2025 Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series first drive review

The Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series is a perfect example of how, in today’s luxury landscape, subtlety is out and statement is in. What was once considered ostentatious is now aspirational and buyers are not only embracing the branding, they’re paying a premium for it. From Louis Vuitton’s ubiquitous LV to Gucci’s double-Gs, the high-end fashion industry has leaned heavily into logomania with the all-over logo treatments commanding headlines and high margins. In this market, visibility is value – the louder the logo, the louder the message and Maybach knows it. Cue the Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series, a car that fuses Mercedes’ most iconic grand touring nameplate with fashion’s most dominant trend: the all-over logo. And Maybach are taking the Monogram suffix very seriously.

Buyers of the Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series can choose between two colour combinations, White Ambience or Red Ambience

Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series styling

Up front there’s the illuminated Maybach lettering on top of the chrome-finished radiator grille in Maybach’s typical vertical strake design. This sits on a restyled bumper with the airdam festooned with dozens of Maybach logos. The headlamps have rose gold accents along with Maybach monograms while at the leading edge of the bonnet is the Mercedes-Benz star – Maybachs are extravagant versions of standard Mercs and there’s no attempt to hide the origins.

Buyers can choose between two colour combinations, White Ambience or Red Ambience and it’s the latter we are driving in Ibiza – obsidian black base with red garnet and the optional bonnet imprinted with 307 Maybach monograms imprinted underneath the final clear coat paint layer in non-metallic graphite grey. The process goes through seven coats of paint, sanding by hand and clear lacquer, and finally topped off with a chrome spear that runs down the bonnet. Extravagant doesn’t even begin to describe it. Maybach logos are present and accounted for on the 21-inch multi-spoke wheels (you have the option of forged 5-hole monoblock wheels), on the brake callipers, chrome side fender ornament, illuminated sills, puddle lamps, side rails, key and of course the badging on the boot. Wonder if there’s a de-badge option on this car!

On the inside of the Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series there’s crystal-white Nappa leather upholstery with bespoke floral stitching pattern

Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series interior

On the inside of the Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series there’s crystal-white Nappa leather upholstery with bespoke floral stitching pattern. White is the only option and for those thinking this is going to be a nightmare to keep clean in India remember the three buyers who have got an allocation, at ₹4.2 crore each, will certainly possess the ways and means to keep the white sparkling. Not sure how often said owners will use the Airscarf which blows warm air around the neck in case you are driving top down in the winter. What they’ll be happy to note is that their Monogram Series grand tourer gets Maybach lettering under the vents, on the (white!) floor mats, and even on the welcome screens and dials (which are identical to the regular SL). The fabric roof, which takes 16 seconds to electrically fold away, is also peppered with dozens of monograms. It mirrors a market where the visible signifiers of wealth carry significant cultural weight, turning branding into prestige.

Social media has only amplified this shift and in an age where identity is curated on Instagram, the Monogram Series offers a canvas like nothing else. Even the back of the seats are branded and unlike the SL 63 AMG on which this is based, there are only two seats with sculpted twin domes covering what used to be the back seat. This is the first Maybach where the wheelbase hasn’t been stretched out to cater to the big boss in the back seat; the brand clarifying that ultra high net worth individuals have been pestering them for a driver’s car. What we have here is the SL 63 AMG that has been heavily reworked to befit the Maybach badge on the nose (and everywhere else!). It’s easy to be sceptical and hate on all the logos but there is substance behind this car with nuanced engineering changes to aid luxury. Because what does Maybach stand for if not luxury, comfort, opulence and a touch of decadence. And all layered with power. Plenty of power.

Beneath the 307 Maybach monograms on the bonnet of the Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series is the M177 4.0-litre biturbo V8 with 577bhp

Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series engine and performance

Beneath the 307 Maybach monograms on the bonnet of the Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series is the M177 4.0-litre biturbo V8 with 577bhp. It is an AMG engine, made with the same one-man-one-engine AMG philosophy, but there aren’t any engineers’ initials on the engine cover. Also, the engine isn’t as shouty as in other AMGs. It’s a ‘sonorously restrained’ sound that is claimed to be typical of Maybach with the ‘noise-optimised’ exhaust system equipped with additional insulating materials. You do get the Sport mode that opens the exhaust flap by 40 per cent and also kicks the sound synthesiser into action to pipe in more meaty notes into the cabin. And it sounds properly sporty, a meaty rumble until the wind roar overpowers everything because this can get up to serious speeds pretty quickly. 0 to 100kmph takes 4.1 seconds, which is half a second off the AMG’s 3.6 seconds but this is a deliberate attempt to give the Maybach a more dignified and reassured turn of speed. Top speed is 260kmph but this is not a car made for lap times. It’s made for grand touring and what’s unique is the Maybach mode.

The precision, agility and enthusiasm that you expect from a Mercedes sporting the iconic SL badge is all there, but it is calmer

Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series ride and handling

Like the AMG, the Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series gets semi-active hydraulic roll stabilisation that replaces mechanical anti-roll bars, allowing near-instant body control. But you get Maybach-specific damper valves for more comfort, the accelerator response is softer, steering is less direct and the Pirelli P Zero tyres are tuned for comfort. The extent of re-engineering includes replacing the AMG’s carbon body braces which were found to be too stiff for a Maybach with two additional longitudinal struts connecting the body on white to the middle of the car. More mechanical changes include reducing camber by 1.5 degrees for more tyre contact patch, softer active engine mounts, softer front axle bearings and a retuned ESP. 4-Matic+ fully-variable all-wheel-drive is standard as is active rear wheel steer. You even get a limited slip rear differential but the purpose is not for better control while drifting but more traction on slippery surfaces, like when you head out on a winter skiing holiday to Switzerland. There is no disconnecting the front axle for drift mode, none of that nonsense in a Maybach.

NVH is improved over the AMG with acoustic fleece and foam in the underbody and the wheel arches while aluminium butyl pads are applied liberally to damp out vibrations. Rear wheel steer makes this big car a little more manageable on the narrow roads winding through the hills of Ibiza, the ride comfort is properly impressive, and the effortless wave of torque makes progress rapid and ridiculously effortless. The precision, agility and enthusiasm that you expect from a Mercedes sporting the iconic SL badge is all there, but it is calmer. You glide effortlessly. It doesn’t roar; it murmurs. This is velvet-lined violence. In Sport mode the steering gets more direct, the accelerator delivers more feedback, the exhaust flaps and sound synthesiser opens up, and the SL 680 takes a more committed approach to destroying the hills of Ibiza. Sport+ is notable by its absence; the power and handling is clearly there, but you don’t want to disappear up the mountain before the great unwashed have pulled out their phones and rolled their cameras.

Only three cars have been allocated to India, and all have already found buyers!

Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series verdict

The Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series is priced at ₹4.2 crore, including the monogrammed bonnet. Only three cars have been allocated to India, and all have already found buyers! This car is representative of a pivot from a time when old money whispered. It’s a car designed for markets where the visual language of success is highly valued by those who don’t just consume luxury but live it and broadcast it. We live in a post-Succession era when the louder the logo, the louder the message. And with the Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series, the message is loud luxury.

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