2028 Mercedes SL to Add Benz Line, Inline-Six Possible

Mercedes-Benz will expand the facelifted 232-series SL range with a dedicated "Benz" variant, the company confirmed during the Golden Steering Wheel awards in Berlin. The new model is intended to emphasise relaxed open-top motoring rather than extreme performance or ultra-luxury and appears in a camouflaged 2028 example photographed with CEO Ola Kallenius while he spoke to Auto Bild.

New Benz variant and visual identity

Ola Kallenius confirmed that the SL range will include a third, more comfort-focused personality alongside the existing AMG and Maybach lines when the roadster returns in 2027. Mercedes says the Benz SL will prioritise roof-down comfort, a more balanced relationship between sporting ability and refinement, and timeless styling. The photographed 2028 prototype shows a three-pointed star dominating the front grille, star-motif daytime running lights and a cleaner front bumper treatment that distinguishes it from the Panamericana grille of AMG models and the monolithic grille and distinctive wheels of the Maybach-badged SL.

Powertrains and engine roadmap

Mercedes expects changes across the SL powertrain line. The 2028 model year is likely to drop the turbocharged inline-four that currently powers the AMG SL 43. As of this writing the SL 43 is Mercedes-AMG's only rear-wheel-drive SL, and it is offered at a list price of 126,686.45 euros.

• SL 43: 2.0-liter turbo inline-four, currently offered in the range.
• SL 55: M177 twin-turbo V8.
• SL 63: enhanced version of the 4.0-liter V8.
• SL 63 S E PERFORMANCE: plug-in hybrid variant delivering 805 hp and 1,047 lb-ft (1,420 Nm); WLTP electric range quoted at 13 km, approximately 8 miles.
• Maybach 680: cross-plane 4.0-liter V8 producing 585 ps (577 hp) and 800 Nm (590 lb-ft) between 2,500 and 5,000 rpm.

Mercedes and AMG have indicated that, from 2027, the current cross-plane V8s are likely to be replaced by an M177 Evo flat-plane V8. The manufacturer attributes the change partly to emissions regulations and partly to the different acoustic and combustion characteristics of a flat-plane crank. Mercedes describes that a cross-plane crank can result in consecutive firings on the same cylinder bank, while a flat-plane crank alternates firing between the left and right banks, reducing exhaust interference and allowing the hot-V turbos to spool more cleanly. The M177 Evo also employs the Miller cycle to help keep the engine close to a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio under high load.

While a V8 remains plausible for a comfort-oriented Benz SL, Mercedes has suggested an inline-six would better suit the model's character and heritage; the 1950s 300 SL originally used a straight-six. A candidate for the Benz SL is the 3.0-liter straight-six from the CLE 53, which AMG lists at 443 horsepower and either 413 or 443 lb-ft (560 or 600 Nm) of torque with overboost active.