TEST OF ECCENTRICITY
The Maybach nameplate rises from the ashes again — at a fifth the price of its predecessor
When the Maybach nameplate was dusted off just before the turn of this century, it yielded one of the most expensiveever saloons for series production. With a starting of price of some 80 million baht in Thailand, the Mercedes-based limo cost twice as much as Rolls-Royce’s most opulent model, the Phantom.
But it wasn’t a global success and was eventually cancelled in 2013. From a Thai perspective, there could have been several reasons, ranging from exorbitantly high prices, failure to acknowledge a post-WWI brand and refusal of owning the same vehicle used by the head of state.
However, Maybach is now back, through the nourishment of Mercedes-Benz. So you might be expecting it to be more realistically priced, possibly in the range of the RR Phantom. It isn’t.
The latest Maybach now dips so low in the price ranks that even Bentley or RollsRoyce has no answer whatsoever for it. Launched in Thailand last year, the Mercedes-Maybach S500 is priced from 16.9 million baht — roughly half of what the smallest RR saloon, the Ghost, is going for.
That’s probably because Mercedes won’t take risks with big-at-stake roulette again, or maybe they have managed to recuperate some costs for bespoke development. And if you take a good look at its name, Maybach is now a sub-brand and not a stand-alone marque.
Like how Mercedes’ high-performance cars are tagged with the AMG title, Maybach is the opposite equivalent, translating into ultra-luxury for people needing to be driven instead.
Is the latest Maybach specimen a genuine cut-price stretched saloon to either the Bentley Mulsanne or RR Phantom? In one word, the answer is definitely. As the Mercedes-Maybach S500 is based on an S-class, its wheelbase has been deliberately stretched by some 200mm to give rear passengers acres of legroom.
This has allowed engineers to throw in a couple of amenities into the car for riders to enjoy. There are vastly reclining seats that have air ventilation and a massage function while you watch your favourite movie on screens fitted behind the front seats. Also available are desktops (flimsy to use, though), and a chill-box fitted between the rear seats that nastily cripples luggagecarrying capacity in the boot.
Up front, the seats are equally cushy. And it’s here where you’ll immediately note the donor vehicle. The dashboard, steering wheel and controls are genuinely S-class.
Then you begin to note how both logos from Maybach and Mercedes are used extensively throughout the cabin and exterior. Sure, there’s a sense of inconsistency in the car’s identity. But as said earlier, the Maybach is now a sub-brand.
Design-wise, the only element that gives away the Maybach’s ipseity is the unique C-pillar accentuated lavishly with chrome and brushed aluminium. The rest is essentially S-class fanfare without the broader differentiation found in the past Maybach’s 57 and 62 models.
On the move, the Mercedes-Maybach S500 isn’t that different from its predecessors. In a nutshell, it beats both the Mulsanne and Phantom when it comes to either the driving or sitting bit.
Due to that wide scope of adjustment and pampering cushions, you can easily doze off in the rear quarters. It’s very hushed inside, as well, as the current-generation S-class itself has been designed to do this ever since. The Mercedes-Maybach certainly has comfort.
The ride is unsurprisingly silky and quiet. And if you want to eradicate some of that boat-like feel — designed to deal with low-speed undulations — just tell your driver to switch the Airmatic suspension from Comfort to Sport. It certainly helps during high-speed express.
A small quibble, though, is the secondary ride over nasty ruts whereby vibrations do permeate occasionally from beneath the floor. Even the latest E-class, as tested in Life two weeks ago, seems more adept in this regard.
Although owners are unlikely to get behind the wheel of the Mercedes-Maybach, it’s good to know that the car is decently good to drive.
With 455hp and 700Nm of torque available from a twin-turbo V8, the limo still manages to accelerate away relentlessly, and frequently feels like it can accelerate forever — very typical of today’s turbocharged eight-cylinder engines found in most high-end cars.
You sometimes feel that a diesel (like the V6 used in the S350) should do marvels for dealing with the 2.2-tonne body in the real world, due to its hefty reserves of torque. But the top-end rush the petrol S500 has to offer seems more suitable for escaping bullets from potential assassins. And to top it off, more cylinders and no diesel clatter equals prestige.
That’s why the Mercedes-Maybach is available in S600 form with 530hp/830Nm 6.0-litre V12 powerhouse in other markets. That also includes the armoured version called Guard. However, none of these
options is being sold officially in Thailand, unless you seriously ask for it from the local Mercedes office.
In terms of handling, the MercedesMaybach is generally easy to steer. It’s really not the car’s weight that’s bothersome, but more that its lengthy body requires a little care when negotiating tight back streets or parking spaces. Oh, and old-school drivers who don’t like using parking aids and cameras need to tuck away the rear sun shade via a button when reversing; the car doesn’t automatically do that for you.
Will the Mercedes-Maybach, in the end, manage to capture more buyers than before due to its cut-price position? Objectively speaking, it should, because it manages to deliver the ingredients chauffeur-driven owners have come to expect of it.
Probably the only thing that potential customers, especially those in Thailand, must dismiss from their minds is that Mercedes-Maybach is no match for those two British brands in pure pedigree terms.
But then, they may argue that paying more than double for a stretched S-class over a regularly badged Merc isn’t the right deal. Be your own guest to decide, because what we’re dealing with here is a market highly dependent on the emotions and eccentricity of the buyer.