Verdict
Design | Consolation | Tech | Efficiency | Security | Gasoline Economic system | Pricing | FAQs
Once I was a child, I bear in mind witnessing a restaurant opening that had all the trimmings of the glitterati, particularly the lengthy queue of chauffeured automobiles ready to deposit VIPs onto the crimson carpet. However what I recall essentially the most was how obnoxious these limousines regarded, most of them stretched Hummer H2s and Cadillac Escalades.
The period’s most fascinating SUVs made one automotive stand out, paradoxically sufficient. As the one sedan within the group – primarily based on a Lincoln City Automotive that was lengthy within the tooth even again in 2002 – the limo regarded established, slightly than stylish.
The expertise is cemented in my thoughts 20 years later as my boyfriend and I drive up PCH in a 2022 Mercedes-Maybach S580, the distant descendant of the ultra-luxury vehicles designed within the ‘20s by engineer Wilhelm Maybach. Round us are the rides which might be all too widespread in Malibu lately. The most recent Escalade dots the street, as do the BMW X5, Bentley Bentayga, and Rolls-Royce Cullinan. But as soon as we get to our vacation spot and head onto the restaurant patio for our personal miniature crimson carpet second, we discover it’s the Maybach that has people gathering within the car parking zone. Good.
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55 Photographs
Design
Exterior Colour: Nautical Blue / Cirrus Silver Inside Colour: Silver Gray / Black Wheel Dimension: 20 Inches
Reward Wilhelm, does the Maybach look nice. It will get a 7.1-inch stretch between the wheels in comparison with the common S-Class, with a protracted rear door and peekaboo opera home windows within the pillars. With a chrome rib operating down the middle of the hood, a normal set of 20-inch monoblock solid wheels, and some of the attractive paint finishes I’ve ever seen, the elongated S580 exudes consideration to element. And it higher, contemplating the two-tone scheme is a $14,500 choice all by itself.
Inside, the $8,000 Manufaktur leather-based bundle covers the headliner, solar visors, door panels, dashboard, and even help handles in actual cover. The luxury, fanned aluminum and wooden trim is one other $3,200, but it surely’s price it for a way artfully it follows the contours of the entrance seatbacks. But no amount of cash will persuade Mercedes to put off the plasticky-feeling gloss black materials on the middle console. A slick “Manufaktur” emblem clothes it up a bit, but it surely nonetheless appears to be like low cost, a phrase you hardly ever use to explain the Rolls-Royce Ghost or Bentley Flying Spur.
Consolation
Seating Capability: 4 Seating Configuration: 2 / 2 Cargo Capability: 12.3 Cubic Toes
Nobody may probably complain about how comfortably and quietly this Mercedes-Maybach S580 goes about its enterprise, however but once more, you’ve obtained to pay for the privilege. The automaker’s E-Energetic Physique Management suspension is a $6,500 choice, however you don’t need to begin scrimping if you’re already spending 190 massive. That’s as a result of E-ABC actively scans the street forward and adjusts every particular person damper for obstacles in actual time, sustaining a superbly stage experience at neighborhood speeds and peerless stability on the freeway.
One other field that each buyer ought to tick is the $6,000 government rear seat bundle, which swaps out a bench for 2 captain’s chairs and an government console, full with tray tables and heated and cooled cupholders. All 4 seating positions get therapeutic massage, warmth, and cooling, and the right-rear passenger can fold away the entrance seat and deploy a leg relaxation for first-class consolation. And as you’d anticipate given the wheelbase stretch, the Maybach is extra spacious than both of its chief rivals – solely the trunk comes up brief.
Expertise & Connectivity
Middle Show: 12.8-Inch Touchscreen Instrument Cluster Show: 12.3 Inches Wi-fi Apple CarPlay or Android Auto: Sure
The tech suite is usually S-Class fare, with a 12.8-inch sq. touchscreen and 12.3-inch instrument cluster operating MBUX software program. The augmented-reality head-up show is normal on the Maybach, projecting navigation directions and driver-assist information immediately onto the motive force’s view of the street and surrounding visitors. An excellent Burmester audio system and ambient lighting with quite a lot of multicolor themes are normal – the Miami Rose and Malibu Sundown mild designs throw main retrowave power, so choose your music to match
The big touchscreen show integrates most secondary features, which makes utilizing local weather management on the fly a bit distracting. And the capacitive-touch quantity slider and steering wheel thumbpads are onerous to make tremendous changes with. However the infotainment graphics are lovely, and the display screen itself may be very responsive.
Efficiency & Dealing with
Engine: Twin-Turbocharged 4.0-Liter V8 Output: 496 Horsepower / 516 Pound-Toes Transmission: 9-Pace Computerized
The mild-hybrid, twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 beneath the hood of the Maybach S580 does a tremendous job of transferring the 5,247-pound sedan. The built-in starter-generator and 48-volt electrical system present clean departures from stoplights and backfill any turbo lag with a contact of electrical torque. Whole output is 496 horsepower and 516 pound-feet, and Mercedes says the Maybach will hit 60 miles per hour in 4.7 seconds, which is the proper tempo for this automotive’s demeanor. Nonetheless, those that insist on essentially the most can now purchase a Maybach S680, which will get a twin-turbo 6.0-liter V12 with 621 hp and 664 lb-ft.
Only a few individuals are involved concerning the cornering talents of an almost 18-foot-long automotive, however the Maybach nonetheless acquits itself effectively because of that E-ABC suspension. Physique motions are tightly managed, and normal four-wheel steering massively improves maneuverability because of a rear axle that may flip as much as 10 levels. Total, the Maybach gives a clean, genteel driving expertise that maintains its composure in most conditions, even when it isn’t overtly sporty.
Security
Driver Help Degree: SAE Degree 2 (Palms-On) NHTSA Ranking: Not Rated IIHS Ranking: High Security Choose Plus
Fortunately, Mercedes doesn’t require patrons to pay additional for driver help and energetic security. The corporate actually invented adaptive cruise management, so it ought to shock nobody that the Maybach S580 is fantastic at sustaining a secure distance from main visitors. The lane-assistance tech can be among the many finest within the trade, with lane-departure prevention, lane centering, and energetic lane-change help. Nevertheless, all of those options require your fingers on the wheel, protecting the Merc from an ideal rating.
Gasoline Economic system
Metropolis: 15 MPG Freeway: 24 MPG Mixed: 18 MPG
Pricing
Base Worth: $184,900 + $1,050 Vacation spot Trim Base Worth: $185,950 As-Examined Worth: $228,450
It’s unfathomable {that a} $228,450 automotive may rating an ideal 10 for pricing – particularly contemplating its staggering $42,500 in choices – however that’s as a result of the Mercedes-Maybach S580 is a discount within the ultra-luxury sedan section. The Flying Spur prices $208,225 to begin, however add superior driver help, rear bucket seats, and four-wheel steering and also you’ll be knocking on a $230,000 door. The Ghost begins at almost $350,000 earlier than any choices, that means you would purchase a loaded Maybach and a properly geared up E53 cabriolet for the worth of the Rolls.
Though the attract of British luxurious is tempting, I’d nonetheless in all probability select the Mercedes-Maybach S580 even when it weren’t such a discount. With stretch-limo gravitas, glorious Teutonic engineering, and phenomenal high quality in and out, the Maybach wears its historic identify with delight.
