2026 Mercedes Maybach SL680 Monogram Series First Look: If It Works for Handbags ...
Has Mercedes made the right changes to Maybach-ize the newest SL-Class? We’re not sure.
MotorTrend’s editorial staff is not particularly fashion-conscious, and most of us can’t figure out why a couple dozen iterations of the initials “LV” on a handbag increase its value by 10,000 percent. Someone at Mercedes’ Maybach luxury division must understand, because that seems to be the approach the subbrand has taken with the Mercedes-Maybach SL-Class, the first two-seat Maybach convertible since the 20th-century unpleasantness in Europe.
Wait, Are You Sure This Is a Maybach?
How could we not be? Maybach made several significant changes to the AMG SL-Class on which the Maybach SL680 is based, and we’ll endeavor to document them all, but upon close inspection the proliferation of logos is likely the first thing you’ll notice. The new grille is a forest of 3D Maybach logos. There are Maybach logos etched into the door panels, Maybach logos stitched into the fabric roof, and one Maybach logo on each of the seats and pedals. Wait, what’s that, Potential Buyer? You want more Maybach logos? OK, then! You can get a gaggle of them painted on the all-black hood, one of only three options offered on the 2025 Maybach SL.
No one can fail to notice this is the Maybach version of the Mercedes-Benz SL—unless perhaps they are driving it, because the steering wheel inexplicably bears not a Maybach logo but a giant Mercedes star. Still, there are enough repetitions of the Maybach logo that if Louis Vuitton were alive, he’d probably say, in beautifully French-accented English, “It’s enough already.”
Changes Beyond the Logos
Let’s run through the changes from front to back: The new 2025 Maybach SL680 gets a unique grille, a stand-up Mercedes hood ornament (not a Maybach logo? That seems like an oversight), and a chrome strip down the center of the hood. The windshield is framed in chrome, and while we are told this was an unintended consequence, under just-right conditions it reflects the sky and makes the windshield seem to disappear.
Shield your eyes, and let’s skip over the dazzling white interior for just a moment. While the Mercedes-AMG SL (up until now with this latest version of the car, all SL models have been AMG spec) is a 2+2, the Maybach version loses the vestigial rear seats for a small storage shelf of sorts. Except—and we swear we’re not making this up—Mercedes/Maybach can’t call it a storage shelf due to German regulations, which presumably would trigger all sorts of safety requirements.
Over the not-a-shelf is a plastic fairing that (try to contain your surprise) is etched with another couple hundred Maybach logos. Atop it—and, amazingly, bearing no Maybach logos—is a central glass panel that serves as a windbreak, eliminating the need for the AMG SL’s fussy folding windscreen. The fairing blends the transition from headrests to trunklid, which, like the rest of the sheetmetal, is unchanged from other SLs. It gives the Maybach SL a handsome profile, though many will note a resemblance to the Porsche 911 Targa. The new Maybach SL680 finishes with a unique rear fascia that de-emphasizes the exhaust pipes and diffuser, delineating the Maybach’s role as a cruiser rather than a racer.
Don your sunglasses, and let’s get back to that interior, which is done up in bright white leather with matching white carpets and floormats, presumably with the understanding that buyers rich enough to own a Maybach SL can afford a team of detailers to keep the cabin clean. The thick Nappa leather on the seats is real, though it is tanned with a sustainable process using coffee bean shells, and it features a handsome floral-ish pattern derived from—you guessed it—the Maybach logo. Control layout changes from other SLs are minimal, but the screens use Maybach-themed graphics with a background of … go on, guess. Surprisingly there is no wood trim, a hallmark of other Maybach models.
