Test Car Specifications
Model tested: Mercedes-Maybach S 600
Pricing: £165,700
Engine: 6.0-litre biturbo V12 petrol
Transmission: rear-wheel drive, seven-speed automatic
Body style: four-door saloon
CO2 emissions: 274g/km (Band M, £1,080 per year)
Combined economy: 24.1mpg
Top speed: 155mph (electronically limited)
0-62mph: 5.0 seconds
Power: 530hp at 4,900- to 5,300rpm
Torque: 830Nm at 1,900rpm
What's this?
A return of the Maybach badge, a once stand-alone luxury model from Mercedes-Benz. The most luxurious models in certain line-ups will now fall under the Mercedes-Maybach brand. For now that's a single vehicle based on the S-Class, represented here with the S 600. It gains 207mm in length over the long-wheelbase model and has every imaginable option as a standard feature. In time the GLS SUV will gain a Maybach model, while those with a big enough Napoleon complex who find the standard Mercedes-Maybach too short will soon have the choice of a Pullman version, too. The resurrection of Maybach gives the Stuttgart firm a better opportunity to compete against super-luxury models from Rolls-Royce and Bentley and when stacked up against such illustrious competition the Mercedes-Maybach S 600 actually looks like rather conspicuously good value.
How does it drive?
Driving is not really the point here; with the Mercedes-Maybach it's more likely the owners will be driven. Underlining that is the longer wheelbase as mentioned above, which also means a re-profiling of the rear doors for greater privacy. That stretch doesn't just add a sizeable increase in space for the rear passenger compartment, but arguably gives the S-Class more cohesive exterior proportions. It's not just a mere stretch either, as the team was tasked with making the already whisper-quiet S-Class even more refined. They've excelled and Mercedes-Maybach claims that the S 600 is the quietest saloon car in the world. Sitting in the back, reclined at as much as 43.5 degrees with the optional First Class seats (these pretty much the only option on offer and a snip at £7,200) the silence is palpable.
Helping achieve that is more acoustic deadening and a stiffer body in white, while the V12 engine up front is muted by the addition of acoustic dampening usually featuring on the diesel S-Class models. New aero-acoustic door seals keep wind noise out, while foam-filled tyres mean there's no road noise whatsoever. It's a demonstration of serenity back there, which buyers will appreciate. The driver does not even need to raise their voice to be heard in the back thanks to subtle amplification and playback through the rear speakers. The stereo itself is a 24-speaker masterpiece, should the silence become tiresome.
It is not a bad environment for those up front either, the driver assisted with everything Mercedes-Benz has in its driver-aid arsenal, both for safety and convenience. Magic Body Control, Mercedes' pact-with-the-devil speed-bump flattening and road reading suspension, comes as standard adding to the supreme ride comfort for all. The V12's 530hp and - more significantly - its 830Nm of torque aren't troubled by the additional 120kg or so the S 600 carries over its more ordinary brethren, as witnessed by 62mph coming up in just 5.0 seconds from rest.
It's unbecoming to discuss such things though; the V12 biturbo's ability to haul all that weight and a couple of fat cats along at 70mph with just 1,600rpm on the rev counter is more fitting. The additional mass does manifest itself with a slightly lazier response in bends, but flinging about a big, lengthy saloon like this isn't ever going to happen, not least because you'd end up spilling champagne out of the pair of silver plated flutes that come as part of that First Class cabin upgrade...
Verdict
The new Maybach is as opulent and well-specified an S-Class as you can have, with a virtually silent interior and every driver aid, safety, luxury and convenience feature as standard. It's more spacious too and more exclusive thanks to the addition of the Maybach badge. It might not have the outright cachet of a Rolls-Royce or Bentley, but in every other way it's a worthy competitor indeed. Yet it's cheaper to buy.
Exterior Design
Interior Ambience
Passenger Space
Luggage Space
Safety
Comfort
Driving Dynamics
Powertrain
