Mercedes SL: Old Vs Facelift In A Visual Comparison

Mercedes just unveiled the facelifted SL-Class, and it looks morechiseled than ever.

Merc’s Grand Touring Roadster is at its sixth generation, being manufactured since 1954. In fact, in its long and illustrious history the model embodied almost every kind of design philosophy, going from the curvaceous and voluptuous style of the sixties, all the way to the quirky, pointy style of the early 00’s.

Now, the latest generation comes bearing its very own distinctive mark, gained from 61 years of evolution, with a return to its classy roots. Over time, the SL went from sporty, to elegant, to sporty again, trying to bring the best of both worlds together; even so, the perfect symbiosis never really happened, as the automboile ended up randomly guided by one of its two traits with each generation.

So, even if the new SL packs some serious grunt, especially in the V12 S65 AMG guise, don’t expect its design to mirror the raw power under the hood. Unlike the outgoing model, this one comes with elongated style cues, which makes look longer – obviously – than it is. This is partly due to the bulgy headlights, which lengthened towards the back of the car, complying to other horizontal design elements – making the hood appear shorter.

The differences between the two models are most obvious at the front, where the pointy nose of the previous generation has been replaced with a muscular style snout, ending almost abruptly and vertical. Granted, the new, 3-dimentional grille, which bites out a big chunk of the vehicle’s front end, maybe had something to do with its looks. Nevertheless, the new SL just respects Mercedes’ new design language, and this can be seen best on the front bumper vents.

It’s business as usual, from the profile, where the new SL is carrying almost the same basic style cues as the outgoing model. So, it comes as no surprise to see that even the side mirrors are the same, although the signature side fin is a tad wider, being replaced along with the side wings.

Speaking minute changes, the back-end comes with a revised rear bumper, refreshed tail lamp graphics, and…that’s about it.

Don’t get us wrong, the new cues are enough to give the model a fresh look, but not entirely change its character. Even so, its outstandingly interesting how the new front fascia can completely change the car’s personality, looking much more tamed and majestic than the previous model. Sure, the latter was a more incisive automobile, looking like it was designed with a sledgehammer, but a proper GT needs to be more dignified and noble.

That’s a nice note to end an article, since the interior hasn’t seen any major upgrades. Well, apart for the subtly revised steering wheel.