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2017 Mercedes SL gets more beauty, power, and equipment

The first gestation of the R231-generation Mercedes-Benz SL-Class was appreciably better than the excellent R230 it replaced, it just didn't look nearly as good. Answering for one of its rare design sins with a facelift for the 2017 model year, Mercedes succeeds in restoring the skin-deep glory the R231 SL deserved from the beginning. They didn't stop at the skin, either, giving buyers plenty of additional technical reasons to make the upgrade. The new design establishes its new beauty with the grille and headlights. The grille has essentially been flipped upside down - it is now wider at the bottom than the top. It is flanked by sleeker headlights pulled out to the edges, and now full-LED lights are standard. The front fascia below gets much more pronounced, especially on the AMG versions with their larger intakes and chrome-trimmed A-wing motif across the horizontal span. Brilliant Blue and Designo Selenite Grey Magno join the color palette. The SL400 becomes the SL450, its 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 juiced up from 329 horsepower to 362 hp, and 354 pound-feet of torque to 369 lb-ft. Both it and the SL550 shed their seven-speed automatics for the new 9G-Tronic automatic. Inside, new designs for the gauge cluster look back at the driver, ambient lighting options have expanded to include polar blue and polar white, and the center console storage ambient lighting throw a brand logo on the two USB ports fitted inside. The roof can be opened at up to 25 miles per hour now, and the trunk separator automatically gets out of the way when you put the top down - no more having to do that yourself beforehand. Turning the page on performance, non-AMG models come offer Mercedes' curve-tilting function with Active Body Control. It counters cornering forces by tilting the body up to 2.65 degrees into a turn; choosing it removes the Eco function from the five Drive Select modes, replacing it with Curve mode. The AMG SL63 and SL65 models come with a mechanical rear differential lock standard - formerly part of a $9,000 upgrade package, an updated seven-speed transmission, and faster shifting via aluminum shift paddles. We'll get looks at the AMG SL63 and SL65 at the LA Auto Show, the refreshed range hits dealerships in late spring next year. Mercedes has a lot to tell you in the press release below, so dig in.

Munich Motor Show recap | Autoblog Podcast #797

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by News Editor Joel Stocksdale. Joel just returned from attending the Munich Motor Show, and our editors do a roundup of the news from the event, including an eventual baby G-Wagen, Cupra DarkRebel, VW ID. GTI, BMW Vision Neue Klasse, Mercedes CLA concept and some new electric Minis. They also discuss the general vibe of the show. Joel has also been driving the refreshed VW ID.4 and the new ID.7. Finally, Greg interviews Rod Alberts, the executive director of the Detroit Auto Show with a preview for next week. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #797 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown 2023 Munich Motor Show Mercedes baby G-Wagen is in the works, CEO confirms Cupra DarkRebel is a striking shooting brake concept VW ID. GTI Concept is an electric hot hatch and it's headed to production VW ID. GTI has lines that connect it to ... an Oldsmobile BMW Vision Neue Klasse revealed with stunning design, huge EV improvements Mercedes-Benz Concept CLA Class is huge tech in a small, bright package 2025 Mini Cooper E and SE fully revamped and revealed at Munich Motor Show 2025 Mini Countryman goes electric, gets bigger at Munich Motor Show Cars we're driving 2024 VW ID.4 2024 VW ID.7 Interview with Rod Alberts, Executive Director of the North American International Auto Show Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related video: Green Podcasts Detroit Auto Show BMW Mercedes-Benz MINI Volkswagen Electric Luxury Performance Munich Auto Show Cupra Podcasts

2015 Malaysian F1 GP springs hot, humid surprises [spoilers]

In the two weeks since Australia both Mercedes and Ferrari spoke of the improved performance from their respective cars. In Malaysia, Ferrari showed it. Lewis Hamilton still put his Mercedes-AMG Petronas on pole position, but Sebastian Vettel got within two whiskers of the Brit, lining up second just 0.074 behind. Afterward, Vettel said Ferrari could win the race if everything went well. But in qualifying we didn't know how much of Ferrari's performance was truly down to the car and how much was down to the wet weather that struck near the beginning of Q2. The rain didn't hamper Nico Rosberg's run – the German said "I just didn't drive good enough" – and he took third spot in the second Mercedes-AMG Petronas. Showing what the Infiniti Red Bull Racing chassis can do when the power unit is working properly, teammates Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat grabbed fourth and fifth. Whippersnapper Max Verstappen, in his second race, qualified in sixth with an excellent drive through the rain; just 0.030 behind Kvyat, he said he could have got fifth if he hadn't had a running problem with his brakes. Williams head of vehicle performance Rob Smedley said he wouldn't complain about Mercedes' advantage, but Felipe Massa has spent the whole season so far banging the alarm about Ferrari's pace. He says Williams has lost its straight-line advantage, part of the reason the first Grove car is back in seventh, while Valtteri Bottas is in eighth. Between them was Romain Grosjean in the Lotus, but he got dropped two positions for a pit-lane infraction in Q2, so he'll be tenth. Ahead of him is Marcus Ericsson in the Sauber, who would lead the charge to turn in another surprise for the Swiss team. But the real surprise came from the Scuderia Ferrari, who, on a bright, sunny day proved that they don't need to add water for race-winning pace. While Hamilton got made usual awesome start at the lights, Vettel channeled that other famous German Ferrari driver and immediately cut across the track to intimidate Rosberg, maintaining his second place position into the first turn. Arguably the race-winning move came three laps later at that same turn, when Ericsson plunged in too fast and swapped ends, beaching the rear of his Sauber in the gravel trap. The safety car came out when the recovery truck emerged to retrieve the Sauber, and nearly all of the front-runners took to the pits to swap out of the medium tires. Vettel, however, didn't.