Mercedes-Maybach S 500 and S 600 introduced in Malaysia – pricing starts from RM1.35 million

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia has introduced a new addition to its flagship sedan range with the new Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. The extended-wheelbase luxury sedan (codenamed X222) is available in two variants, the S500 and the range-topping S 600, with prices starting at the RM1.35 million mark.

The Maybach brand was initially discontinued in 2012 and later remade into a sub-brand within the Three Pointed Star, in the same fashion as the German carmaker’s high-performance division, Mercedes-AMG. The revival came in 2014 when the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Visually, the car doesn’t differ much from a regular S-Class when viewed from the front and rear. The grille now features three chromed double louvres in its design, while there is now double trim found on the air intakes and bottom end piece of the bumpers. Large 20-inch forged wheels are also fitted here as well.

Along the side however, the increase in length is just one of the obvious giveaways. Keen observers will notice the redesigned rear doors that have been shortened by 66 mm. The doors also lose its triangular window, which has now been repositioned to the C-pillar, with the rear seats situated beyond the door cut-out.

In keeping in-line with Mercedes-Benz’s claim of creating the world’s quietest production sedan car, the Maybach receives several aerodynamic features including sealed headlight surrounds, optimised underbody with extensive engine compartment and underbody panelling, speed-dependent vehicle height which can decrease by up to 20 mm, and many more.

In terms of dimensions the Maybach measures 5,453 mm long, 1,899 mm wide, and 1,498 mm tall. Compared to a regular long-wheelbase S-Class (such as the S 400 h sold here), the Maybach is 337 mm longer, allowing for a significantly longer wheelbase of 3,365 mm compared to 3,035 mm. As for its weight, the Maybach tips the scales at 2,220 kg.

The heft is to accommodate the sheer amount of luxury goodies found in the Maybach S-Class. As the car is emphasised as a “chauffeur-driven vehicle”, we’ll focus on the rear. Passengers are placed in a lounge-style cabin and benefit from the longer wheelbase with an increased kneeroom of 325 mm compared to the standard S-Class’ (V222) 166 mm.

Fitted to the Maybach are the Rear Seat Reclining package and Individual Rear Seats package. The executive seats are separated by a long centre console that extends to the front, with a secondary Thermotronic automatic climate control system to control the two additional climate zones for the rear seats.

The seats are adjustable with a maximum backrest angle of 43.5 degrees, and can even be reclined if needed. Also, Chauffeur package is also part of the Maybach’s standard equipment, allowing the front-passenger side seat to folded forward, allowing the rear seat to be placed in an extended recline position.

Rear passengers will not be short of entertainment options either with the Rear Seat Comfort package. The package adds a massage function to the seats and an entertainment system comprising of two screens dedicated to each of the two rear passengers, and is linked to the car’s COMAND system. Audio playback is done through a Burmester 13-speaker surround sound system, or with a pair of wireless headphones.

Meanwhile, should you feel the need to take over the wheel, the driving position gets its fair share of luxury highlights as well, with an IWC-branded analogue clock occupying the dashboard. Everything else however, is laid out nearly identical to that in the S-Class, albeit with fancier trim and upholstery material. As an optional extra, the Air-Balance package tags on improved cabin air filtration and fragrancing.

As we’ve mentioned, two variants of the Mercedes-Maybach will be offered to Malaysians. The first is the top-of-the-range S 600 that is powered by a 6.0 litre biturbo V12 engine, which develops 530 hp and 830 Nm of torque. A seven-speed 7G-Tronic Plus automatic transmission handles power delivery.

On the other hand, the Mercedes-Maybach S500 receives a 4.7 litre biturbo engine with 455 hp and 700 Nm of torque on tap. The smaller mill is mated to a new nine-speed 9G-Tronic automatic transmission. Both the S 500 and S 600 will make the century sprint in just five seconds (yes, both have similar acceleration times) and have a limited top speed of 250 km/h.

The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class made its launch debut in Thailand during the month of September and was subsequently introduced to the Indonesian market a few weeks after. Prices for the S 500 in those countries stand at 16.9 million baht (RM2,036,934) and Rp 5.34 billion (RM1,688,170), respectively.

As a reminder, the RM1.35 million price tag (cheaper than Indonesia and Thailand) listed for the S 500 here is merely a starting point before additional cost options are added in. At the time of writing, there is no base price for the S 600 provided to us, but you can be sure that it will be quite a significant sum.

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