First Drive Review
Although the Maybach may be the answer to a question no one asked - Does the world need another extravagantly expensive, ne plus ultra sedan? - it's sure fun to blast around in. Maybaching is a singular experience, whether behind the wheel or way in the back, cocooned in leather and sipping Dom Pérignon from a crystal flute while a chauffeur works the controls up front (now that's a designated driver). Such are the pleasures offered by the two original Maybachs: the 18.8-foot-long 57 sedan and the 20.2-foot-long 62 limo, which cost $335,250 and $385,250, respectively.
One would think these two models would be enough to satisfy the demand for opulent Mercedes überwagens. One would be mistaken. Now comes a third model, the Maybach 57S (German for Spezial, not Sport). The company's press agents say it's for "discerning motoring enthusiasts who wish to drive their Maybach themselves" and look forward to "a symbiosis of luxurious comfort and sporty handling."
Being such people, we found the symbiosis to be sybaritic and soul satisfying. For a mere $34,500 more than a garden-variety 57, the S adds 61 horsepower-bringing the output of its twin-turbo V-12 to an appropriately excessive 604 horsepower-a firmed-up suspension, and such fillips as carbon-fiber and deep-space-black piano lacquer (just like a Steinway) interior trim.
Keeping in mind that the 57S tips the scales at more than three tons, we find it to be remarkably quick and surprisingly agile. Its huge brakes rein in its mass with authority, and its adjustable air suspension, which can be set from soft to sporty, works as intended. It's actually kind of spooky being able to drive a car this big very quickly over snaky mountain roads without even reaching the squeal threshold of its custom-designed 275/45R-20 Michelin Pilot Sport tires.
And there's the perfection aspect. Every visible hard surface is hand-rubbed to a deep luster, every soft surface is creamy leather, and everything that moves does so silently and precisely. The Maybach's only objectionable feature is the extremely large number at the bottom of its Monroney label.
