Saturday 30th September 2017

Maybach 57: Spotted

Yes, it might be a bit ghastly, but it's cheaper than a new E350 diesel...

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Alright, there's no escaping the fact: even 15 years after its reintroduction, the 21st century Maybach cannot be considered a success. At all. The 57 and 62 models flopped, quite frankly, never hitting sales targets (falling quite short, in fact) and representing a rare misjudgement from Mercedes.

They didn't look very good, they didn't drive especially well and, to compound the Maybach's issues, it was up against the Rolls-Royce Phantom; you probably don't need us to remind you what formidable rival that was.

So why on earth bring up what can only be considered a four-wheeled failure? Because it's cheap, that's why. And let's not forget this is Mercedes' attempt at being the world's best luxury saloon, not some dubious upstart. So there might be some potential...

Of course this isn't cheap in the traditional sense, though £48,750 is half the price of an equivalent Phantom; for cars that were separated by a few thousand pounds at launch, that's remarkable really. And while car technology may have moved on a fair bit since the middle of the last decade, there's no denying the equipment, space and material quality here - 'uber S-Class' isn't an ideal nickname at a quarter of a million, but at 20 per cent of that money it's not such a bad place to start. What a shame it's been specced in white with cream...

Despite that this one looks pretty decent, perhaps implying that Mercedes' mid-2000s quality issues didn't make it as far up the chain as the Maybach. The leather still looks fresh, the wood lustrous and the paint - even in a poor colour choice - is gleaming.

Lord knows how much a Maybach actually costs to run - you do get the cheaper road tax here at least - though probably factor in a considerable annual budget. On top of the fuel for a twin-turbocharged V12s, there's all manner of electrical items that are on the cusp of a teenage strop (if they haven't had one already).

Oh, OK, it's pretty hard to make a convincing case for the Maybach. This might be half the price of a Phantom, but it's double the money of a Bentley Flying Spur. Or four times as much as a contemporary S500. Erk. That being said, its combination of rarity, performance and luxury is pretty difficult to match, and there's little danger of seeing another one any time soon. Should make quite the story for whoever does take the plunge!

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MAYBACH 57
Engine: 5,513cc, twin-turbo V12
Transmission: 5-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 550@N/A rpm
Torque (lb ft): 664@N/A rpm
MPG: 18
CO2: 350g/km
First registered: 2005
Recorded mileage: 82,000
Price new: £277,500
Yours for: £48,750

See the original advert here.

[iwantagta]

Jesus. That is fking hideous.
The front end reminds me of US sedans from the early 2000's.
In profile its difficult to see just how ugly it is but get to the rear and you are back to a gopping turd of eye based offensiveness.