Mercedes revealed the new Maybach just before the kickoff of the annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.Michael A. Shaffer/Courtesy of manufacturer
Mercedes-Maybach is traditionally known for its supersized, spacious and lavish vehicles – chauffeur-driven rides where rear-seat passengers can relax in the lap of luxury while sipping on chilled champagne from Maybach-branded flutes. Now Mercedes-Maybach is taking a different tack and bringing to market a roadster. The 2026 Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series is the sportiest model in the Maybach brand’s history.
“It was a no-brainer to expand the lineup with a roadster car,” said Gorden Wagener, the chief design officer at Mercedes-Benz Group AG, ahead of Friday’s reveal in Pebble Beach, Calif. and just before the kickoff of the annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
Of the two designs available, “Red Ambience” and “White Ambience,” the red is the way to go. It’s breathtaking with a new two-tone paint finish with black metallic over a stunning garnet red metallic colour. The white has black metallic contrasts with white.
The LS 680 Monogram comes with a fully digital instrument display and stainless-steel pedals and door sill trims.Michael A. Shaffer/Courtesy of manufacturer
Top up or down, this roadster is stunning with sweeping lines and long, elegant and sporty proportions. At the front is the brand’s traditional chrome-finished radiator grille with a long hood that holds a standing Mercedes star, for the first time on a Mercedes-Maybach. Look closely inside the headlights and you’ll spot the attention to detail – glimmers of delicate rose-gold accents. There’s an aerodynamically designed double scoop behind the two well-sculpted seats and beefy 21-inch forged wheels, available in either a five-hole design or multispoke design.
So you don’t forget this is no ordinary ride, Maybach’s hallmark pattern appears on the outside and inside as a linking design element, even adorning the black fabric soft top, which lowers in seconds to reveal a lavish, posh and upscale interior.
Under the hood is a 585-horsepower, four-litre twin-turbo V8 engine mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission and 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive. With that it can sprint to 100 kilometres an hour in just over four seconds. The preliminary fuel consumption figure is 13.7 litres per 100 kilometres combined highway and city driving.
The seats are made of sustainably tanned real nappa leather.Michael A. Shaffer/Courtesy of manufacturer
Maybachs are known for whisper-quiet interiors. This vehicle comes with a noise-optimized exhaust system, an extensive insulation and absorption package as well as a comfort-oriented suspension set-up. Inside, you won’t find any champagne goblets or portable fridges, a staple of other Mercedes-Maybach vehicles like the EQS 680 SUV. This is a driver’s car filled with excellent craftsmanship, exquisite design details and fine materials like crystal white leather and gleaming silver chrome, a fully digital instrument display and stainless-steel pedals and door sill trims.
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And even though this is no hybrid or electric-powered vehicle, it does have a sustainable side. The seats are made of sustainably tanned real nappa leather; the leather also appears on the door panels and the centre console. “Coffee bean shells are used as tanning agents. The water used for tanning is conducted in a closed circuit and flows back into natural bodies of water after recycling,” said Anja Steindl, a manager of global brand and product communications at Mercedes-Maybach in Germany. The agents used in tanning are also exclusively plant-based and the sustainably processed leather is not preserved with salt. As a result, it saves around 45 kilograms of salt per vehicle with leather seats, according to Steindl. New upcycling products such as compostable flowerpots, insulating foams or decking boards are also created from the by-products of the tanning process. The sustainably processed leather also benefits coffee farmers who receive a second income from selling the coffee bean shells.
Mercedes-Maybach’s first convertible will arrive in North America in the summer of 2025.
The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval.
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