(Fri 01 Feb 08)

The latest version of the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class will arrive in the UK in mid-April after its debut at the Geneva Show.

This time round, Mercedes has emphasised the car's sporty looks, particularly at the front end, which is dominated by a wide radiator grille. In terms of performance, though, not much has really changed. The SL 500 and SL 600 both use the same engines as before - 388bhp V8 and 517bhp twin-turbo V12 respectively - though there have been a few tweaks whose main effect is to improve fuel consumption by around 3%.

The engine in the SL 350, however, is new. It's a V6 which can rev up to 7200rpm and produces 16% more power (315bhp altogether) than the previous 3.5-litre unit. The 0-62mph time has improved by 0.4 seconds to 6.2 seconds, while combined fuel economy has improved by 1.1% to 28.5mpg.

Both the SL 350 and the SL 500 use a seven-speed automatic gearbox with a so-called double-declutching system which smooths out downchanges by raising the engine speed just before they happen.

All versions come with the direct-steer system which has variable assistance depending on both the car's speed and the amount by which the driver turns the wheel (the steering ratio increases considerably after 5 degrees so you don't have to do so much wheel-twirling on tighter corners). Active Body Control, which adjusts the suspension according to the driving conditions, is standard on the two more powerful models.

Bi-xenon headlights are standard, and as an option you can have the five-mode Intelligent Light System which offers different types of illumination (including pointing the beam round corners) according to weather and driving conditions.

Another option is Airscarf, a system which warms the air at head level to make open-top motoring more comfortable on cold days. Airscarf was premiered on the SLK back in 2004, but for the SL-Class it has been developed further; the electric heating element and fan are now both located in the headrests.

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