I know it feels monumentally dumb to call any AMG “underappreciated” but that’s exactly what the Mercedes-AMG SL63 is, in today’s Mercedes lineup. It’s not quite the flex that, say, a G63 is, and it’s not nearly as fast as an AMG GT. And that’s what makes it great. Anyway, it’s dead now.
I really do, hand-on-heart, believe that the SL63 is one of the best cars that Mercedes makes, or rather, made. It’s still fast enough to feel like you’re getting smacked in the head with a leather sledgehammer (truly a sensation I only dreamed of as a child), while not being nearly as stiff and uncomfortable as an AMG GT. While it’s definitely not modest, it doesn’t look like an exaggerated phallus like a GT does, either. When people see you getting into it, they don’t feel the need to give you pitying looks. Plus, it’s got a metal roof that goes down.
I really can’t gush enough about the SL63, as you can see in the review I wrote of the car back in 2017:
It’s hard to say that a car has everything, but this really is one of those rare cars that has everything. It’s got an enormous nuclear device for an engine, it’s got the joy of the sky, and it’s got messaging seats. It’s even got that enormous $162,795 price tag to match.
Of course, you could choose to go the cheap route, and get the base model. But the base Mercedes-AMG SL63, with no options at all, still costs $151,350.
And at this point, it becomes a dream car. The sort of car that every carmaker fantasizes about pulling off, and pulling off well, but so few actually do. The sort of car that you need millions of Germans to engineer for any of it to work properly.
Which is why it makes me so sad to bring you the news that the car is no more, according to CarBuzz:
However, while digging around to see what models wouldn’t be returning for 2020, we saw the SL 63 had been removed from both the US and international websites of Mercedes-Benz. We reached out for further information and received e-mail confirmation from Ashley Gillam, PR Specialist at MB USA, that “we [do] not have MY20 SL 63.” Simple, brief, and to the point: the Mercedes-AMG SL 63 is dead.
I know, I know, I’m rapidly spiraling further into depression, too. But before you freak out too much, we had our own correspondence with a Mercedes spokesperson, who offered that while the current car is dying, we should stay tuned for just a little while longer.
“Mercedes-AMG can confirm that the SL63 production has concluded, and according to plan,” the spokesperson said.
But while they’re not going around announcing the next-generation of SL63 just yet, “Mercedes-AMG confirmed earlier this year that they have assumed development responsibilities for the next-generation SL, but have no additional details to offer at this time.”
So there you go. AMG is doing... something, with the next-generation SL. But they’re not quite saying what yet. Whether or not it’s called “SL63,” I suppose we’ll just have to wait to find out.