I feel like the phrase “L.A. Nocturne” fits this car almost perfectly. Put the top down after sunset, point that ridiculously long hood toward Sunset Boulevard, and the Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 suddenly makes sense. This isn’t really a sports car, although it has 577 horsepower and can hit 60 mph in just over four seconds. It is a modern interpretation of the traditional grand tourer, built for covering serious miles while making sure everyone notices you doing it. Calling it simply a luxury convertible doesn’t quite capture what Mercedes has created.
ND Adlen
The Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 is fashion. More specifically, it is automotive haute couture, and driving one through Los Angeles feels remarkably similar to carrying a very expensive Gucci purse through Beverly Hills. Everybody knows it costs a fortune. Everybody knows it is designed to be noticed. And absolutely nobody is going to mistake it for something you bought because it was the practical choice.
The SL 680 starts at roughly $225,000, before you start getting carried away with options. And trust me, Mercedes expects you to get carried away. The Monogram Series is covered in Maybach branding, from the illuminated grille and 21-inch forged wheels to the insulated fabric roof. The optional monogrammed hood takes things to another level, with the Maybach double-M pattern buried beneath the clear coat. Mercedes even gives you rose-gold accents in the headlights and Maybach-specific exterior details. Subtle it is not.
But Los Angeles isn’t exactly a city famous for subtlety.
Drive this thing down Sunset Boulevard, and you start to understand the assignment. Palm trees, neon, expensive restaurants, Hollywood Hills mansions, and a car wearing enough Maybach branding to make a Gucci storefront jealous all seem perfectly comfortable together. Take it toward Malibu, drop the top, and suddenly the SL 680 becomes less automobile and more rolling theater. The three-layer Z-fold soft top takes about 12 seconds to operate, and with it down, the whole character of the car changes.
ND Adlen
Power and performance
And then you fire up the V8.
Under that very fashionable hood is a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 producing 577 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. Power goes through a nine-speed automatic transmission to Mercedes’ fully variable 4MATIC+ all-wheel-drive system. Four-wheel steering helps make this 184.9-inch-long roadster considerably easier to place on a tight road, while the active suspension and hydraulic anti-roll system work to keep the big convertible composed. The SL 680 rides on staggered 21-inch wheels with 275/35 front and 305/30 rear performance tires, and massive 15.4-inch front and 14.2-inch rear cross-drilled brakes handle stopping duties.
She’s a heavy girl, weighing roughly 4,400 pounds, and you can feel that mass when the road gets serious. The excellent 4MATIC+ AWD gives the SL 680 tremendous grip on curvy roads, but this Maybach doesn’t want to be hurried like a Porsche 911. It prefers long, sweeping corners rather than a series of tight hairpins. Push it hard in Sport mode and the rear end can still step out, which is a good reminder that beneath all the leather, chrome and jewelry is essentially an AMG SL wearing a very expensive suit.
The funny thing is that the Maybach SL 680 doesn’t feel like a 577-horsepower car at first. It feels relaxed, and that’s intentional. Mercedes took the AMG SL 63 recipe and softened the personality with additional sound deadening, a quieter exhaust and a more compliant suspension. Maybach mode turns the car into a luxury express, while Sport tightens everything up and gives the throttle and steering a more immediate response. Even then, Sport in the Maybach remains softer than Comfort in the SL 63.
That might be the most interesting thing about this car. It doesn’t beg you to drive like an idiot. It encourages you to cruise.
You can point it toward the canyons and discover that the SL 680 is still remarkably capable. The steering is accurate, the chassis feels planted and the enormous V8 has no problem turning a leisurely drive into something much more serious than you intended. Car and Driver recorded 3.4 seconds to 60 mph and a 160-mph electronically limited top speed, despite the Maybach’s more relaxed calibration. Mercedes itself lists 4.0 seconds to 60 mph. Either way, this is plenty of performance for something wearing this much jewelry.
The Maybach doesn’t have the sharp-edged urgency of the AMG SL 63, and I think that’s exactly the point. It would rather glide through the canyon than attack it.
Gucci purse, automobile edition
The cabin is where the Maybach really earns its badge. My tester’s white Nappa leather interior looks like somebody turned a luxury handbag inside out and upholstered an automobile with it. The seats are heated, ventilated and massaging, there’s Mercedes’ AIRSCARF system for those chilly nights with the roof down, and virtually every surface you touch reminds you that this is not an ordinary SL.
