2025 Mercedes-AMG SL 63 S E Performance is a 805-HP Mega-Convertible

Say hello to the most powerful production SL ever.

Do you like the latest Mercedes-AMG SL just fine, but wish the 577-horsepower droptop had a bit more oomph? Well Mercedes is getting into the giving spirit this holiday season as the German company on Monday debuted the 2025 Mercedes-AMG SL 63 S E Performance. And it packs 805 horsepower along with 1,047 pound-feet of torque.

The recipe is simple enough: take the fiendishly complex powertrain from the S 63 S E Performance super-sedan and cram it under the slinkier SL shell. The hand-built 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 remains as boisterous as ever (now up to 603 hp), but comes paired with an electric drive unit on the rear axle. With its own two-speed transmission, the electric motor can provide up to 201 horsepower in short bursts, or 94 hp in more continuous use. It pulls from a small 6.1-kilowatt-hour battery pack situated just above the rear axle. This should shift the SL's weight distribution towards the tail...

There are no less than eight drive modes in the SL 63 SEP: Battery Hold, Comfort, Slippery, Sport, Sport+, Race, Individual, and Electric. Individual lets drivers tailor multiple parameters to their tastes, while Electric allows for short bursts of silent SL life—Mercedes is quick to point out this plug-in hybrid is made for performance, not EV range. There are also four levels of regenerative braking, available in all drive modes except Slippery.

Performance is as you'd expect: serious. Think 62 mph (100 km/h) in just 2.9 seconds, and an (electronically limited!) top-end of 197 mph (317 km/h). AMG engineers have even retooled that auto-deploying rear spoiler to account for the added performance, with five new angles of attack once the SL is running over 50 mph (80 km/h).

How will you tell this PHEV SL apart from other, mere mortal SLs? Beyond the charge-port door, not easily: the model badge is red, there's "E Performance" badging along the flanks, and there's what Mercedes calls "distinctive grooved trapezoidal twin tailpipe trims."

With such serious outputs, the folks from Affalterbach have thrown just about everything they have at the SL. AMG Active Ride Control with active roll stabilization is standard. The adaptive shocks even take into account camber loss during cornering. Speaking of, rear-axle steering is also standard. Bronze-painted six-piston calipers clamp down on standard carbon ceramic discs, measuring 16.5 inches up front. Single-piston floating calipers pair with 15.0-inch discs out back.

The 2025 Mercedes-AMG SL 63 S E Performance will touch down late next year. Expect more details, including pricing, closer to its on-sale date.

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