2012 Mercedes-Benz SL Class vs. Its Competition

Martin Padgett Editorial Director

Whether you consider them performance cars or boulevard cruisers, the Mercedes-Benz SL roadsters set themselves apart from the competition with their folding convertible hardtop.

Among soft-top cars, the Jaguar XK covers some of the same ground--with spectacular speed and handling, especially as an XKR.

Equally masculine and new for 2012, the Porsche 911 is longer and wider, with a pair of real seats bordering on useful for the first time, ever.

More electronics and a more refined interior than ever continue the push ever upward, and outward.

For another German option, look at the Audi R8, a wonderfully capable four-wheel-drive sportscar that comes in Spyder convertible and V-10-powered versions.

Lastly, consider the Maserati GranTurismo Convertible, a gorgeous machine with a sonorous V-8 and swift, gentlemanly performance--or the Ferrari California hardtop convertible, which drops 4-second acceleration times along with the famous engine noise and taut, near-exotic-car handling.