The new $224 900 Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 isn’t for the faint of heart

“LA is the loneliest and most brutal of American cities,” Jack Kerouac opined.

I don’t disagree. But he might have had a better time here if he had an interesting car. Kerouac never did get a driver’s license, which is ironic considering On the Road inspired a generation of highway hounds.

Cars tend to endear you to people in Los Angeles, especially if they’re offbeat or unorthodox (the cars and the people). Folks like a point of view; it gives them something to talk to you about, a reason to approach in this tribal town. I felt it last week when a two-tone 2026 Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 convertible as logo-laden as a Louis Vuitton handbag arrived at my doorstep. The $224 900 drop-top was unavoidable with its 21-inch monoblock forged wheels, stopping traffic in my little neighbourhood and forcing me into friendly chats with neighbours I’d never met.

One, who told me he owns an exotic car rental business, slammed the brakes of his Mercedes-AMG G 63 outside my door and eagerly alighted, almost tripping over himself in excitement as he used his iPhone to film the car I’d soon drive 320 miles north to Monterey Car Week. I was happy to meet someone new and happy to see his enthusiasm.

That’s the thing about the SL 680 Monogram Series. The “Maybach” monograms on the roof, hood and interior door sills make the whole package easy to dismiss as outrageous or trifling. But the SL 680 achieves that rare raison d’être of such a nonessential thing as a luxury car: eliciting a deep emotional response.

In a sea of mundane appliances marketed as luxury SUVs, and when even supercars are all starting to look the same, I’m here for all the individuality I can get. And if the outré exterior offends your aesthetic sensibilities, the spacious interior, potent drivetrain and elegant body line of the SL 680 may win you over just the same.

The essentials

The 2026 Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series is the first two-seater convertible in Maybach history. It was designed to appeal to the old brand’s young owners, who average 41 years old worldwide, compared with 50-plus across the bulk of the luxury car industry.

Based on the sporty Mercedes-AMG SL 63, it comes with a 577-horsepower V-8 biturbo engine, 590 pound-feet of torque and a nine-speed automatic gearbox. It reaches 60 mph in four seconds and has a top speed of 161 mph.

I drove one painted in shiny garnet, with a contrasting black hood and a black soft-top embossed with an anthracite Maybach pattern. It had a snow-white interior. (The other standard colourway is a matte white exterior with the black hood and top. Fifty other hues are also available, for an additional fee. I’d dive in there if I were you. Maybe something in a midnight blue or shark grey.)

Other design highlights include an illuminated Maybach grille featuring the rare Mercedes-Benz trident star that stands upright, perpendicular to the hood—like the badge on your dad’s vintage Mercedes wagon—rather than the modern emblem, which lies flat like a chrome-plated sticker. There are rose-gold touches throughout, Maybach‑logo taillights and chrome-accented fascia. The whole car is an exercise in hyperbranding.

The good

Much of the SL 680’s sportiness comes courtesy of improvements from Aufrecht, Melcher, Großaspach (aka AMG), which is Mercedes’ high-performance division. AMG developed things such as a new lightweight aluminium chassis and all-wheel drive. I found myself luxuriating in the stability and balance of the two-seater over my five-hour drive north to Carmel-by-the-Sea. Enhanced by the plush, supportive seats and active ride-control suspension, it made the trip easy and fun, rather than a taxing chore.

The energetic and stolid drive characteristics of the SL 680 are one thing, but there are other reasons I’d happily use this car for long pleasure drives. I appreciated the spaciousness of the cabin, with enough head- and legroom for lanky me, and welcomed the mix of analogue buttons and knobs that worked seamlessly with digital inputs in the streamlined, thoughtful space. Simple tasks like selecting music and navigating remained uncomplicated; cup holders and charging portals and seat controls all felt placed by common sense—considerations often lacking in luxury vehicles.

I was further delighted by the capacious (for a convertible) trunk, which easily accommodated my two roller cases and weekender tote, plus a handheld steamer and a distractingly unwieldy but stunning—if I may say so myself—shearling coat. I could have fit a few more things back there, too, had I needed to. A shelf behind the seats afforded even more baggage storage.

The bad

I’ll never understand why anyone selects white for a vehicle’s interior. It’s an absolute nightmare. This wasn’t the type of white applied like paint over cheap plastic-y vinyl or fake leather, which you can easily clean with a damp cloth. This was actual crystal-white Napa leather that gulped up the slightest discolouration like a parched marathoner. And it was everywhere. I was so nervous about sullying the pristine snowfield of deep-pile floor mats that I laid a towel in the footwell of the driver’s seat. I shudder to think what this interior would look like after six months of regular use.

Also, the cabin could have been quieter. The light hum of road noise is common inside any drop-top, but one dripping with Maybach logos should be impeccably silent.

If you remember one thing 

I started with a quote, so I’ll end with one too. The car reminds me of this chestnut from the late Vogue editor Diana Vreeland: “A little bad taste is like a nice splash of paprika. We all need a splash of bad taste—it’s hearty, it’s healthy, it’s physical. I think we could use more of it. No taste is what I’m against.”

The 2026 Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series is a big dollop of bad taste. But it’s executed so well, and with a veneer of such insouciance, that you may find yourself charmed.

© 2025 Bloomberg

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