Yahoo Autos 2022 Mercedes-Maybach S 580 First Drive | This thing rules
I can’t help but giggle to myself cruising around in the 2022 Mercedes-Maybach S 580. It is so absurdly good at its intended purpose. Just like a Porsche 911 is to performance, the latest Maybach is to all-out luxury.
Much of the Maybach’s goodness is thanks to the excellence of the new S-Class. Technological innovations like rear-wheel steering, E-Active Body Control and the latest MBUX software systems, all found in the new S-Class, establish a very lofty floor for the Maybach version of the car to build upon. And yes, when you pay the Maybach S 580’s exorbitant $185,950 base price, you get a whole lot more than just the standard S-Class experience.
Appearances are half the battle with mega-luxury yachts like this car. The Rolls-Royces and Bentleys of the world are formidable on the road, and this Mercedes-Maybach puts up a good fight. It all starts with the 7-inch-longer wheelbase, most of which you’ll see represented in the massive “comfort rear doors.” And we do mean “comfort” — they electronically swing open or shut via a switch on the ceiling or via a touch to the pop-out door handles. A massive radiator-style grille replaces the comparatively subdued grille in the standard S-Class. The C-pillar is noticeably more upright in the Maybach, and it features a light-up Maybach logo that reminds everybody about how rich you are, even at night.
And lastly, there’s the utterly breathtaking two-tone paint — pictured in Obsidian Black/Manufaktur Diamond White here — that costs $12,750 extra, but is genuinely worth the coin. Robots first spray the whole body in the lower half’s color, then the dividing line is hand-painted before both it and the lower part of the car is masked off for the top color to be hand-applied by Mercedes’ expert painters. There are lots of steps that were just left out, but know that the process can take up to a week in the custom paint shop before the body is returned to the regular production process.
The end result of all these changes is a sedan that is both deeply different in character but also recognizable as the S-Class it is based on. It’s also just as imposing and rich-looking as a Bentley Flying Spur, so don’t worry about being out-classed in the country club parking lot.
Deciding which seat to occupy — the driver’s seat, or the lounge-like rear seat — on the way to said country club might be the most difficult decision any Maybach S 580 owner will have to make on any given day. The driver in us sure does find the driver’s seat rather enticing. Being the S 580, it’s powered by the same 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 found under the hood of the regular S-Class — the V12 still exists, if you must. The Maybach is lugging around an extra 472 pounds of weight versus the regular S 580, but the enormous sedan still hustles from 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds. There’s a quasi-launch mode that brings on headrest-slapping shifts, which is just silly. Thanks to the standard E-Active Body Control suspension, it even handles shockingly well in “Sport” mode when pushed. However, speed and maximum grip are not what the Maybach is about.
Where the Mercedes-Maybach excels is when you put it into its unique “Maybach” drive mode, and take it easy. Here, the accelerator tuning is gentler; the 9-speed transmission is put into a “low-shift” configuration, and the car starts in second gear. Plus, the suspension is relaxed into a “maximum” comfort mode to make the ride as smooth as possible in all seats. The corresponding driving experience is as cosseting and as low-impact to those in the car as it gets. It’s almost impossible to disturb the peace, because every input leads to an output that won’t so much as disrupt your sip of coffee. “Smooth” is not a forceful enough word to describe what Mercedes has engineered here. Even the brakes are more progressive than a standard S-Class, resulting in the most graceful slowdowns and stops. Yet somehow, they don’t feel mushy or lack feel — it’s really quite special.
