Here you have the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class test 2021. You already know that in early 2000 Mercedes resurrected the Maybach brand, and we already know that it only worked relatively. But they tried again, no longer as an independent brand but as an AMG-style sub-brand, and that has worked better for them: of the previous generation of the S-Class, one in seven were Maybach. And that is why the current generation of the Mercedes S-Class has re-manufactured its corresponding Maybach variant, which is the one we are going to test today, of course, with a V12 under the hood.
An element differentiator is the grille, which is as big as the S-Class but here it has this chrome widening with the word “Maybach”, And now it does not have horizontal slats, only vertical ones. In the skirt we have another design, and these chrome inputs that only have the V12 model, because the V8 and six cylinders have plastic honeycombs, but also with a chrome frame. On the hood we see this chrome trim, and in the case of the V12, it differs by the slight bulging central.
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The rims can be from 19 to 21 inches, all specific because they are not inherited from the S-Class. I almost forgot: 5.47 meters of bodywork, 18 centimeters longer than the long version of the S-Class. But what is surprising is that the rear door measures the same as that of the long S-Class. The C-pillar features the Maybach logo, which is illuminated in all markets except the European one, because it is not allowed here. And we come to the rear, where of course we see the word Maybach, although in the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class font itself, which has its own graphics. The lights here we do know, but underneath they have a strip LED specific, and also changes the animation of the graphics.
And now it’s time to take a seat in the rear seats, where the owner will usually go. We don’t have to pull the door to close it. That is done by the driver or, in your case, you can giving a buttonn. And there is an option that this unit does not have, which is a gesture control that allows us to close the door or open and close the glass roof with mere hand gestures. But it goes further: if you settle in and open a newspaper, the system detects it and turns on the light right where we have the newspaper. And if we turn to catch the seat belt, brings it closer to us automatically. A virguería.
Another detail: the belts have integrated airbags, which by the way, makes them more padded and comfortable, like the headrests. And everything is covered in leather, including the handle, and under it. This white color, by the way, we only have it in the full leather package. And now, it’s time to go to the front seats.
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Ahead, although the refinement is extreme, Maybach loses some of its personality, because basically it is the cockpit of the S-Class. What is only from Maybach, whenever we ask for it like that, is the leather to the last corner: here in the S-Class we would see plastic. We also have a steering wheel with Maybach lettering at the bottom, and specific Maybach graphics on the display. The instruments are in rose gold color, with their own hands and their own logos, with a 3D effect that makes it even more luxurious.
And the rest we know from the Lessons, here especially luxurious, but what interests us now is to see how you drive with your motor V12.
We go on the only one S-class with a V12: the Maybach S 680, where of course I’m going in the wrong seat, because I should go back and let a chauffeur drive me. But the Maybach spokesman has told me that, especially in China, owners not only get carried away by their drivers, but on weekends they drive with the three-seater configuration behind, so they can take the family. That is why Maybach is not content with its car being super luxurious and roll in silence, but conceive this car to be fun behind the wheel.
The first thing that strikes me is the impressive view on the hood with the star at the end. In the S-Class it is the same, but here we see the central bulge by the V12 with chrome band, and that conveys a feeling of unsurpassed luxury.
This car steers all four wheels, so the rear wheels turn up to 80% up to 10 degrees in the opposite direction to reduce the turning radius by up to 13 meters, and I will not say that you have the feeling of going in a Golf, but certainly not in a huge 5.47 meter car. And it is that it leaves you speechless how agile and manageable it is in slow turns.
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Here we have the driving modes, with a special one for Maybach: Confort, Sport, Individual and the modo Maybach. It is a program designed for the driver, so that he drives from second gear and that always allows him a greater smoothness. Also the response of the throttle and the chassis is regulated for the maximum possible comfort for those who ride in the rear seats and let themselves be carried away.
But now we put it back in Comfort mode, and the pneumatic chassis makes the road seem always flat, and although it is not particularly bumpy, it does feel like you are on a flying carpet.
