Skip advert
Advertisement

Mercedes-Maybach S 600 review

The Maybach name has returned on this super-luxury saloon aiming to steal sales from Bentley and Rolls Royce

Overall Auto Express Rating

5.0 out of 5

Find your Mercedes S-Class
Offers from our trusted partners on this car and its predecessors...
Hassle-free way to a brand new car
Or are you looking to sell your car?
9/10 sellers got the price they expected
Advertisement

The Maybach badge returning to head up the S-Class range gives Mercedes-Benz the opportunity to better compete in the rarefied, super-luxury marketplace. It's a silent revolution that is comprehensively equipped, subtly restyled and indulgently spacious. It makes for a highly credible alternative to saloons from Bentley and Rolls-Royce. It looks inexpensive compared to such rivals, too, though in terms of outright exclusivity it lacks their brand cachet.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Longer, taller and quieter than any other S-Class, the Mercedes-Maybach S 600 is the pinnacle of the range and a return of the Maybach name to the three-pointed star’s portfolio. That resurrection of the Maybach name gives Mercedes-Benz the opportunity to deliver an S-Class that is better positioned to take on super luxury saloons like Bentley’s Flying Spur and the Rolls-Royce Ghost.  It's more than just a badge on the boot then, as the Mercedes-Maybach S 600 has undergone some serious revisions to live up to its super-luxury goal. Mercedes claims it’s the quietest production saloon car on the road, the entire structure revised to reduce noise from the road, tyres and wind. To achieve this it is stiffer, features more sound deadening in the front and rear bulkheads and even has foam-filled tyres to quieten it on the move.

The results are tangible too; stepping from the already hushed interior of a regular S 600 and into the Mercedes-Maybach model adds even more serenity, something that those with the means to afford the £165,700 list price will surely appreciate.  They’ll also be pleased with the additional space, the Maybach changes adding a 207mm stretch over the already lengthy long-wheelbase S-Class. If that’s still not enough the whispers are that a Mercedes-Maybach Pullman will be revealed in the next few months.

For now plutocrats can indulgently stretch out in supreme luxury, helped by a pair of optional First Class seats - a snip at £7,200 - which recline to 43.5 degrees and massage, chill and heat on demand. If that’s not relaxing enough then they can grab a bottle of chilled vintage Dom Pérignon from the fridge between those temperature controlled seats and fill the (standard) silver-plated champagne flutes.

Advertisement - Article continues below
Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

To be sure the hoi polloi don’t spot you quaffing champers there are standard window blinds too, while the re-profiled rear doors add an extra touch of privacy. 

 All that luxury adds weight, around 120kg, but with the S 600’s 6.0-litre biturbo V12 engine having 522bhp and 830Nm of torque it’s still indecently quick. The gearbox slips through its seven ratios with silky smoothness, while those 522 horses couldn’t be any more silent and refined.

It’ll reach 62mph in just five seconds from rest, so you’ll have no excuse for missing that important meeting. You’ll be driven, of course, as the Maybach experience is all about the rear seats. The driver has not got a rough deal though; they don’t even have to raise their voice to be heard by the boss in the back due to a subtle amplification that plays their voice back through the rear speakers.

Ionised, scented air keeps the cabin crisp and fresh and the phenomenal 1,540-watt 24-speaker Burmeister sound system gives concert-hall sound if you ever tire of the silence.  Sitting very much at the top of the range Mercedes-Benz has thrown every conceivable bit of equipment at the Maybach. That includes its road-reading Magic Body Control, which shrugs off bumps, lumps and sleeping policemen to provide incredible ride comfort.

There’s a Sport button for the suspension and gearbox, but it’s a bit uncouth and entirely unnecessary here. The full gamut of safety and driver aids means it’s as serene and easy to drive as it is to sit in the back of, while its pricing, specification and sheer breadth of technology make it look like a relative bargain in the world of super luxury saloons.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

“MG is easily outselling Jaguar, Land Rover and Bentley combined”
Opinion - MG4
Opinion

“MG is easily outselling Jaguar, Land Rover and Bentley combined”

The wave of Chinese cars has arrived in the UK, and Mike Rutherford thinks it’s not about to stop any time soon
17 Mar 2024
New Skoda Epiq electric SUV revives the spirit of the Yeti
Skoda Epiq - front
News

New Skoda Epiq electric SUV revives the spirit of the Yeti

The all-electric Skoda Epiq crossover SUV is set to be fully unveiled next year and is likely to cost around £22,000
15 Mar 2024
Car Deal of the Day: brand new, top-spec VW Tiguan SUV for way less than you think
Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line - front tracking
News

Car Deal of the Day: brand new, top-spec VW Tiguan SUV for way less than you think

The all-new third generation of Volkswagen’s smash hit mid-size SUV is our Car Deal of the Day for 14 March
14 Mar 2024