2026 Mercedes-Maybach SL680 Is A Sports Car That Went To Ultra-Luxury Finishing School

The last time the Mercedes-Maybach subbrand offered a droptop was in 2016 with the limited-run S-Class Cabriolet, and since then loyal Maybach customers have been asking the brand for not only another convertible, but a sports car at that. Enter the 2026 Mercedes-Maybach SL680 Monogram Series, a luxurious and outlandish version of the seventh-generation SL roadster. While still obviously an SL, there’s a lot about this new model that makes it distinctly a Maybach, from styling changes to reworked engineering.

The launch spec is painted Garnet Red Metallic, a deep, stunning new color in which the red base coat is already mixed with the first layer, and then more layers of clear are placed on top. Every Maybach SL has an Obsidian Black hood, and the hood itself has a new design that ditches the AMG SL’s power bulges for subtler creases and a prominent center spine made of chrome that runs all the way to the hood ornament at the front. That’s right, the Maybach is the first SL with a standing three-pointed star on the nose.

Optionally, you can have the hood printed with a repeating Maybach logo pattern, a process that required the development of a new machine. After the hood’s first layer of paint is clear-coated and sanded, the Graphite Grey logos are printed on, and then two layers of matte clear are applied and sanded. It’s over the top, and isn’t that the whole point? I can already hear you groaning and saying “ugh, it looks like a designer handbag,” but the people who will actually buy this car see that as a positive, not a negative. After all, the average Maybach owner is now even younger than the average Mercedes owner (which is around 50 years old), especially in the U.S. and China.

The Maybach logo motif is used as the grille mesh for the wide intakes in the redesigned front bumper, with no fake intake plastic panels used, and chrome trim wraps around the shape of the openings. The grille is the same shape as the AMG SL’s, but it has Maybach’s signature vertical slats and, for the first time, an illuminated surround and script. Also specific to the Maybach are the wheel designs, front fender trims that have the double-M logo, new side skirts with a large chrome insert and a stamped Maybach script, a painted rear bumper with a subtler design and rectangular chrome exhaust tips, a chrome windshield surround and a new font for the rear badges. Oh, and the Maybach also has rose gold accents in the headlights and tweaked taillights.

Your only interior option is Crystal White, with the Nappa leather used liberally throughout the cabin, even on the headliner and lower trim panels. The seats have a new stitching pattern shaped like the Maybach logo, with the double-M mark embossed in the seat center, and silver trim surrounding the headrest and seatback has the Maybach script on the front and the logo on the back. There are now physical controls for the power-folding roof, a response to customer feedback, and the Maybach has a different steering wheel with a piano black rim. The stainless steel door sills and pedals are all Maybach-branded, too.

Where the AMG SL has two small back seats, a first for an SL in the U.S., the Maybach gets rid of those in favor of a leather-lined parcel shelf that has integrated Burmester speakers and the same stitching pattern as the seats. Covering the shelf is a fixed aero cowl with a subtle double-hump design and a small glass wind deflector, which gives the Maybach a unique profile with the top down. Not only is the fabric roof covered in the repeating Maybach logo pattern, but the black leather that covers the cowl, the tops of the doors and the top of the dashboard at the base of the windshield also has the same motif.

Under the skin, Mercedes changed a lot more of the SL’s engineering than you’d expect, especially because every other version of the new SL is an AMG — there’s no more comfort-oriented Mercedes-Benz SL to work off of. It uses the same twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 as the SL63, with the same 577 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. (Mercedes says the SL63 S E Performance’s PHEV setup wasn’t considered as it would eat up too much trunk space.) With a 4.0-second 0-to-60-mph time and a 161-mph top speed, the Maybach SL680 is 0.5 seconds and 35 mph slower than an SL63, but it’s still the quickest Maybach ever made.

In addition to a bespoke exhaust system that’s quieter until higher RPMs, the Maybach has new transmission software that specifically provides smoother shifts between second and third, and third and fourth gears. Aside from Individual, the only drive modes are Comfort, Maybach and Sport, and there’s no launch control. The Maybach also has a tweaked steering ratio and new rack, more upright front camber, new springs and rear damper valves, retuned engine mounts, a different stability control system and more acoustic foam in the doors, tires and wheel arches. The all-wheel-drive system gets more of a central bias, versus the rear-bias setup in the SL63. Despite all of the changes, Mercedes says the Maybach is only around 176 pounds heavier than an SL63.

For at least the first model year the Maybach SL680 will only be available in this Monogram Series guise, which is very limited in terms of spec. You can either go for the Red Ambience or the White Ambience, the latter of which uses Moonlight White Magno paint, and you can choose between these multispoke wheels or monoblocks. Get the monoblocks. The only other option is the printed logos on the hood. Get that too.

Unlike the 2017 Maybach S650 Cabriolet, of which only 300 were made for global consumption, Mercedes isn’t limiting production of the SL680 Monogram Series. Given the SL63 S E Performance starts at $208,150, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Maybach come in close to $250,000. The average Maybach customer already owns about half a dozen cars, so that shouldn’t be a problem.