It's a shame that the hardtop has been replaced by a cloth top, but god damn does it look good:
(https://www.netcarshow.com/Mercedes-Benz-SL_55_AMG-2022-1600-34.jpg)
Damn that looks good. I'm cool with the soft top.
Looks like the soft top bought them the ability to have an abbreviated/sloped trunklid. Probably better for aero that way too.
Meh. Angry faced Crossfire.
Looks like Chris Bangle left his shit stains all over on a stainless steel butt plug.
The soft top feature several advantages over a metallic folding top, the most important one being it's way lighter and possibly less complex to fold. Cloth tops have made advances in recent years; I am willing to bet this cloth top will be incredibly quiet at 250 km/h on the Autobahn.
In my dad's 1989 500SL the cloth top is noisy at 120 km/h already.
The new SL looks pretty good in the photos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeY1M397F9w