Stunning Maybach SUV driven
● Behind the wheel of Mercedes’ plug-in Beijing show star ● Six metres long; 80kwh battery gives 300-mile-plus range
ALMOST every luxury manufacturer has an SUV in its range. Bentley offers the Bentayga, Rolls-royce boasts the radical Cullinan and even Ferrari is planning a jacked-up sports car. As yet, however, Mercedes’ top Maybach brand hasn’t entered the world of premium 4x4s.
But the company’s designers have shown their idea of how such a vehicle would look, in the form of the Vision Mercedes-maybach Ultimate Luxury. It was unveiled initially at this year’s Beijing Motor Show, and we’ve been for a quick spin in the car to see how close the concept could be to reality.
The world of automotive luxury is currently divided into two halves – the traditional one, for ultra-refined limousines like the Rolls-royce Phantom or Bentley Flying Spur, and the modern one in the younger economies, where SUVS like the Bentayga and Lamborghini Urus are the real status symbols.
However, Daimler’s chief design officer Gorden Wagener says this segmentation is outdated. As such, his team has tried to overcome the old boundaries with a brand-new bodystyle.
Glamour
The Vision Mercedes-maybach Ultimate Luxury has combined the bold look and wide stance of an SUV with the traditional three-box design of a limousine. Not content, the brand has subsequently added more glitz and glamour than on the poshest of Christmas trees.
The result is a six-metre-long Sports Utility Sedan that rides on 24-inch turbine wheels. It certainly attracted attention on the show stand in China in April – and it’s even less inconspicuous on our exclusive drive in sunny Spain.
While the concept is only capable of low speeds, in theory the car has all the ability to compete in the top luxury segment. With 740bhp and a 155mph top speed, it rivals the very fastest modern SUVS. An 80kwh battery means it should have a pure-electric range of more than 300 miles, too.
Although the driver needs a bit of imagination to enjoy the full capabilities of the concept, the passenger enters a new world of luxury by stepping up into a lounge of lavish leather that has never been seen before.
Not only are the seats unique, the centre console also has a rose-gold finish, inspired by pop artist Jeff Koons. And as China is the strongest market for existing Mercedes-maybach models, a tea set replaces the Champagne flutes and whisky bottles more commonly requested by western customers. It is spectacular flamboyance and targeted product positioning at its best.
Sadly, even if the console holds an electronically controlled 85 degrees Celsius, the perfectly brewed tea will never be enjoyed. After the failed comeback with Maybach 57 and 62 saloons at the beginning of the century, none of the bean-counters at Mercedes is willing to pay for Wagener’s dream and risk another few hundred million Euros on a fresh (and unique) model.
That’s not to say a bespoke Maybach model won’t appear in due course, but for the time being something as divisive as this appears to be on the backburner.
But at least the show car was not made completely without rationale. The interior gives a very clear hint towards the cabin of the forthcoming MercedesMaybach GLS, which is due to arrive on only the most well-manicured of driveways before the end of 2019.
“You enter a new world of luxury, stepping up into a lounge of lavish leather”