Mercedes-Maybach S-Class Musings

Mercedes has launched a new Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. For those looking at a venerable brand when it comes to high-end vehicles, this ticks the box.

The Maybach marque has been around for nearly 100 years: the Maybach Model W3 was first displayed at the Berlin Automobile Exhibition in 1921 by Maybach Moterenbau GmbH.

While the Maybach brand faded for a good part of the 20^th century, in 2002 the company then known as DaimlerChrysler brought it back with the Maybach 240 series. People in Stuttgart who are crafting Maybachs probably cringe when they see that “DaimlerChrysler” moniker.

The new Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. When a regular S-Class just doesn’t cut it. (Images: Mercedes)

One of the things that Mercedes emphasizes about the new model is how big it is: 18 mm longer than the previous-generation’s long-wheelbase model:

New one: 3,396-mm wheelbase

Old one: 3,216 mm wheelbase.

The extra wheelbase length goes to providing increased interior room. Especially in the back seat.

This is because according to Mercedes, “the owner of the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class will typically be found seated in the rear.”

Oh, to Be a Passenger

So to that end, there was considerable effort put into making sure that the passenger in the rear has comfort.

Can you say “sumptuous”?

If there is no one in the front passenger seat, that seat automatically goes into “chauffer position,” providing more legroom for the person in the back right.

Because there can be a whole lot of tension in positions that provide the means by which a vehicle of this stature can be acquired, there is a massage function on the calf rests (perhaps there is some running involved at some point, which seems unlikely, but there it is), as well as neck/shoulder heating in the rear. (Reaching for a cool beverage in the optional refrigeration in the rear armrest might result in a strain.)

Feels Like Teen Spirit

The vehicle has a high-end Burmester audio system that is described as “4D.” Presumably, that additional dimension has something to do with the fact that in the rear seats there are two exciters integrated into the backrest such that when music is being played, not only can it be heard, but there is an “acoustic massage.” One wonders whether the genre of music might have an effect on whether that neck/shoulder heating should automatically kick in (e.g., Metalcore).

The Executive seats in the back can recline as much as 43.5 degrees. The most upright angle is 19, which is said to allow “relaxed working in the rear.”

But more to the point, perhaps, is that the company says that the footrest on the back of the front passenger seat and the electrically extending leg rest, which has been increased by 50 mm, provides a position for that person in the back to achieve “a pleasant sleeping position.”

Where It Sells

According to Mercedes, the company has sold approximately 60,000 Mercedes-Maybach S-Class vehicles since 2015, of which 12,000 were sold in 2019.

The biggest market is, perhaps not surprisingly, China.

Other big markets are Russia, South Korea, the U.S., and Germany.

This probably explains why the vehicle is being launched in other markets now is out and Germany won’t receive the cars until Spring 2021.

The company claims “Mercedes-Maybach is a byword for luxury that constantly reinvents itself.”

Hasn’t luxury for chauffeur-driven cars always meant making that passenger in the back right as comfortable as possible?