Maybach 62S

It’s difficult to rationalise this Maybach’s existence. The standard car was never criticised for its lack of performance or dynamics, yet those are the areas on which Merc has inexplicably focused. It would take a very generous captain of industry to buy one over the normal 62, because it is his chauffeur who will benefit the most. And captains of industry don’t get to waft around in £340,000 cars by being generous!

When a car manufacturer announces a brand new model with more power, sharper dynamics and greater driver involvement – as with the Mercedes-McLaren SLR – it’s normally a cause for celebration.

But when that particular vehicle is one of the world’s most expensive chauffeur-driven limousines, it makes you wonder exactly who will be benefiting... So we took to the driver’s seat of the enormous new Maybach 62S in order to find out.

Launched this week, the imposing if ugly supersaloon gets the same mighty 6.0-litre twin-turbo V12 as last year’s 52S, which pumps out a barely believable 612bhp. With ample power to rocket from 0-60mph in just over five seconds, the 2,855kg Maybach will charge on to a limited top speed of 155mph.

In-gear thrust is relentless, and if you are lucky enough to be sat in the back, it becomes a near-silent neck-straining force that pushes you deep into the 62’s impossibly comfortable aeroplane-style seats. Firm-ing the car’s suspension and fitting massive 20-inch Michelin low-profile tyres has not significantly detracted from the large Maybach’s ability to waft along at high speed. However, you can now feel and hear smaller intrusions than before, which make the big car’s urban ride quality feel slightly brittle and sharp.

With its mind-boggling collection of multi-media functions, the rear compartment is still the most luxurious cabin ever to travel on the road. But for all its cosseting comfort and opulence, it’s curiously bereft of any charm or style whatsoever. In comparison, a Rolls-Royce Phantom has far fewer clever extras, much less room and its gentleman’s club seats might as well be deckchairs compared to those in the Maybach. Never-theless, it seems infinitely more special and atmospheric.

As a result, well heeled owners of the German marque’s 62S might find themselves feeling more than a little short-changed. There is nothing the extra money has bought them that would not be delivered by the standard machine – which costs a staggering £81,000 less.

Up front where the chauffeur sits, however, things are admittedly a little different. The 62S is marginally better to drive than the ‘basic’ May-bach. It’s slightly faster, and turns into bends more eagerly.

Yet while these dynamic factors might score highly with the hired help, they are unlikely to be of very much interest to the man who is going to be paying the bills. Chauffeurs across the world will simply have to carry on dreaming!