Experiencing Mercedes-Maybach’s return to Singapore with a ride in the new S 580 L limousine and GLS 600 luxury SUV

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SINGAPORE – 

Maybach, the upper-crust luxury brand from Mercedes, is back as Mercedes-Maybach and CarBuyer delves into the brand’s history, asks the boss of Mercedes-Benz here what’s different this time around, and get a first taste of its two cars on the road here in Singapore, but from the more important position: the rear seat. 

I’ll be back…for real this time

The Maybach S-Class and Maybach GLS, announced last month, mark the return of the ultra-luxe marque, but it’s had a rocky history compared to other German-owned ultra-luxe makes like Rolls-Royce (BMW) and Bentley (VW Group). 

Maybach started in 1909. Wilhelm Maybach was a director at Daimler (Mercedes’ parent company, creators of the first proper automobile) but left to start his own engine foundry for aircraft power units – that was BMW’s business plan back in the day too – and went into automaking in 1921. 

Daimler-Benz acquired Maybach in 1960, but didn’t use the name until 2005 with the relaunch of the brand as a stand-alone luxury marque, a move to match BMW’s acquisition of Rolls-Royce in 2003. 

Maybach sold a handful of its first modern cars, the Maybach 57 and 62, circa 2005-2008 in Singapore, but globally the two limos were not a big success and the brand went quiet until 2015, when Mercedes Maybach-ified its W222 S-Class with better results. Given the strong base the W222 provided, as our review of it in Singapore showed, that wasn’t a surprise. 

Bach and firmly placed

Mercedes-Maybach now fits into a very different galaxy belonging to the three pointed star, as it’s one of five Mercedes brand flavours now: There’s the main Mercedes-Benz brand, then Mercedes-AMG for the performance stuff, Mercedes-EQ for zero emissions, sustainable motoring. Finally there’s the ‘G family’ as Mercedes terms it, although it’s not reached full sub-brand status just yet. 

But what’s different about Maybach this time around? 

Claudius Steinhoff,  president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Singapore, says three things stand out now: the products, the brand itself, and its electrified plans for the future. 

Mr Steinhoff says for the cars, Mercedes’ technological edge – so present in its current models – will also give Maybach the same advantage, especially when presented with the attention to detail and ultra-luxe accoutrements buyers in the segment will expect. 

The Mercedes-Maybach brand is also positioned in a modern way, says Steinhoff: “For us, Mercedes-Maybach is sophisticated luxury and it’s a very modern interpretation of luxury. In the past, luxury was about status, perhaps about showing off even. But we feel that this is something that is changing and that today’s Mercedes-Maybach interpretation is a very modern one that we say is something you can be proud of, but it’s also understatement at the same time and it’s a very, very distinct form of luxury.”

Steinhoff reiterates that a fully-electrified Maybach – our guess is a Maybach EQS sedan – is in the works for Singapore next year. Offhand, that sounds unlikely given the brand’s recent relaunch, but keep in mind that it’s had time to ‘spool up’ since 2015, and also Mercedes-EQ’s EV offensive ramps up this year with the EBQ, EQE, and EQS in Singapore. 

“These three points, the products, the brand story, and the future orientation leaves me very confident that the re-entry into the Singapore market will be quite successful,” he told CarBuyer. 

Sonder-Sonderklasse

In our opinion, Mercedes-Maybach’s two debut models already have two of the above-mentioned elements in play. 

The S 580 L limo is based on the current W223 S-Class long-wheelbase, but adds another 18cm between the wheels, which results in more presence and a whole lot more legroom. 

Some now recognisable Maybach touches include the ‘pin-stripe’ grille and extensive chrome on the front of the car, plus a Maybach badge on the C-pillar. The signature Maybach two-tone paint wasn’t on our test limo – it’s a cost option – but does have a chrome dividing line on the bonnet that makes a contrast to your garden variety S-Class. 

The automated rear doors can be controlled by the driver, but also respond to a light pulling motion on the handle – similar to what we saw on the Rolls-Royce Ghost EWB – which reveals the luxurious two-seat rear compartment. 

There’s a surfeit of legroom, acres of leather – Nappa even in the pillars and roofliner – yacht-style wood panelling with metal pinstripes, and yards more Mercedes-style ‘RGB’ lighting. Digitalisation is in full force with a screen per passenger, and a central tablet for controlling blinds, windows, or the MBUX system. 

If that’s not enough for your tastes, there’s the requisite list of extras including the massively OTT High-end Interior Package for S$119,200. 

From our thrones in the rear, we felt the ride quality was uniformly excellent, with the car body well controlled even under strong acceleration, and refinement was very good too – large lorries next to the car were not a bother. 

At around a million bucks, we see the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class positioned similar to a Bentley Flying Spur, though to our perception, the Maybach name now has a tad more exclusivity thanks to its newness and (paradoxically) history. 

But what about electrification? The S 580 L has a 4.0-litre biturbo V8 with more than 500hp and a thirst for gasoline you’d expect, and it can also be bought as an S 680 L with a 6.0-litre V12 engine (S$1,149,888 with COE, likely the last of its kind, again). While they’re not carbon saints just yet, at least the S-Class and GLS Maybach both have a 48V mild hybrid system, for a tip of the hat to an electrified future.

Page 2: What we thought of the hugeous maximus Mercedes-Maybach GLS luxury SUV

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