Mercedes-AMG has revealed details on its upcoming new-for-2022 SL’s interior.
The company says the new cockpit uses elements from the classic 300 SL Roadster and the modern era, blending analogue and digital equipment into what AMG calls “hyperanalog.”
The full car is being unveiled later this year. The automaker says it brings “iconic elements from the first 300 SL Roadster into the modern era.”
Back in May Mercedes-AMG showed us the tech that is going into its 2022 AMG SL class body shell. Now the automaker is showing the new car’s interior design, promising a blend of old and new, “transforming iconic elements from the first 300 SL Roadster into the modern era,” the company said. As such, Mercedes-AMG thinks the new car will appeal to a “sporty target group” as well as customers looking for “maximum comfort.
“Fine materials, meticulous workmanship and attention to detail further underscore the high luxury standards in the interior,” AMG says. The cockpit design is driver focused with an adjustable central display in the centre console. The new car has 2+2 seating and thus more functionality and more space, while the new MBUX infotainment system offers a choice of several unique display styles and modes.
Mercedes is right when it says that the original 300 SL Roadster is among the most famous automotive designs, so it makes sense to use it as inspiration for the new Mercedes-AMG SL cockpit. To that end Benz says its designers were going for a mix of analogue geometry and a digital world. Mercedes calls it “hyperanalog.” A good example is the full digital instrument cluster integrated into a three-dimensional visor.
“The interior of the new Mercedes-AMG SL pampers the driver and passengers with sophisticated luxury,” says Philipp Schiemer, Chairman of the Board of Management at Mercedes-AMG GmbH. “The new SL combines the highest levels of comfort and quality in its interior, coupled with just the right amount of sportiness. The high-quality combination of the analogue world and state-of-the-art digital equipment makes one thing clear: the new SL is the rebirth of an icon for the modern era.”
“This roadster has stood for automotive fascination and desire for decades,” says Gorden Wagener, Daimler Group’s Chief Design Officer. He said designing the new SL interior was a “great opportunity and challenge for design, because every designer wants to create icons. The result is a revolutionary interior experience caught between digital and analogue luxury.”
The 2022 version marks the first time the SL has had 2+2 seating for the first time since the 1989 R 129. If the rear seats aren’t needed the wind deflector can protect front seat passengers from wind at the back of the neck. Or the second row can be used for more storage, say, a golf bag.
2022 SL INTERIOR GALLERY
The SL has not had a back seat since 1989.
MERCEDES-BENZ AG – GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS MERCEDES-BENZ CARS & VANs
There is a wide choice of different upholsteries available, and Mercedes says that also reflects the range from comfort to performance-oriented equipment. You can choose from single or two-tone Nappa Leather, elegant Nappa STYLE Leather with diamond stitching, or the sporty combination of Nappa Leather with DINAMICA RACE microfiber and contrasting topstitching in yellow or red.
The instrument panel is meant to look like a powerful wing with an upper and lower section and its appearance can be personalized with different display styles and individually selectable main views. Benz says the four new galvanized turbine nozzles are a design highlight because their surfaces merge into the instrument panel in distinctive power domes. As noted earlier the instrument cluster’s 12.3-inch high-res LCD screen is integrated into a visor directly placed in front of the driver. The design prevents sun reflections.
Benz knows luxury – and tech
Also, to avoid sun glare the SL’s centre screen can be adjusted electrically into a more vertical position. The centre display looks like the one in the new S-Class, but Mercedes assures Auto week it is not. Benz officials told us that the new SL’s centre display is an 11.9-inch touchscreen in portrait layout while the new S Class uses a 12.8-in diagonal centre screen.
Mercedes calls the seat design “avant-garde” and says that it “plays skilfully with layers and enveloping surfaces,” the idea being to make them lighter and less voluminous. The headrests are visually integrated into the backrest to make them look sporty.
The second-gen MBUX system is similar to the new S Class system, though some of the SL’s menu functions are AMG specific such as Performance or Track Pace menus, which show various changeable metrics and graphics. Other goodies include 64 (!) different colours for the ambient light.
Mercedes says that when its new roadster is unveiled later this year, “it will advance the iconic series with high comfort, remarkable design, precise driving dynamics and optimal packaging.”
We will know more when the car unveiled later this year.
