

Then it had a 4 cylinder.  All in less than a decade.  And THAT 4 cylinder SL, prior to it being a race car JUST slightly less than a decade prior let me remind you, was peddled in the US just as the MUSCLE CARS were becoming a thing...

It continued on that way for another decade when it gained a V8.  Become a true GT car again.

BUT...this is where it becomes tricky.

M-B uses Dodge and its next generation Viper to build this revival

 

but has the true SL lineage in its line-up

but as THE  gold-digger's prefered ride.  And the SL had become that way since the 1970s...  It was a true GT car then with the V8, Ill be honest, but it no longer was the race car...   It had become a trophy wife/gold digger car

Beautiful car...but no race car.  Gold digger car.

And then...still in the line-up as a GT car

...Mercedes does another car, a sports car/race car

plus a roadster

 

 

Correct me if Im wrong...but the SL has STRAYED far far far from what it was ORIGINALLY!!!  And it was replaced by somethingn else.  The SL might as well BE an SUV form what it was when it first came out and enamoured the world.  Including Canada's Prime Minister, father AND son.  

 

THAT car above...WAS the Mercedes-AMG GT of its day...

The SL today is just a gold digger's ride...like I said...it might as well BE an SUV.  An Escalade from Cadillac would be the equivalent of the SL...  The SL and the Escalade both fight for the same gold digger dollars...  

The original 300SL was derived from a race car, and thank you Mercedes for making the first Super Car, but the convertible version came a few years later and it has been a convertible for 65 years now.

Yes they had a 4 cylinder back then, but they have a 4 cylinder now in Europe so that has come full circle.  And they used inline 6, V6, V8, V12 over the years.

The SLS and SLR aren’t SL’s and the GT roadster is dead.  The SL has evolved over time but it’s still convertible only, unlike a 911 that has hard top and targa also.

[smk4565]

1 hour ago, oldshurst442 said:

The SL has its place in the automotive landscape.  Its clearly an original product being the first of its kind after WW2.  Its been  copied since its conception as a GT car meant for, like how I said it, a trophy wife's car/gold digger plenty of times.  But that was me trolling SMK when I call it a trophy wife/gold digger car.  I aint wrong though viewing the SL that way.   You would also be correct in your position of it.

Cadillac twice has tried to copy the formula, BMW as well.  BMW three times to be exact.  (if not more)  The BMW 507,  The BMW 8 Series and the Z8.  It has been the benchmark for decades. 

But I took offence with this statement.

Knowing how he wasted time and energy derailing that Corvette thread about a rumour of a Corvette SUV and Corvette being its own brand.  A RUMOUR started by a rag mag that was written 2-3 years ago.  NOTHING coming out of GM/Chevrolet has hinted any of that to be true.  It HAS come out FROM GM that the CAMARO would be going down THAT road. IN China though... 

Smuggily, SMK is glad that the SL is 'still' a roadster and while true, and that Mercedes didnt make it into an SUV, while technically also true,  Mercedes has changed the role of the SL looooong ago and has turned it into a rich soccer mom's/trophy wife/gold digger's  ride since the mid 1960s waaaaaay before there was even such a thing.  Escalades, Range Rovers, and all those fancy pancy soccer mom SUVs are just the equivalent of the SL's mission SINCE the mid-1960s.

When Corvettes and 911s and Lamborghini Miuras and Ferraris were pumping out race cars IN those mid 1960s and well INTO today, the SL has loooong ditched THAT formula and the SL CREATED that exotic supercar formula when it was first introduced.

SMK LOVES to talk a BIIIIIIG game denouncing a Corvette, but he says he likes the Corvette, but he denounces it every chance he gets, but the Corvette hasnt strayed from the formula it was first created in.   

The SL is nowhere NEAR the supercar it once was.  It CREATED THAT niche only to abandon it not even a decade later.  Only for Mercedes to revisit it and retro it, but never calling it the SL.    Just called it the Gullwing. And then creates another supercar in the AMG GT, makes it look like an SL, past and modern, to compete in the realm of a Porsche 911, AND a Corvette since the AMG GT is a BIG V8 front mid-engined, RWD sports car, EXACTLY like a Corvette, but leaves the SL just as a trophy wife car...

I like the SL.

I call it a trophy wife car. But I wouldnt mind owning one for myself.  Several model years in its history as well.

Starting with this one

I LOVE this era of SL

 

And this one.  LOVE this one. And this one is the quintessential trophy car/gold digger model

 

this one too. Its a GREAT SL. Great looking car. Great performer for its time. 

 

And the last SL that I love.  Its very effiminate.  The other quintessential trophy wife/gold digger SL.  But I love it.

 

But let’s make this real again.  If SMK is permitted to spew bullshyte about how GM is possibly screwing with the Corvette, a RUMOUR but in reality, not a bad idea if executed properly, I could screw with the SL as Mercedes DID screw with the SL formula and DID succeed with it. Mercedes went BACK to the ORIGINAL SL formula, but with a DIFFERENT name. They left the SL alone AS a trophy wife/gold digger car SL went Mercedes re-invented it niot even a decade later after Mercedes created the FIRST LEGIT modern supercar with the FIRST SL...    SMK shoudnt try to hide THAT fact... 

The SL has held true to being a roadster, much like the Corvette has always been a 2 seat sports car even if the engine moved from front to back, I don’t think that matters too much, it is still the same mission of performance 2 seater.

I criticized the idea of a Corvette SUV, I am not criticizing the Corvette or GM since they didn’t make that move yet.

The one thing I would change about GM’s performance strategy is I would do a car above the Corvette to keep the Corvette in a$60-120k range.  Porsche did the 959, Carrera GT, 918 when they had to go above the 911.  Mercedes did the SLR, SLS, AMG One, etc when they had to go higher than the SL.  
 

Mercedes never killed what the SL was in the past just because they needed a 911 fighter or a Ferrari fighter.