Behold the new Mercedes-Maybach V12 Edition

The 612hp car for someone who has, well, everything...

By PH Staff / Wednesday, 24 September 2025 / Loading comments

Hang on, you’re thinking: does Mercedes even still make a V12? Yes, of course it does. It is an evolution of the long-running 6.0(ish)-litre lump that Stuttgart felt it needed to compete with BMW at its own game, and while it once cropped up in all sorts of weird and wonderful places, it is now the preserve of the Maybach S 680, where it outputs an awful lot of horsepower (but mostly capacitive prestige) for anyone who feels like an S-Class is just not up to snuff.

Maybach has struggled to ever find much of a foothold in the UK, owing mostly to the presence of Rolls-Royce and Bentley, the arbiters of automotive luxury, who collectively (we’re speaking from experience here) enjoy smirking at their Germanic rival. But globally speaking, the Mercedes sub-brand has gained plenty of traction over the years in places like China and South Korea, and evidently feels like there is sufficient demand to justify something called the Mercedes-Maybach V12 Edition.

The name alone offers plenty of justification for writing about the limited-edition newcomer. The V12 engine, after all, is very much an endangered species - and on the basis that Mercedes still offers a twin-turbocharged one developing 612hp and 664lb ft of torque, we’re prepared to agree that a special-edition model dedicated to its excellence is a good thing. Even allowing for the fact that there will be just 50 examples globally. And probably not for the UK, either.

Or maybe there will. It hardly matters - if you’ve got enough money to buy a Mercedes-Maybach V12 Edition (for whatever unspecified price it costs), its maker will doubtless ensure it gets to you. Technically speaking, it is a familiar monster: the S 680 is nearly five and a half metres long and weighs about 2.4 tonnes - yet thanks to its engine and nine-speed auto and standard 4Matic all-wheel-drive, it will spirit you and your companions to 62mph in 4.5 seconds while attempting to drain its fuel tank the old-fashioned way.

Thematically, the V12 Edition is meant to hark back to the Maybach Zeppelins of the ‘30s, though buyers will more likely find natty extras like the special two-tone paint finish, five-hole forged wheels, and the 24-carat gold medal adorning the double-M emblem more appealing. Ditto the ‘1 of 50’ badge in the centre console and the golden inlays and the Robbe & Berking silver-plated champagne flutes with edition-specific engraving.

The fact that you also get rear-axle steer and E-Active body control and active noise compensation is probably only going to be of interest to the chauffeur. The whole point is that you get to relax on saddle brown Nappa leather and watch the world go by - or, more likely, stare at your phone - safe in the knowledge that your backside is being treated to one of the most exclusive cars in the world, powered by a vast, complicated engine that is almost certainly now on borrowed time. Tough life, eh?