Mercedes-Benz announced Wednesday that when the 2021 Mercedes-Maybach S 580 4MATIC arrives at dealerships mid-year, look for a price starting at $184,900, plus $1,050 destination charge, for the redesigned flagship.
Of course, you don’t have to drive around with a Monroney in the window to distinguish it from its lesser siblings.
The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class sets itself apart from the Mercedes-Benz S-Class with its own unique front bumper and grille with vertical chrome louvres, Maybach lettering, a standing Mercedes-Benz emblem on the hood, an illuminated Maybach emblem on the C-Pillar, not to mention two-tone paint giving the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class a louder visual wardrobe than the rest of the S-Class.
Design sets it apart
Its design is guided by a simple statistic: two-thirds of all Mercedes-Maybachs are sold in China, which is also the S-Class’s largest market. And buyers are loyal with more than 80% lining up to buy another. So it’s little wonder that Mercedes-Benz went to great lengths to ensure that the rear seat contains the features sure to please wealthy consumers.
Given the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class competes against the Bentley Flying Spur and the Rolls-Royce Ghost, the world’s oldest carmaker is leaving nothing to chance.
It starts with a with a 7-inch longer wheelbase than the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, allowing for incredibly spacious rear seats. After all, this is a car that most likely will be chauffeur driven. The rear cabin includes calf massage, and neck/shoulder heating. To keep you entertained, there are two high-resolution 11.6-inch touchscreens with full-HD camera and microphone, two wireless headphones, and a Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) touchscreen that allows each passenger to funnel their own media. There’s wireless charging of course, heated seats and armrests front and rear.
A nice place to be
To make sure the environs are pleasant, the integrated fragrance system includes a signature aroma made expressly for the car, featuring floral white osmanthus blossom, with hints of notes of leather and spicy tea.
Up front, the instrument panel is anchored by a new 12.8-inch OLED multimedia touchscreen in the center console controlled by the new second generation MBUX infotainment system with 50% more computing power. Conveniently, the system can store individual profiles activated by a fingerprint sensor, voice control or facial recognition. Designers also placed speakers near the ears of those in the front seats, so that — for example — only the driver has to hear navigation instructions.
The driver also gets a heavy dose of pixelated tech, as the instrument cluster features a 3D display, augmented reality head-up display, and augmented video for navigation. For the first time, video can be incorporated into the head-up display for driver assistance.
As with other Mercedes-Benz products, the Mercedes-Maybach S 580 4Matic features a semi-autonomous driving function that allows it to autonomously maintain its speed and distance in traffic for short periods of time.
Ensuring a pleasant drive
The Maybach will come with an all-new Burmeister 4D surround sound system, with 30 speakers and eight resonators, two of which are integrated into the backrest of each seat.
When it comes time to motor, the new Mercedes-Maybach S 580 4MATIC boasts a V8 biturbo engine and mild hybrid system that generates 496 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. Uniquely, the car’s rear-axle steers up to 10 degrees to aid maneuverability in tight spaces.
Not surprisingly, Mercedes-Benz’s Airmatic Air Suspension is standard, as is active road noise compensation to keep the cabin and its occupants quiet and content.
Being that this car is for the rarified few, it can be customized with an optional four seats configuration with a front-to-rear center console with two folding tables, electronically-operated rear doors operated from the driver’s seat, heated and cooled cupholders, a refrigerator, and custom champagne flutes with built-in holders – the latter a longstanding Maybach tradition.
A little history
Maybach was established as an upmarket brand to compete with Rolls-Royce and Bentley in 2002 with the regular wheelbase 57 and the long-wheelbase 62 and 62 Landaulet, and were fitted with champagne flutes for rear seat occupants. Sharing many of its components with the S-Class, the brand lasted until 2013, becoming a Mercedes-Benz S-class sub-brand in 2015.
Maybach is named for Wilhelm Maybach, the technical director of Daimler in 1900, who developed the first Mercedes, named the Simplex, alongside Gottlieb Daimler in 1904. The car established the blueprint for cars in an era when they were little more than carriages with engines stuffed under the seats.
Yet in 1907, Maybach left Daimler to build airship engines for Graf Ferdinand von Zepplin, forming a company to produce it two years later. By 1918, the name was changed to Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH, after Wilhelm left the company. With his son Karl in charge, the company began building exclusive, expensive Maybach luxury cars, culminating in the Maybach 12 DS, the world’s first car with a V-12 engine. Production ended in the 1930s, and Daimler bought the company in 1960, reviving the name some four decades later.
Mercedes-Benz is hoping this newest Maybach will dramatically lift large vehicle sales in an effort to improve profitability, with an all-new S-Class being one answer to its financial recuperation.
