A mysterious Mercedes mule has been spied undergoing
testing. Caught wearing a modified E-Class body, the prototype has been
equipped with canards and extended fender flares which suggest the model has a
wider track than your typical sedan. More notably, the mule has shrunken rear
doors which indicate the production model will be extremely short. This likely
means Mercedes is testing either a coupe or a convertible.
Nothing is official, but it’s believed the model
could be a mule for the next-generation SL. That’s well within the realm of
possibilities as Mercedes-AMG CEO Tobias Moers has previously said we can
expect to see SL prototypes on the road this year.
The company is staying coy on specifics, but Moers
has said the next-generation model will be “far sportier” than its predecessor
and the roadster will have more in common with the next-generation GT. This
could potentially create some overlap between the SL and the GT Roadster, but
Moers suggested the company will try to minimize this by keeping the SL focused
on comfort and cruising.
Both more are slated to ride on the new Modular
Sports Architecture and it’s possible the mule has been created to test and evaluate
the platform. Regardless of the mule’s purpose, both the GT and SL are expected
to share a number of components.
Rumored to arrive by 2021, the next-generation SL
could ditch its retractable hardtop and offer a 2+2 seating arrangement. These
changes could help to make the model more competitive with the BMW 8-Series
Convertible and Porsche 911 Cabriolet.
Under the hood, we can expect an assortment of
hybrid powertrains. Nothing is set in stone, but reports have suggested there
will be a turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine with outputs of
approximately 365 hp and 430 hp. There
could also be three different variants with a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8. If the
rumor mill is correct, the range-topping model could have over 600 hp. The SL could also be offered with all-wheel drive, but nothing is
certain as of yet.
