Mercedes starts out the teasing campaign for the new SL-Class by releasing a few details on some of its new features.

The new SL will be heading back to its roots by shedding a couple of stones off its weight. After all, SL stands for Sport and Light. Thanks to the extensive use of aluminum, and some new and extremely clever production methods Mercedes has come up with, the new SL will be some 140 kg lighter than the current gen.

Despite the weight reduction, it’ll be stiffer and will have more torsional rigidity, meaning there will be less flex in the chassis, so the handling will be better. The SL is actually on a sports car diet.

The lightness will also make the car more fuel efficient and helps with lowering its CO2 emission.

But don’t think it will lose any of its luxuriousness and high-tech stuff in its quest to become a more focused sportscar. The new SL gets a couple of new features, some of which sound like  afterthoughts to be honest.

We’re talking about the new windscreen washer nozzles which are located on the washer blades. The pictures below clearly show how the system works. This is apparently to prevent the passengers getting showered when using the washers with the top down. Mercedes calls this system Magic Vision! The car also gets the Magic Sky Control for its folding roof, like the new SLK.

Another new feature is the sound system. Mercedes engineers have realized the traditional location for the subwoofers in the boot or behind the seats is rubbish. They have arrived at better results by putting it in the foorwell, in front of the firewall. It results in a clearer sound and deeper base.

via: AutoMotorSport