Industry Exclusive: First Drive of 2015 Mercedes-Maybach S-Class S600
Posted on Jan 10, 2015
TheChauffeur.com reporter Dr Ian Kuah travels to California to be one of the first reporters to get behind the wheel of the new Mercedes-Maybach S-Class S600. He find out what the chauffeur industry can expect from the super luxury limo.
Mercedes claim their new Mercedes-Maybach is the quietest and most comfortable limousine on sale today. The fact that it is also less expensive than its rivals from Bentley and Rolls-Royce is an added bonus.
Mercedes have clearly gone the extra mile in NVH engineering techniques with the chassis and aero-acoustics. I was able to confirm the cars supreme refinement while being chauffeured on a route that took us over all kind of road surfaces in the Santa Barbara area.
As California has been technically bankrupt for years, their roads are hardly better than the UKs and the way the Mercedes-Maybach prevents external disturbances from reaching its occupants is most impressive.
For starters, the supple but well damped ABC active suspension with Magic Ride Control, which is standard on the S600 and optional on the V8 model, benefits from the extra wheelbase length. This adds a further sublime component to the ride of a limousine whose rear seat comfort is already the class benchmark.
However, the perception of gliding along in virtual silence does not come from just a smooth ride alone. The engineers went to the extent of commissioning bespoke 19 and 20-inch tyres from Goodyear that incorporate sound absorbing material in their inner circumference.
Another sign of attention to detail shows up in the extra sound deadening material places in the structure to absorb vibrations at ear level when the rear seat passengers are in the reclined position. Thus, I found the level of refinement totally consistent irrespective of the angle of recline I adopted during the test drive.
The notable absence of tyre as well as wind noise in almost all conditions vindicates their efforts, adding to the sense that the car is simply gliding along in eerie silence as you work, relax or simply watch the outside world go by. This makes the Mercedes-Maybach a master of what the Italians term ‘sprezzatura’, the art of effortless superiority.
Mercedes has even been thinking out of the box on the chauffeur/VIP interface. Two microphones in the rear view mirror housing pick up the chauffeur’s voice and pipe it through the cars audio system in the rear compartment.
This clever system avoids the need for raised voices or head turning, contributing to both road safety and decorum. The control software subtly raises the volume with speed up to 120 km/h, after which it gets no louder.
Fittingly, the revived Maybach name now represents the luxury sub-brand of Mercedes-Benz in the same way that AMG is the high performance sub-brand, thus giving the potential S-Class customer three distinct flavours of modern luxury to choose from.
However, unlike AMG, which covers the Mercedes range from A-Class to the AMG GT supercar, the Maybach name will only be used with the S-Class line to maintain its exclusivity. Incidentally, the bespoke trim choices above and beyond the already well-appointed basic Mercedes-Maybach specification come under the Designo label.
From an aesthetic point of view, good proportions are the jumping off point for everything else, and the rear quarter restyling for the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class derivative adds an even more regal aura to the most modern and dynamic looking luxury saloon in its class.
The extended rear roofline, incorporating the triangular rear window, visually compensates for the 200mm wheelbase stretch over the LWB S-Class that takes place aft of the B-pillars. The result, to my eyes at least, is the most handsome luxury limousine on sale today.
In practical terms, I found that by almost completely missing the rear wheel arch, the 66mm shorter rear doors give the car an even more homogenous look while facilitating easier ingress and egress.
Inside, the wheelbase stretch that takes rear knee room from 166 to 325mm, allows both rear seats to be reclined to 43.5 degrees, providing supreme comfort for two. The front passenger seat can still be motored forwards all the way for even more legroom on that side of the car.
I recently raised a red flag about the boot space occupied by the optional drinks cooler in other S-Class models. Raising this point with S-Class Development chief, Dr. Hermann-Joseph Storp, I learned that undoing two knurled securing knobs and disconnecting the power cable allows you to remove the bulky power unit in instances when maximum boot space takes priority over cold champagne.
The Mercedes-Maybach comes in 455hp S500 V8 and 530hp S600 V12 guise, the former equipped with the new 9G-Tronic nine-speed gearbox. Production starts in February, and an armoured Guard version will be available in the summer.
Report and Pictures by Dr. Ian Kuah.
http://www.thechauffeur.com/industry-exclusive-first-drive-of-2015-mercedes-maybach-s-class-s600/
