The Mercedes Maybach SL680 should be at the top of your Christmas list
The Mercedes SL680 is anything but your average Merc.
Do multiple monograms make a luxury product? Mercedes-Benz, or, more accurately, the Maybach division of Mercedes-Benz, certainly thinks so. If you were under any doubt that this was an exclusive luxury version of the famous SL roadster, then look at the bonnet and the soft top. Mercedes takes a leaf out of the fashion playbook, endowing its Maybach SL 680 with a repeated monogrammed pattern all over. And to emphasise the point, the Maybach was driven down an oversized catwalk at its launch in Monterey, California.
Mercedes briefly flirted with using the Maybach label for a separate line of cars, but now it instead represents the top tier of Mercedes ownership in each model range. The SL 680 is very clearly a Mercedes, with badging proudly on the bonnet ornament and centre of the steering wheel — yet one with some Maybach magic dust. The SL is the fourth Mercedes to get the Maybach treatment, and it follows the S-Class, GLS and electric EQS. Exterior differences include a chrome grille with the Maybach badging sitting just below the three-pointed star, chrome bonnet fin and window surround and glorious 21-inch multispoked or five-hole forged wheels.
The Maybach version of the SL also loses the back seats, although, to be fair, these two chairs were at best suitable for small children or for very short journeys with adults. Instead, we gain a rather handsome tonneau cover that sits above a parcel shelf where the rear seats would have been. This helps to give this version of the SL a different profile from its SL siblings with the raked rear line. The two remaining seats have added padding and a floral stitching pattern. The Airscarf system in the headrests blows warm air on your neck, meaning you can keep the top down in colder climates.
The previous Merc-Maybachs offered a supremely luxurious version of an already luxurious car. This SL is a slightly different proposition. It’s a sports car that can now be ordered in three distinct flavours. The “basic” SL is a 2+2 Mercedes roadster with a heritage that goes all the way back to the 1950s. The AMG model is a modern-day muscle car and a more extreme, performance version of the regular car. And now we have the Maybach SL 680 version, which gives us the ultimate boulevard cruiser. Time will tell how it drives, but expect a combination of power and comfort.
The launch edition comes in two colourways — Red Ambience or White Ambience. There are no prizes for guessing the primary colour for each version, predominantly garnet red metallic or opalite white magno. Both have a black bonnet and soft top and crystal-white nappa leather interiors. The immaculate interior defies you to use this car for mundane daily chores, subtly signalling that if you’re worried about muddy shoes this is not the car for you, and don’t even think of wearing your Japanese selvedge denim jeans here. Think of the two launch colourways as a tasting menu. High-quality ingredients, but the chef is selecting them without letting you loose on creating.
The powertrain is the same V8 biturbo as found in the Mercedes-Benz AMG SL 63, although the extra weight means it takes an extra half a second to get to 100km/h — imperceptible and seemingly irrelevant when you are people-watching in the Maybach as opposed to stopwatch-chasing in the AMG variant.
The exhaust note is “noise optimised”, meaning quieter and less growly in this case. Racer or cruiser — the choice is yours.
We can expect the Maybach label on further Mercedes models in the future, and if you really like the branding you can take it out of the car in the form of Maybach leather jackets and dog bags.
Mercedes Maybach SL 680
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 (430kW/800Nm)
Transmission: 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission, all-wheel drive 0 to 100 km/h 4.1 seconds
Fuel economy: 13.7 L/100km (estimated combined figure)
Price: Approx $500,000
This story is from the December issue of WISH.
