The German alternative to Bentley and Rolls Royce
If you find an S-class too ordinary, Mercedes also has the Maybach S-class for you. The German über-limousine is now also available as a PHEV, is that an alternative to a conventional V8 or V12?
Maybach, is that still a separate brand?
No that was it. Maybach’s rich history as an independent brand dates back to before the Second World War. At the beginning of this century, Mercedes dusted off the name and established it as an independent brand, with its own models. That was not a success, and after one model generation the brand disappeared again. With the previous generation of the S-class, the Maybach name was brought out of mothballs again. Now as a luxury label, just like AMG is the sporty label. Only where the AMG logo is already used for some sports stripes on a simple A-class, the name Maybach is really reserved for the absolute top of the market: in addition to the S-class, there are also Maybach versions of the GLS and the EQS SUV. With these cars, Mercedes is active in the same market as Bentley and Rolls Royce.
Where AMG stands for dynamics, Maybach stands for well-known luxury.
Isn’t this just an S-class with some extra bells and whistles?
That is too short-sighted. The car itself is almost 20 centimeters longer than the long version of the regular S-class and this also applies to the wheelbase. Those extra centimeters directly benefit the rear passengers. Furthermore, the Maybach is the only S-class that you can get with a V12. And when it comes to luxury and comfort, this car continues where the regular S ends. And to think that that ordinary car is not a simple car in itself.
The body of the Maybach S-class differs from the Benz class, especially in the rear compartment.
Does the PHEV also have a V8 or V12?
No, now that the Maybach has plug-in hybrid technology on board for the first time, the car also has a six-cylinder in-line engine for the first time. The full name of the PHEV is Mercedes-Maybach S 580 e. Where the e at the end obviously indicates an electric motor. The petrol engine and the electric motor together produce 510 hp and 750 Nm, which is slightly more than the 503 hp and 700 Nm of the four-liter V8. There is also a variant with only the six-cylinder engine for the Chinese market. In the People’s Republic they only care about the length and luxury of the car. Performance counts less there.
Regardless of its drivetrain, the Maybach S moves over the asphalt like a floating carpet.
How does a plug-in Maybach S-class drive?
When only the electric motor is in action, there is complete peace in the car. Unwanted vibrations and vibrations are foreign to the synchronous machine, even the V12 cannot match that. With its 150 hp, the electric motor is powerful enough in most cases to do it alone. When you want more performance, the six-cylinder sprints. Thanks to a thick layer of insulation material, you can barely hear the petrol engine. The collaboration between the two engines runs almost seamlessly and the nine-speed automatic transmission fits in perfectly. When the battery is empty, the petrol engine has to work alone. As long as you don’t want AMG performance, you won’t be short of anything. The only thing is that the six-cylinder has to try harder than the V8 or V12 and you notice that every now and then.
As long as you don’t expect AMG performance, you won’t be disappointed with the PHEV.
Why would you want a PHEV Maybach?
Without tax, the PHEV is a few thousand euros more expensive than the version with V8. But in the Netherlands you do have to pay taxes. Because the Maybach S 580 e has a CO2 emission of only 18 g/km according to WLTP, this means that only €504 in BPM has to be paid in the Netherlands. That is almost nothing compared to the €54,281 that you have to pay in BPM for the V8. This makes the starting price for the PHEV €203,448, almost half a ton less than the €252,285 V8. The most important concession you have to make for that half a ton is sacrificing luggage space. The V8 version can hold 505 liters in the rear, while the PHEV can only carry 325 liters. Anyway, if you let yourself be driven in a Maybach, you will of course not be lugging suitcases around anyway: you will have your luggage sent ahead or brought back.
With the half a ton you save on BPM you can fill a lot of champagne glasses.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl