Initial Drive Assessment
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Driving and becoming driven in the lap of luxury.
Daimler is proud of its Mercedes-Benz S-class: The luxury sedan is not only a technology leader, it also outsells the Audi A8 and the BMW 7-series combined. What a contrast to the Maybach 57 and 62, which launched in 2002 and then languished largely unchanged for a lot more than 10 years. Based on the W140 S-class, the Maybach was already somewhat outdated even when new. And its sales were a disappointment—which we know simply because the firm unwisely revealed sales projections that the auto eventually missed by a margin roughly the size of the Grand Canyon.
In creating a hyperluxury sedan this time around, Daimler played it safe—and in the method it designed a much much better car. The new Mercedes-Maybach S600 is a Mercedes-Benz S600 with an further 7.9 inches of wheelbase and an unprecedented level of equipment. It will price just over half as significantly as the preceding Maybach, which retailed for $ 379,000 in 2013, although there will be an comprehensive possibilities list to bring its price way up from the roughly $ 200,000 base price.
Taken for a Ride
Even even though the new Mercedes-Maybach S600 is shorter than the old Maybach 57, and as a result far more maneuverable, it delivers a lot more room in the rear passenger compartment. The launch occasion for the press was created so we could invest ample time back there, since this is how several buyers will encounter the automobile. Both rear seats recline like business-class seats on an aircraft, and together with extending footrests, they make it effortless to work, watch a film, or simply fall asleep. Daimler claims it offers the quietest rear passenger compartment of any automobile in production. We believe it. However, we also believe that Daimler requirements to take a challenging look at the rear-seat entertainment program, which is slow and fiddly.
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Powered by the familiar 6.-liter twin-turbo V-12, a 36-valve engine rated at 523 horsepower and 612 lb-ft of torque, the Mercedes-Maybach accelerates with alacrity. The organization claims a -to-60-mph time of 5. seconds. Preserve pressing the pedal, and a feeling that reasonably approximates a corporate jet at takeoff continues up to the 155-mph limiter.
There is no mistaking that this is a large automobile, yet the driving encounter is hardly diverse from that of a regular S-class. Our test car was equipped with an air suspension that reacts to camera-scanned road-surface data. Mercedes-Benz has refined this system to a outstanding level because our knowledge with a prototype, and it is very apt at recognizing speed bumps. But it is not totally unfallible, so we would discourage the chauffeur from sailing over speed bumps at highway velocities. It may possibly catch 4 in a row, but the fifth 1 could send the valuable passengers and their silver-plated champagne flutes flying.
Maybach-Exclusive Touches
Besides the aforementioned champagne flutes, Maybach-exclusive interior attributes contain bespoke wood trim inspired by the S-class coupe as effectively as hand-stitched leather on the door panels. A complete-length center console with deployable function tables is optional. For all this, even though, Daimler could do more to differentiate the Maybach from the typical S600. The vehicle was rushed to market place on a tight schedule, and it would benefit from a couple of far more Maybach-specific characteristics.
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The changes to the exterior are rather a lot more convincing. Aside from the additional length, the front and rear fascias are primarily based on these of the regular S-class (which absolutely everyone foregoes in favor of the AMG package in the U.S.) but get an added dollop of chrome. The greenhouse is restyled with a rear-quarter window in the C-pillar, an nearly Bentley-esque flourish. And there are exclusive colors and massive 20-inch bowl-shaped aluminum wheels that are not available on any other S-class.
Buyers who miss the space of the old Maybach 62, fear not: At the Geneva auto show, Daimler will launch the Mercedes-Maybach S600 Pullman. But no matter whether you go Pullman or not, the upper-luxury segment has just met its new technologies leader—after all, it is primarily based on the S-class, itself a technology leader.
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