Remember the Maybach luxury sedan? It was Mercedes-Benz’s failed attempt to bring the luxury marque back to life and compete against the likes of Rolls Royce and Bentley. The failed attempt didn’t mean Mercedes completely gave up on the Maybach; the German luxury automaker has now introduced the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, a car that’s based on the S-Class sedan. The Maybach S-Class will go on sale in the spring of 2015 as a 2016 model.
The Maybach S500 and S600 are based on the current generation S-Class sedans with an even longer wheelbase. The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class is 214.7” long with a wheelbase of 132.5”, which is 7.9” longer than the S-Class. Comparing it to its competitors, the Maybach’s wheelbase is longer than the Bentley Mulsanne’s and slots between the Rolls Royce Ghost and Phantom.
Visually, the Maybach looks identical to the S-Class from the front and back; on the sides, after the B-pillar things look different with the added length and a third window behind the door. On the inside it’s a different story.
The interior on the Maybach is opulent, it’s a place fit for a king (or a rich lawyer or a Wall Street guy(s)). The front compartment offers the same luxuries found on the S-Class but the back seats are where we see the major differences.
For starters, there are only two seats in the back, executive reclining seats with padded ottomans to be exact. The heated and cooled rear seats with massage can recline between 19 and 43.5 degrees. The rear passengers are treated to a pair of TV screens and a nicely appointed center console which houses a pair of pop-up tables and a Robbe & Berking champagne flute.
As far as technology goes, the Maybach S-Class features everything found on the standard S-Class, things like magic ride control, Air-Balance perfume pack etc.
The Mercedes-Maybach S500 is powered by a bi-turbo 4.7 liter V8 engine producing 449 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. The Maybach S600 is powered by a twin-turbo 6.0 liter V12 engine producing 523 HP and 612 pound-feet of torque. According to Mercedes-Benz, the V8 does 26.4 miles per gallon (8.9 L/100 km) and the V12 does 20.1 mpg (11.7 L/100 km). We’re assuming these numbers are on the highway, going downhill, with a backwind.
The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class is expected to have a starting price of around $200,000; of course, this vehicle is for the ultra-rich, so customers can customize their Maybachs to their liking and therefore, sky is the limit on how high prices can go.
