|
 Maybach
is Mercedes' first entry into the top luxurious segment which used to
be
reserved for Rolls-Royce / Bentley. This market is very small.
According
to survey, each year only 8,000 of the world's wealthiest people will
be
interested to buy these super luxurious cars. Among them, Maybach wants
to get 1000 sales annually.
To
distinguish the superior status of Maybach from the smaller, cheaper
and
mainstream S-class, Mercedes decided to brand the car as "Maybach"
rather
than Mercedes-Benz. In other words, instead of 3-pointed star you will
see a double-M logo over the bonnet. Now you finally understand the
brand
strategy of the German company - "Mercedes-Benz" means
middle-of-the-road,
"Smart" means small cars and "Maybach" represents the biggest and most
luxurious car.
For
your information - if you have never heard of Maybach, it was a small
German
car maker founded by Wilhelm Maybach in 1907, building 3-ton limousines
until World War II. Mercedes decided to resurrect the German luxurious
marque rather than acquiring British marques like BMW and VW did.
The
size of Maybach is astonishing even by Rolls-Royce standard. It is
simply
the biggest saloon in the world. The bigger selling base model, Maybach
57, measures 2 meters in width, 1.6 meters in height, 3.4 meters in
wheelbase
and 5.7 meters in length, the latter gives its model no. It is
considerably
bigger than a Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph or Bentley Arnage. But that's
not
all. To further strengthen its position as the world's most luxurious
car,
it has a long-wheelbase version called Maybach 62, whose name implies
6.2
meters of length. Wheelbase becomes an unbelievable 3.8m, some 740mm
longer
than a long-wheelbase S600 !! parking beside Maybach, the top
Mercedes-brand
sedan suddenly looks like a mini.
  Maybach
62
  Maybach 57
Externally,
Maybach looks like an enlarged S-class. It was penned by Olivier
Boulay,
who was then promoted to head Mitsubishi design. However, size aside,
Maybach
does not deliver the prestige feel the Rolls-Royce and Bentley have,
because
of the lack of classic detailing. Some people criticized its stripe
taillights
as looking too inelegant, some thought the front end grill too
conservative,
or look like a Daewoo / Ssangyong Chairman.
Maybach
has its own chassis, but major components are sourced from Mercedes'
parts
pool to reduce cost, despite of its price at £280,000. The
5.5-litre
twin-turbo V12 is adapted from S600, with boost pressure increased from
1.0 to 1.3 bar to produce 550 horsepower and a Bentley-scaring 664 lbft
of torque. Likewise, the 5-speed automatic gearbox is strengthened from
the S-class. For the suspensions, S-class also donated the front double
wishbones and rear multi-link. E-class contributed to the AIRmatic DC
air
suspension with adaptive damping as well as SBC braking system. The
dashboard
architecture is based on S-class.
At
2780kg kerb weight, the Maybach 62 is of course a heavyweight saloon
but
not too heavy. For reference, Bentley Arnage is considerably smaller
but
still weighs in excess of 2500kg. In fact, Maybach cuts weight by using
aluminum roof, bonnet, doors and wings. As a result, the whole
bodyshell
weighs 622kg.
Believe
or not, the Maybach 57 and 62 can hit 60mph from rest in merely 5.0 and
5.2 seconds respectively, thanks to that super-torquey V12. It can't
match
the lighter S600, but the level of performance it delivers is
undoubtedly
more than any one needs. Remember, most of its owners are likely to
take
private jet planes or helicopters if they are in a hurry. Whether the
performance
is useful is not important, as Mercedes just wanted to demonstrate that
Maybach is the best car in the world.
 Push
it into corners, you realize this level of performance is nonsense. The
Maybach is by no means a sports saloon, no, far from that. It rolls and
floats, and the turning circle of the 62 is ridiculous. Its air
suspensions
and damping are tuned to the soft side, about 10% softer than S600. Its
50-section tyres are chosen for the benefit of comfort and little tyre
noise. Then there is an extra 500-700kg to burden its handling. The
steering
is slow and lack of feel (though completely free of kickback and
vibration),
because Maybach has reverted to use the recirculating-ball steering
system.
Its handling is better resolved than Bentley, being more stable, fluent
and predictable, but Maybach is not designed as a driver's car. It is a
passenger's car, a boss car.
 The
rear passenger seats are where you can really enjoy Maybach. Travelling
there at 120mph reveals how refined it is - the soft suspensions ride
comfortably,
with almost no suspension and tyre noise. The V12 runs silently. Wind
noise
is noticed for its absence. The whole world seemed isolated from the
concert
hall-like cabin. While you are enjoying the 600W sound system and
champagne
(from refrigerator) with a bespoke silver cup, or watching DVD movies,
you don't realize what's happening outside the car, whether it is
travelling
at enormous speed. For all these you must thank to the thick glass
windows
and the sound deadening materials that insulate the whole cabin.
Stuttgart
said noise level in this cabin is 50-70% lower than a Mercedes S600. In
fact, it is also noticeably quieter than Lexus and Phaeton.
Above
the passenger is an interesting panoramic glass roof. Its degree of
transparency
can be altered by a switch. Basically the same theory as liquid crystal
display. However, the most luxurious item is the aircraft-style chair
of
the Maybach 62. Now you understand why the car needs a 3.8 meter
wheelbase
- the chair can shift forward, then recline and extend its footrest
like
what you see in first-class flight. Have a good rest, boss. Enjoy the
built-in
ventilation, heating and massagers.
After
5 years of development, Mercedes has finally created the most luxurious
car in the world. We shall see many royal families, dictators and
billionaires
purchase this super limousine. But for those who still like driving,
Mercedes
S600 is better. And ridiculously, you can buy three S600 with the same
money of one Maybach. |