There is even a problem I never thought I’d have with a car: worrying about dirtying the carpeting. White carpeting. In a convertible. In Los Angeles. Who thought this was a good idea?
Apparently, someone with a much better detailer than I have.
The SL 680 is surprisingly intimate. There are only two seats, and instead of the vestigial rear seats found in lesser SL models, Maybach gives you a beautifully finished area behind the occupants. Cargo capacity is only about 7.5 cubic feet, so fitting a set of golf clubs is going to require some creativity. An 18.5-gallon fuel tank and EPA ratings of 13 mpg city, 20 highway and 16 combined aren’t exactly going to make your local gas station wonder where the hell you’ve been, either.
But nobody buys this thing because they need cargo space. You buy it because you want to arrive. That’s an important distinction.
A Mercedes-AMG SL 63 says you enjoy driving fast. A Porsche 911 Cabriolet says you care about driving. A Bentley says you’ve arrived somewhere financially interesting. The Maybach SL 680 says you want everybody within a three-block radius to know that you have arrived.
And in Los Angeles, that matters.
There are a few issues
My main complaints revolve around the complexity of the system for users. Yes, the User Experience can be challenging. You need a few days to find your way around the screen. The SL 680 uses a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and an adjustable 11.9-inch portrait-style central touchscreen. The screen can tilt to help with glare, and it handles everything from navigation and media to vehicle settings. It can even control the front-axle lift system.
That front lift is a perfect example of my issue with the UX. You need to get into the screen, select the appropriate function and operate it at the right speed before you can raise the nose of the car to clear a driveway or speed bump. It works, but at this price level, I shouldn’t have to navigate a digital maze to keep a $200,000-plus front bumper from becoming modern art.
The steering-wheel controls seem deliberately designed to test one’s patience, too. At this price level, why must we endure a finicky volume slider and a lack of proper buttons? Hell, even Volkswagen has moved away from some of those touch-sensitive panel controls. We can do better, folks.
Ironically, I found myself relying on the voice assistant more than I expected. Mercedes’ MBUX uses natural-language voice control and an AI-backed assistant, activated with “Hey Mercedes” or the steering-wheel button. It can handle navigation, climate, media and various vehicle functions without forcing you to dig through menus. The problem is that it doesn’t always work on the first try. After a while, I simply got used to talking to the car because it was less maddening than finding the correct screen.
It’s VERY German, I suppose.
ND Adlen and AI
Final thoughts
This is a $244,150 ride as tested that oozes far more style than a simpleton like me can handle. Still, I tried. I even went to Nate’n Al’s in Beverly Hills, which is the only deli worth visiting there, and it’s almost affordable. Pulling up in a rolling Gucci purse, dressed in a suit, allowed for a bit of a reaction. I think patrons thought I was a mob boss.
That works.
The SL 680 is absurdly expensive, conspicuously branded and completely unnecessary. It gets 16 mpg combined, carries two people and has enough white leather and carpeting to make an OCD detailer break into a cold sweat. I love it, but I can’t fully vibe with it. That’s probably my lack of style and sass, no doubt.
It’s not because it is the fastest convertible I’ve driven. It isn’t. It’s not because it is the sharpest. It isn’t that, either. I love it because Mercedes understood that the Maybach version of the SL didn’t need to be another supercar wearing a tuxedo. It needed to be something different. Something theatrical. Something that makes a Tuesday night drive through Los Angeles feel like you’re participating in a fashion show nobody else knew was happening.
As the sun disappears behind the Santa Monica Mountains and the city lights start coming alive, the SL 680 makes more sense than it probably should. Drop the roof, turn up the music and let the V8 whisper instead of roar. This is what the traditional grand tourer was supposed to be, only Mercedes has added a few hundred Maybach logos and enough swagger to make the whole thing feel like a rolling piece of jewelry.
The Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 isn’t transportation. It’s a fashion statement with 577 horsepower.
Basically, it’s a Gucci purse that can do 0 to 60 in about four seconds.
And that’s one hell of a way to dance the L.A. Nocturne.
About the author
Nathan Adlen
Contributing Writer, Autoblog