It’s really sad that Maybach didn’t make it as a standalone marque and had to be relegated to a Mercedes-Benz sub-brand.
As luxurious and capable as Mercedes-Maybach S-Class limousines are, they lack a certain sense of occasion, that very special feeling one gets from a truly bespoke car.
And that’s because they are mass-produced cars, while the Maybach 57 and 62 were anything but that. The folks from Russia’s DragTimes have released a very interesting video in which they talk about the differences between the brand new Mercedes-Maybach S600 and the Maybach 57S.
Both are based on the S-Class, yet they are so different. Ignore the years that separate them and the fact that the Mercedes-Maybach feels nimbler, faster, more capable dynamically. In the end, it’s still an S-Class.
As as the two reviewers aptly point out, customers in this segment want more than just an S-Class. They want a truly bespoke luxury sedan, which is exactly what the Maybach 57/62 was. Too bad it was too expensive for its own good and arrived at the wrong time on the market.