Mercedes-Benz SL spied
Here are the latest spy shots of the upcoming Mercedes-Benz SL wearing what should be the last stage of camouflage before it makes it big debut sometime next year. What we see here is an interesting new metallic brown paint color that looks to be a lighter shade of the AMG Sepang Brown that just debuted on the 2012 SLS AMG gullwing coupe and roadster — Brown just may be making a comeback in MB’s color palate.
However, we hope they can those pinwheel-style rims. Most of the camo is placed up front, but the grille looks slightly wider and the headlight shape more boxy and pointed compared to the current model. The SL’s signature metallic hood vent accents carry over and we assume the side vent pieces do, too. This particular tester has the glass panorama roof and it’s likely to feature SLK’s trick Magic Sky Control that changes the transparency of the glass at the push of a button.
From the back, it appears that the SL will receive the CLS’ LED light bar treatment. More interesting is the reverse light, which is centered on the bottom of the bumper in between the exhaust pipes — Whether or not that stays for production is unknown. The photographer didn’t get a chance to peek inside, unlike last year when he reported seeing a much bigger COMAND screen sitting high on the dashboard. It’s likely the SL will receive some elements of Benz’s @yourCOMAND strategy, which was recently unveiled in the F125! research vehicle. Among many of the high-tech gizmos we should see in the new SL is Near Field Communication (NFC), which will allow for Bluetooth pairing by simply holding your smartphone next to specific location for a few seconds, eliminating the need for searching or passcode entry.
Power will like come from the new 4.6-liter, twin-turbo V8 that has rolled out in other models. There are also rumors a V6 engine may return to the SL for the U.S. market, while an AMG version is undoubtedly in the works.
