2020 Mercedes-Benz Maybach

The 2020 Mercedes-Maybach S650 comes with a 6.0L, twin-turbocharged, V12 engine. While it's good to know what's driving your car, it's only of secondary importance here. You would be more interested in the back seat and the luxuries at your disposal there.

The Mercedes Maybach S-Class comes in two trims – S560 and the S650. The former is powered by a V8 engine which develops 463 bhp and 516 lb-ft of torque. The latter is powered by a V12 engine, and is the one which is more luxuriously appointed.

It comes fully loaded with all the bells and whistles you would want from a car when paying that much amount of money. Name any luxury feature you can think of and we are sure that the Maybach would have it. And that’s not all, because Mercedes-Maybach surpass your imagination to offer you much more.

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The V8 engine in the S560 does its duty pretty well of hauling it’s passengers in supreme luxury. However, we would recommend you the S650 with the V12 engine because apart from taking you around in luxury, it sprints well too and suits the character of this huge barge better. Also, it might just be handy in case you have to make a quick escape from those chasing you for your money.

“The Maybach drives with the stoic confidence synonymous with the three-pointed star. As before, the steering is perfectly tuned to the intended mission: it’s light and creamy at low speeds, but quickly and seamlessly adds weight and feedback as speeds climb. Likewise, the cushy air-spring suspension delivers first-class refinement over road imperfections while avoiding excessive body roll.” – Car and Driver

The Maybach S650 comes with a 6.0L, Bi-turbocharged, V12 engine which develops 621 bhp of peak power at 4800 rpm and 738 lb-ft of peak torque right from 2300 rpm. Please take a moment to look at the torque figure again – 738 lb-ft (1000 Nm) – that’s massive. And frankly, because it’s a heavy car, you would only thank Mercedes for so much torque.

The engine is quite civilized for a V12 but still has all the power you would expect from 12 cylinders. It just does not roar because it perhaps believes in action speaking louder than words (sound, in this case). Put your foot down and there is always power on tap. However, from inside the car, you could barely tell how much the engine is working to move this ship down the road. The performance is effortless and seamless, it’s not meant to show.

The engine comes mated to a 7G-tronic transmission which is smooth and efficient, both during relaxed cruising and quick acceleration. It matches your driving style in auto mode and shifts gears efficiently. You also have the paddles mounted on the steering wheel for manual control. Much like the engine, the gears are changed seamlessly rather than ferociously to prioritize on passenger comfort.

When speaking of such luxury, only Rolls Royce and Bentley could be this Maybach’s worthy competitors. Both the Rolls Royce Ghost and the Bentley Flying Spur come with 12 cylinder engines. The Flying Spur has almost similar power figures with the Mercedes while Rolls is low on power by quite a margin. There is nothing beating the torque figure of the Mercedes though.

Acceleration

Sprinting a luxury limousine which weighs over two tons to 60 mph in just 4.6 seconds is not a joke. Thanks to that enormous torque figure of 738 lb-ft, it’s achieved with no drama at all. Quarter mile is achieved in 13.1 seconds which is in the sports car league.

The Bentley with its all-wheel drive system however fares better in the acceleration test reaching 60 mph in a freaking 4.3 seconds and the quarter mile in 12.7 seconds. And it still is heavier than the Maybach. The Rolls is the slowest but we doubt if Rolls Royce is bothered with acceleration figures anyway.

Ride and Handling

You wouldn’t feel like you are travelling in a car – that’s the sort of ride quality this Mercedes-Maybach wanted to achieve and they certainly did. The S650 comes with Magic Body Control which automatically makes the car lean in the direction of the curve to counter lateral G-forces. There is a dedicated ‘Curve’ driving mode which keeps the rear springs balanced at all times, even around hard corners.

There is an entire array of sensors which continuously scan the road ahead of you to prepare the suspension for any bumps or potholes. When the wheels actually hit the imperfection, the car just glides over it. It feels like you waft along the road over a cushion of air. The ride quality is really unparalled, even by the Bentley and the Rolls. It really insulates you from the outside world.

This is a large and a heavy car. Handling is not supposed to be the forte of this car but it does well here too. The steering is light and made to feel effortless and hence lacks a little connection from the road. For most times, you will be able to place the car where you want to and it weighs up decently at higher speeds. However, gauging the sheer size of the car, getting it around traffic can be quite a handful. But you’d probably not be driving this car and this should be more of your chauffer’s concern.

Braking

The Mercedes-Maybach comes to a stop from 60 mph in 114-ft which is significantly good for a luxury limousine. The competition just fares better in this test, the Rolls stopping in 110-ft while the Bentley stopping in 106-ft which is rather good.

The brakes are vectoring units which also contributes to the handling. If the ESP detects understeer, the system would automatically apply brakes to the rear inside wheel, favoring the torque distribution to the outside wheels, thus gliding the car out of the corner.

