Exhilarating agility, high cornering speeds, optimal roadholding and the long-distance comfort typical of a Mercedes is what sports car enthusiasts expect of an SL made by AMG. The technical basis for this convincing result is the suspension technology of the SL 63 AMG: at the front a state-of-the-art four-link suspension and at the rear the tried-and-tested multi-link independent suspension – both with a thoroughly revised, AMG-specific configuration. The front axle bearings, the spring links and the torque strut along with individual strut bearings at the rear have been retuned to deliver greater agility and shorter stopping distances. In partnership with the optimised speed-sensitive power steering the SL 63 AMG now feels even more direct and livelier – enabling the driver to fully utilise the linear steering and oversteer/understeer characteristics typical of a sports car, especially on winding roads or a private racetrack.

The AMG sports suspension based on Active Body Control has been further enhanced and not only comes with new spring and damper tuning but also completely modified elastokinematics. The AMG sports suspension based on Active Body Control also enables the suspension set-up to be customised. At the push of a button, the driver can select a sporty, firm response with reduced roll angles, or go for a comfort-focused setting for excellent comfort on long journeys. The AMG sports suspension based on Active Body Control (ABC) almost completely eliminates body movements when moving off, cornering and braking. Bends are taken with drastically reduced body roll, while the tendency to yaw during fast evasive manoeuvres is effectively suppressed. Another special feature of Active Body Control is variable yawing moment distribution between the front and rear axles, which the system performs automatically depending on the road speed. This provides even greater stability, particularly at high speeds. To reduce aerodynamic drag, ABC gradually lowers the suspension by up to 15 millimetres between 65 and 100 km/h. Should more ground clearance be required on poor road surfaces, the driver is able to raise the suspension level by a maximum of 50 millimetres at the touch of a button up to a speed of 30 km/h. Using the load adaptation function, the current vehicle weight can be included in the calculations performed by the active suspension control system. This means that the SL 63 AMG has identical handling dynamics even when fully laden.

3-stage ESP® with a sports function as a new feature in the SL 63 AMG

The Electronic Stability Program ESP® is the perfect partner for the high performance of the SL 63 AMG. The new 3-stage ESP® with a sports function provides three different settings and is the logical development of the AMG ESP® philosophy. The driver can choose between the settings “ESP ON”, “ESP SPORT” and “ESP OFF” by pressing the ESP® button in the AMG DRIVE UNIT – the activated setting is shown in the central display in the AMG instrument cluster. In “ESP ON” mode, any tendency for the vehicle to become unstable is countered by braking intervention at one or more wheels, as well as a reduction in engine torque.

Briefly pressing the ESP® button activates “ESP SPORT”. In this mode, the selective braking intervention and accompanying reduction of engine torque allows higher dynamic forces to occur, for example corresponding angles of drift – and the driver of the SL 63 AMG benefits from even more driving pleasure. The functions of ESP® are fully restored when the brake pedal is operated.

Longer pressure on the ESP® button activates “ESP OFF”. In this case there is no dynamic control intervention and the engine torque is not reduced – with a further increase in driving enjoyment. “ESP OFF” should only be used by experienced drivers on private racetracks. In this mode too, operating the brake pedal restores all the functions of ESP®. ESP® traction logic is active in all three modes. Should a driven wheel begin to spin, specific braking intervention practically duplicates the effect of a mechanical differential lock, enabling the engine power to be transferred to the road even more efficiently.

AMG high-performance composite braking system at the front

The AMG high-performance braking system rises to the exacting requirements associated with consummate driving dynamics. The front wheels are equipped with internally ventilated, perforated 360 x 36-millimetre composite disc brakes with six-piston aluminium fixed callipers, while deceleration at the rear comes courtesy of internally ventilated, perforated 330 x 26-millimetre brake discs with four-piston fixed callipers. The result is very short stopping distances, outstanding sensitivity and remarkable resistance to fading. The brake callipers are silver-painted and bear AMG lettering.

Braking system data at a glance: