BACK-SEAT DRIVER
High-end limousine proves equally intoxicating for driver and passenger
Which massage program? This is the first important choice to be made after settling into the rear seat of the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. The big limo will convey me to my hotel after a long day of travelling and my back could use a little love.
On the large touchscreen fixed to the front passenger seat ahead I pick one of six massage options, a spa-style hot-stone relaxation program that alternates between massaging my shoulders and back.
I recline the backrest and let my head sink into the softness of the headrest’s down-filled cushion. The journey is a taste of the good life and it makes perfect sense to ride in the rear instead of driving.
Mercedes-Maybach is a German-flavoured alternative to a Rolls-Royce – the ultimate SClass for those who can afford a chauffeur.
It’s 18 cm longer than the long-wheelbase SClass, with an additional side window.
Maybach is a name with a long history. Engineer Wilhelm Maybach was the righthand man of Gottlieb Daimler, the car maker who gave his name to the company that is today Mercedes-Benz.
Maybach built engines for World War I Zeppelin airships, luxury cars and Germany’s World War II tanks. The name was acquired by Daimler-Benz in 1960, and Maybach became a stand-alone ultra-luxury car brand in 2002. The move was a flop, and in 2015 it became, as Mercedes-Maybach, a mere sub-brand. The car I’m riding in wears one of 10 two-tone colour combinations offered, but this is optional. The paint is applied by hand and the job takes up to two weeks, which explains why in Europe it adds about $23,000 to the price. There are plenty of other ultra-luxury options, including powered rear doors that can be opened remotely and closed with a gesture by the rearseat passenger.
It’s like riding in the best seat of a luxuriously fitted out executive jet but quieter and likely smoother. The stunningly silent cabin features active noise-cancellation tech and the airspring suspension exterminates road bumps.
The car I’m in has the smaller engine, a twinturbo 4.0-litre V8 with mild-hybrid tech. It’s the budget buy; opting for the non-hybrid twinturbo 6.0-litre V12 engine adds – in Europe – $83,000 to the price tag. The big engine will be the only option in Australia when it arrives later this year priced from $565,800.
I can’t hear my driver complaining about the smaller engine, though. The Maybach is much like a top-of-the-range S-Class to drive, and I know from experience that the S580 is not a bad steer for a limousine.
An extensive options list includes tech to reduce chauffeur suffering, such as a rearwheel steering system to tighten the turning circle of this very long limo and super-smart headlights that can project guidelines or warning symbols onto the road surface.
Night is falling by the time we reach the hotel. When the car comes to a halt, my driver presses a button and the door beside me swings silently open. This taste of the mega-rich lifestyle has come to an end.
Money can’t buy everything but it can certainly buy comfort.