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Mercedes-Maybach SL: A plush sports car that celebrates logomania
Summary
The new Mercedes-Maybach SL turns a sports car into a blingy four-wheeler that offers a smooth, quiet ride and a lot of open-air funCarrying a monogrammed designer bag comes with its set of perks. It turns heads, helps you make a style statement and shows you are well-heeled. What if you could stamp that same authority on a four-wheeler?
Mercedes Maybach is ensuring that your car makes as much of a statement as your designer bag and clothes. And they are doing it in style, growing their footprint across the Mercedes variant line-up. They have expanded into the SUV category, then EV, and now, they have a sports model with a bold expression of the brand. Designer Gordon Wagener said the customers want more than just stately cars—they also desire the joy of open-top motoring with all the bells, whistles and refinement of the Maybach brand. This gave birth to the SL Monogram series.
Also read: Mercedes Maybach GLS 600: A statement car that announces your arrival
I’m standing inside a stylish home in Pebble Beach, California, with a small crowd waiting for the unveiling of the new car. When it arrives on a specially made runway, you instantly know it’s an SL, with an open top. But it’s not all sporty. It has Maybach’s trademark two-tone colouring, and the hood has the Maybach emblem monogrammed right across it. A chrome fin divides the bonnet down the centre.
The partly handcrafted monograms in graphite grey stand out against the black and make it look like a Louis Vuitton on wheels. It doesn’t end there. The monograms are spread across the car in various places, like the retractable roof and the scooped area behind the seats. It is more subtle than the bonnet in these areas, but it’s there. The car screams out its heritage, with the monograms and the myriad of badges and emblems across the vehicle. There is a back-lit Maybach lettering on the nose, the three-pointed star hood logo that stands proudly on the bonnet, and Maybach lettering above the rear tail lights as well.
There is also a lot of chrome bling at the rear, and more chrome in the bumper area and rectangular chrome tailpipes. You get the 21" forged multispoke Maybach set of wheels and the Maybach lettering etched under the door on a chrome strip. The frame of the windscreen is shiny chrome too, and classy galvanised chrome is on the seat back with the Maybach logo. While there is a bling appeal on the outside, the inside is all classy white Napa leather.
Drop that top, and people will stare.
The drive
The Maybach effect doesn’t stop just at the styling. The idea was to bring comfort and refinement to open-top motoring. It now has comfort seats instead of sporty ones—seats that you can sink into and enjoy a drive on a nice summer day. The seats themselves are quite unique with a floral stitch pattern enhancing the experience. The instrument cluster of the portrait-style central screen carries the Maybach start-up animation and display styles, and of course, you get the Maybach pedals and steering wheel. It is an SL that has been covered in luxury.
The drive experience is also enhanced to ensure customers feel the refinement and craftsmanship of the badge. A lot of technology has gone into the acoustics with added insulation and a noise-optimised exhaust to elevate the driving experience. The retractable roof has been extensively worked on to dampen wind noise and calm the cabin. The suspension has been retuned for comfort driving rather than hard-core sportiness, making this a plusher riding car. It, however, still retains the characteristics of an SL.
The SL 680 comes with a 4.0-litre bi-turbo with 585hp and 800Nm of torque, so the performance is all there, but delivered more calmly. The 9G-tronic gearbox has been reworked for smoother shifts with the throttle adapted for gradual power build-up rather than aggressive delivery. On the other hand, it has all the tech to ensure full levels of grip for a spirited drive. It comes with the fully variable 4 MATIC+ all-wheel drive to ensure high traction in all kinds of conditions for passenger safety.
There are two colour combinations—the Red Ambience in bold red and black for those who want a more dynamic look, and the White Ambience with white and black for those who want pure elegance. It’s an interesting idea—taking the SL and making it special enough for a Maybach customer.
The SL is the sportiest Maybach yet, ushering the pinnacle of luxury into a new segment. It blows your socks off not only because it bends the imagination by making a sports car all about comfort but also because of the stand-out looks. Globally, it will be available in Europe in the first half of 2025 and will, hopefully, make its way to India later in the year.
Renuka Kirpalani is consulting editor, Autocar India.
