I couldn't find a single thing in the new Mercedes SL's styling to moan about. Not one tiny, weenie thing. Take a good long look around the latest version of Mercedes' iconic luxury roadster and see if you can find a crease or bulge that's less than easy on the eye. And then take another look at it with the hard roof up. Even better, isn't it? It's a surprise to me because, aesthetically, I've never quite warmed to the current SL.

Perched on the transmission tunnel, is a button that guarantees the new SL will generate a lot more attention than the old one did. Pull it right back and, provided the gearbox is in 'Park', 16 seconds later you're topless and on show. The button itself is a bit plasticky and flimsy to the touch, but who cares when it drops the metal three-piece roof quicker than almost any other convertible.

When the roof's down and you want to unpack the boot, there's a button in the back that tilts the whole package up by 20 degrees so you can unload it without struggling and cursing out loud in an ungentlemanly fashion. With so much technology downloaded into one car, it must add to the weight, surely? Well, fortunately that's not the case. A strict diet of aluminium supplement - the bootlid, bonnet, doors and roof are all made from it and sheds a whopping 120kg of lard from the old SL500.

As we're heading across country in search of the ideal bend for some hairy-arsed cornering shots (the apropriate technical term used in the Top Gear office, so I'm told). Midway through one of the cornering runs, as the SL hits the lockstops and my arms flail about in a blatantly out-of-control manner, a tremendous explosion occurs behind me.

Kerbside investigation reveals that it was all down to the SL's mothering instinct. Fearing the worst was about to take place, the car's automatic roll-over bar had shot up to keep me safe and sound. It's reassuring to know it works and doesn't scalp passengers in the process. It's also easy to retract.

Given some welly, the five-litre V8 picks up its heels, gives off a 'proper V8 bellow' (thanks to finely-tuned exhaust tailpipes) and blats the SL down the road with considerable vigour. With 306bhp and 339lb ft of torque ready to do the business, it can mix it with the big boys, notching up the 0-62mph dash in 6.3 seconds and comfortably bumping into its 155mph electronically governed autobahn potential, with a feeling that it was only just getting into its stride. Yet it's also suitably flexible in the mid-range, where it burbles away in a quite un-Mercedes-like manner, and works to great effect with the oh-so slick and unobtrusive five-speed automatic gearbox. If you feel the urge, then you can always select the gear for yourself by nudging the lever left or right.

With the roof up, the SL makes light work of serious mileage, but a little less wind noise around where the windows meet would be appreciated. With it down, there's surprisingly little buffeting.

While the ABC (Active Body Control, and standard on this model) suspension's regular mode has everything covered, you can always opt for the Sports setting. This lowers the ride height and firms up the hydraulically -controlled servo cylinders, and together with the passive springs and dampers combines to make the SL 500 feel more resolved and poised as you ease that long-travel throttle further towards the floor.

The new rack-and-pinion steering is a giant leap forward over the system used by the current SL, guiding the three-pointed star into bends faithfully enough and offering decent weighting too. But the trouble is, its feedback remains a wee bit too shy for my taste - and there isn't much adjustability on offer from the throttle, either.

This is the first car ever to feature an electrohydraulic braking system - effectively brake by-wire - and it works incredibly well. In fact, it's so efficient that one of its tricks includes braking imperceptibly when it's raining, in order to keep the discs and pads dry and primed for action. The artificial pedal feel generated by the system is faultless, while overall stopping power is impressive.

The SL 500 will start showing off its 16-second striptease in UK dealerships from April 2002, and it's not difficult to imagine a fair few faces will be pressed up against the smoked glass showroom windows.

James Mills

VERDICT World domination of the roadster market on a Merceds scale. But not the driver's car it could have been

FACT FILE
Model Luxury convertible
Engine 4973cc V8, 306bhp
Performance 0-62mph in 6.3secs, 155mph max speed
Cost £69,000 (est)
Rivals Jaguar XKR Convertible, Porsche 911 Cabriolet, BMW Z8, Maserati Spyder


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