Just a couple of days ago the first test prototype of the new Mercedes SL 2023 PHEV made an appearance. Now, new spy photos clear all doubts, clearly showing the cover of the charging socket on the back of what will be the first plug-in hybrid convertible on the market in 2023.
The new generation of Mercedes SL is about to be revealed. Despite the fact that the star brand has been unveiling different parts by chapters – we already know its luxurious 2 + 2 interior and its aluminum chassis structure – it remains to be seen the new luxury convertible in all its splendor without any camouflage that surrounds it. its bodywork. An expected debut for November and with deliveries at the end of spring 2022, but what will we have to wait until 2023 for the PHEV.
The new «R232», as it is known internally, will seriously bet on electrification in different ways, as the first ones have already shown. spy photos that we showed you a couple of days ago about the plug-in hybrid variant of the new SL. Slightly masked the back cover where it houses the battery charging plug, these new spy photos dispel any doubt of this SL PHEV showing the same cap perfectly integrated into the rear bumper.
The new Mercedes SL 53 e 4MATIC will hit the market in 2023
The new Mercedes luxury model is presented completely camouflaged, so it is understood that the firm will implement specific designs at the front, especially in the more or less aggressive design of the front bumper. Because, from behind, The different versions will be distinguished in view of the number of exhausts and their arrangement, in the absence of the relevant insignia.
Specifically, the prototype in these images of the new 2 + 2-seater convertible, whose rear oozes inspiration from the AMG GT Roadster, has four spherical tailpipes grouped in two pairs, a characteristic of the “AMG Performance” versions. so it comes to the new version SL 53 e 4MATIC. This is one of the two plug-in hybrid versions that will feature in the range, the most basic, and with a powertrain inherited from the new AMG C 63.
This comprises the gasoline engine of 2.0-liter equipped on board the A 45 AMG, to which an electric turbocharger has been added, and a new starter generator with 400 Volts, generating a maximum power of 449 hp. Equipped with the 9-speed automatic transmission “9G-Tronic”, it adds an electric motor on the rear axle that yields an extra 129 hp. Total, overall performance will amount to 578 hp, with an electric range of 25 kilometers thanks to a low capacity battery.