The SL320 comes equipped with an 3.2-liter in-line 6-cylinder engine. This powerplant produces 228 hp and drives the rear wheels through a 5-speed automatic transmission. Always smooth and quiet, the engine never rocketed our SL320 into traffic, but acceleration was still brisk. The automatic shifted with smoothness and alacrity, and never hunted among the five gears, even on steep hills. The only drivetrain hiccup we encountered occurred after cold starts. The first start after sitting overnight or for most of the day often resulted in a stall. If it didn't stall, a lot of throttle was required to produce little movement. After a moment or two, the SL320 would lurch ahead as though fitted with turbochargers, chasing the tachometer needle to the redline. Only when the automatic transmission shifted from first to second did the sluggish response vanish. Despite these problems, we suspect this anomaly was peculiar to our test vehicle and probably should not be regarded as a problem that plagues all SL320s. Although not outfitted with the SL500's 315-hp V8 or the SL600's 389-hp V12, the SL320 still proved sporty around town and sufficiently long-legged on the highway. Fast cruising on uncluttered interstates seemed effortless for our tester. And at such speeds, the cabin was serene. Steering in the SL320 is outstanding. With little body roll compared with the typical Mercedes-Benz, the SL320 is fun to drive aggressively. It is also lighter and slightly more nimble than the more expensive SLs. With the standard aluminum hardtop in place, road and wind noise are markedly reduced when compared with the soft top. That is not to say that the cabin is raucous when the soft top is in place - it is in fact quieter than most convertibles - but the top is still canvas instead of metal. Aside from noise differences, one other significant difference exists between the soft- and hardtops. The hardtop requires two people to remove, while the soft top can be raised and lowered from the comfort of the passenger compartment with no more effort than holding a switch. Mercedes-Benz was the first automaker to offer this fully automatic soft top. The SL320 is equipped with an innovative pop-up roll bar. Sensors detect when a rollover accident is about to occur, and the roll bar automatically pops up. Or, if time allows, the roll bar can be manually activated by the flip of a switch. A removable wind deflector behind the rear-seat headrests automatically pops up with the roll bar. The deflector makes the interior cabin surprisingly quiet and wind-free during top-down motoring. The SL320 is equipped with a standard traction-control system, which uses only brake intervention. The system is non-defeatable but does allow for wheel slip, making it pretty fun but probably not as effective in wintry conditions as the SL320's optional traction-control system, which intervenes with the accelerator as well as the brakes.
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