The S650 is the most fuel efficient among the competition giving a combined fuel economy figure of 16 mpg. Still, these cars weigh over two tons and have 12 cylinder engines. They certainly would be thirsty but efficiency still has to be a priority. The S650 has an Eco Start/stop system which works very efficiently and the engine comes back to life as soon as you put your foot down with no lag at all.

“Words such as sumptuous and lavish don’t properly illustrate how luxurious the palatial Mercedes-Maybach S-class truly is. Passengers can stretch out and relax on hot-stone-style massaging leather recliners and enjoy the Burmester audio system while an atomizer fills the cabin with one of Maybach’s five signature fragrances.” – Car and Driver

Design

It might be understated on the outside, but swing open the doors and you know where your money went in. Sumptuous and luxurious would still be an understatement. A wood veneer beautifully wraps the entire cabin with striped detailing. There are new designo Magnolia flowing lines trim along the doors and few other places. Your feet sinks into the thick carpeting, the seats hug you with warmth, the air fragrance relaxes your senses. Every material you touch are soft and rich, made of either wood, leather or metal. The dual 12.3 LED screens have all the technology in the world. Germans, after all!

There is an ‘Ingenieur’ analog clock taking center stage on the dash and even the steering is trimmed in wood. The leather on the dashboard has embroidered stitching on it. The rear gets executive seats and the center console runs down the entire length of the car. It has a rear entertainment package and a refrigerator with bespoke champagne flutes – it really is a lounge rather than the second row of a car. The design is very aesthetic and contemporary, almost like a piece of modern art. Accentuated by beautiful curves, the interior design is timeless.

Seating and Comfort

The rear seats have to be biggest talking point of the Maybach S650 that have the best in class space. The seats are multi-way power adjustable and can be reclined up to 43 degrees. For even increased room in the rear right seat, one can push the right front seat three inches forward and pop up the powered calf rest and the footrest from the seat ahead. The headrests are cushioned and seats are wrapped in Nappa Leather with diamond stitching.

They come with memory function and are ventilated to be heated or cooled. There are even active lumbar support which provide lateral support in the corners to neutralize any horizontal movement inside the cabin. Once you are in your most relaxed position, the Maybach has even more party tricks to offer.

There are six different massage functions to choose from. That’s not all, the Energizing Comfort Control feature lets you choose from multiple array of ambient lights, music and even fragrances to suit your mood and relax your senses. All that’s left to do is to pour out your champagne in your bespoke Maybach champagne flutes and watch your favorite movie on your personalized screen as you glide down the road.

Infotainment

We have already seen the dual 12.3 inch infotainment screens on the standard S-class and that it offers you all the tech in the world. The COMAND system is controlled via a touchpad and a rotary knob on the center console. There are also touch sensitive buttons on the steering wheel for easy access of the same.

The system is easy to use and all the controls fall easily in hand with several short cut buttons for major functions around the center console. The 26-speaker Burmester Audio system is probably the best in class and the speakers are beautifully crafted looking like a piece of art in themselves. The entertainment screen in the rear seat are controlled via remote controls and you can also operate some functions in the front infotainment system from the screens in the rear seat. The entire infotainment system is German Engineering to its best.

Interior Features

The list is long.

• Heated 12-way power front seats with memory
• Active multicontour front seats with massage
• 64-color/3-zone LED ambient lighting
• Energizing Comfort Control
• Air Balance cabin fragrance system
• Heated armrests
• Heated steering wheel
• Power Executive rear seats with memory
• Power right rear footrest
• Active multicontour rear seats with massage
• Exclusive Nappa leather upholstery
• Soft-close doors
• 4-zone automatic climate control
• Electrically heated windshield
• Illuminated door sills
• Illuminated entry system
• Folding tables for rear seats (optional)
• Refrigerator box for rear cabin (optional)
• Handcrafted silver champagne flutes (optional)
• Dual 12.3-inch high-resolution central display and digital instrument cluster
• COMAND system with touchpad controller
• Head-Up Display
• Burmester High-End 3D Surround Sound system

Cargo

For a car that is this large, the cargo space is rather small at just 12.3 cu-ft. You could find that space even in some sports cars these days. Nevertheless, its way better than the Rolls Royce’s 5.7 cu-ft of space which is a joke really. The Bentley has the best cargo capacity with 16.7 cu-ft of space.

“Even so, the Mercedes-Maybach’s most notable exterior features remain its elongated greenhouse and rear doors. Both are the result of the Maybach’s stretched wheelbase, which, at 132.5 inches, is 7.9 inches longer than that of its Benz counterpart.” – Car and Driver

Design

The S650 remains largely the same but still with a very important and distinctive change and that would be the grille. Gone are the horizontal slats. Instead, there are vertical slats now to differentiate them from the standard S-Class range. There’s also a new two tone paint scheme which looks really classy and new 20 inch wheel designs. In fact, the S650 now looks a lot like the original Maybach 62 Limousine.

