Yahoo Autos The Mercedes-Maybach SL Monogram Series Aims for Maximum Luxury
The current-generation Mercedes-AMG SL-Class has been asked to do a lot: it's meant to replace the previous SL, the Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster, and the S-Class Cabriolet. That gives it a bit of a split personality, and as buyers go further up the SL family tree, the options reflect the AMG GT DNA more than the S-Class heritage. That changes with the Mercedes-Maybach SL 680, which just debuted at Monterey Car Week in two unique Monogram Series trims set to arrive in dealerships in the latter part of next year as a 2026 model.
Unlike the AMG-branded SLs, the Maybach-branded cabriolet is all about elegance and luxury. That theme starts with the engine: it launches in SL 680 form with the same twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 featured in every AMG GT, producing the same 577 horsepower as in the exhilarating SL 63. The power is the same, but the numbers produced are different; this is a car designed for wafting in comfort, so the aggressive 3.5-second 0-60-mph launch has been replaced by a comfortable waft from naught to 60 in 4.0 seconds. Top speed is restricted to a "reasonable" 161 mph.
Where most cars get more extreme in their higher-end models, the Maybach SL is meant to be more elegant. The typically-audacious engine is quieted by a unique exhaust, while added sound absorption ensures something even closer to silence inside. The suspension and engine mounts have also been altered for a smoother ride, and the nine-speed automatic transmission is tuned for comfort first.
The exterior is unmistakably Maybach, from the 21-inch multi-spoke wheels to the grille capped off with a traditional hood emblem. The brake ducts, soft top, and hood are all finished with a pattern of repeating Maybach badges; when it gets too dark to see those fine details, a light-up "Maybach" on the top of the grille gets the message across at night. Monoblock wheels are also available, if that kind of theater suits a buyer's interests better than the multi-spoke options.
Inside, the Maybach SL loses two seats when compared to its AMG counterparts. In their place is a bench area, which is covered by an extended tonneau that gives the car a unique silhouette with the top down. Typically elegant seats finished in white leather sit up front, and unfortunately, both face the same iPad-like vertical tablet that overcomplicates operations on the standard SL. Thankfully, that car's confounding five-spoke steering wheel packed with capacitive buttons has been replaced by a more traditional wheel with a more typical button layout.
For now, the Maybach SL is available only in two "curated design concepts." That means there are only two specs of the car for this first model year, "Red Ambience" and "White Ambience." Both are a two-tone exterior with contrasting black elements, but one uses a metallic red as the base color, while the other uses a matte white. Each boasts a unique white-and-black two-tone interior, complete with silver accents.
Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series cars will reach dealerships in the American market in the second half of 2025. As long as Mercedes continues to not build the stunning Maybach Vision 6 concept from 2017, it should stand alone as the only roadster in the Maybach sub-brand's modern lineup.
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