The S650 is a large car and commands a lot of road presence in that regard. It’s still not the best looking limousine out there. There are a lot of chrome accents around the car – the window lining, grille, front and rear bumper and side lines. The chrome garnish really gives relief to the otherwise conservative design. The signature LED front headlamps look spectacular though.

The Bentley and the Rolls Royce easily outshine the Maybach when it comes to looks and you would certainly arrive with a better sense of style in the other two cars.

Exterior Dimensions

Although the Rolls Royce is the longest car here, the Mercedes has the longest wheelbase which translates to maximum space inside the cabin. It is also the least wide car, least in height as well. It’s still a barge and certainly bears the character of a large limousine.

Exterior Features

• All LED exterior lighting
• Two tone paint scheme
• Maybach batched Chrome Grille
• Chrome garnish all around the Car
• Optional Bespoke 20 inch Forged Maybach Wheels
• Extended Wheelbase
• Panoramic Sunroof

This is the absolute pinnacle of luxury on wheels and with the kind of people who would be buying this car, safety is utmost important. This is a car with an array of sensors gauging everything on the road and knows what’s up ahead even better than you. The steering, the brakes, the suspension – every aspect of the car can jump in to protect you if need arises. It even knows when you are dozing off behind the wheel and would urge you to take a break. It has semi-autonomous driving technology and your life couldn’t be better protected on any other set of wheels.

Safety Features

And this too, is a very long list.

• Active Brake Assist
• ATTENTION ASSIST
• Active Steering Assist
• Intelligent Light System with Ultra Wide Beam headlamps
• Active Blind Spot Assist
• Active Lane Keeping Assist
• Active Lane Change Assist
• Automatic Speed Takeover
• Active Brake Assist with Cross-Traffic Function
• Congestion Emergency Braking
• Active Emergency Stop Assist
• Active Speed Limit Assist
• Rear Cross-Traffic Alert
• Night View Assist PLUS
• Active Parking Assist
• Surround View System
• 9 air bags
• Rear-seat Beltbags
• Cushionbag seat-integrated air bags
• Adaptive braking technology
• Antilock Braking System (ABS)
• Electronic Stability Program (ESP)
• Aluminum and high-strength steel body structure
• Advanced Tire Pressure Monitoring System
• Antitheft alarm system with remote panic feature
• MAGIC VISION CONTROL
• Rain-sensing windshield wipers

Have you seen a longer list of safety features in any other car? We doubt.

Mercedes Maybach S650 vs Bentley Flying Spur W12

Going head on against a Bentley with a luxury limousine is a very daring task. Mercedes-Maybach seems to have done that quite well indeed and at a significantly lower price. The Flying Spur is a luxury limousine which you would still want to drive more often than not. Also, the craftsmanship of the Bentley still remains unparalleled by the Maybach. It looks significantly better than the Maybach, like a sophisticated luxury limousine should look.

Having said that, nothing can quite literally match up to the rear seat comfort and convenience of the Maybach. It’s filled to the brim with technology and safety features and in comparison, the Bentley hugely falls behind when it comes to technology. To put it more simply, the Maybach is a contemporary luxury limousine whereas the Bentley is as classy as luxury can get, probably only lesser than the Rolls. There’s a new Flying Spur due at the end of this year and it might be worth it waiting for it as well.

Mercedes Maybach S650 vs Rolls Royce Ghost

Does anything define epitome of luxury more than a Rolls Royce? Certainly not. The sheer magnificence of the Ghost on road is really remarkable. Much like how the Maybach differs from the Bentley, it differs from the Rolls Royce on similar grounds too. When it comes to craftsmanship, luxury quotient, looks and refinement, the Rolls Royce is unmatched.

However, the Maybach is smarter and more intelligent and the rear seat experience still edges ahead of the Ghost. For either cars, the driving experience is quite similar in that they both urge you to take the back seat. Moreover, at the price of the Ghost, you could have a Maybach S650 and a luxury sports car too. Honestly, Rolls Royce is asking for that much money simply because they can.

The pinnacle of automotive luxury has been made more accessible by the Mercedes-Maybach S650. Each of these cars define their roots quite boldly – the Bentley and the Rolls Royce have impeccable British craftsmanship, refinement and luxury quotient. The Mercedes-Maybach takes German engineering and technology to a whole new level. The cherry on the cake for the German is that it comes quite close to the British marquees in terms of luxury as well.

If success is kissing your feet while you are still quite young and luxury is what you are seeking then the Mercedes-Maybach S650 is certainly your best choice of mobility out there. When you are past your prime and have earned all the riches in your life, probably that would be a better time to lay your hands on a either a Bentley or a Rolls Royce.