Maybach is a brand with a rich history. Founded in 1909, Maybach is one of the oldest luxury car brands. The car company has experienced multiple transitions from being owned by Daimler-Benz through being a standalone brand (again), to being a Mercedes sub-brand. Nowadays, the automaker has been reduced to a small lineup of ultra-luxurious versions of the Mercedes S-Class and GLS models.
Renowned auto aficionado, Jay Leno, got his hands on the last Maybach, built when the carmaker was a standalone brand, and featured it in an interesting comparison on Jay Leno's Garage. The 2004 model is owned by, non-other than Tyler Hoover from Hoovie's Garage, and there is a classic Mercedes 600 W100 for good measure. The two cars represent two completely different ears of high-end luxury cars, but you’d be surprised how much they have in common. And wait, until you hear how much Hoovie paid for it.
The Mercedes Connection
The Mercedes connection was always strong with Maybach and although the Maybach 57 and 62 were produced when Maybach was a standalone brand, it was still based on a Mercedes W140 chassis, like the concept. In the case of the Maybach 62, propulsion came from a Mercedes-derived, 5.5-liter, twin-turbo V-12. Dubbed the M285, the unit was meant specifically for Maybach with de-tuned versions, later found in various, flagship Mercedes models, under the M275 engine code.
Hoovie’s Maybach 62 has that engine, and it produces 550 metric horsepower (405 kilowatts) at 5,250 RPM and 664 pound-feet (900 Nm) at 2,300 to 3,000 RPM. The tried-and-tested Mercedes, 5G-Tronic automatic sends power to the ground as it is the only Mercedes transmission at the time, able to withstand the massive torque of a twin-turbo V-12.
Similarities To The Mercedes 600
Both the classic Mercedes 600 and Maybach 62 represent excessive luxury and opulence. The execution of both is faithful to their respective era. Almost all systems in the Mercedes 600 W100 are hydraulically operated, and there is a lot of equipment, which means that if something malfunctions, things can get really expensive, very quickly. Jay Leno gives an example with the S600’s window switch, which costs $11,500.
Such figures are to be expected with ultra-luxury cars even when they are of age. Especially when they are of age! Even so, the 1960s classic Benz is still cheaper to fix than the 2000s luxury barge that is the Maybach 62. That’s because almost everything on the W100 series is mechanical, and almost everything on the Maybach is electronically-actuated.
“Mechanical things break, electronic things degrade”, Jay Leno points out, and those words accurately describe both vehicles. It means that with modern vehicles like the Maybach 62, “you never quite know why you’ve stopped” because you can’t see or hear the problem right away.
Tyler points out that the Maybach 62 comes with a 600-Amp, water-cooled alternator that costs $7,000 to replace if you go to Mercedes. That’s nothing compared to the electric, monochromatic, panoramic roof, which costs a whopping $50,000 to fix. Yes, it costs about the same as a brand new, Toyota GR Supra 3.0-liter, to fix a roof on a 20-year-old Maybach. To put things in perspective, Hoovie got this car at an auction for $44,000, which is about one-tenth of the Maybach 62's original sticker price of $431,055.
Similar Demographics
Flagship Mercedes-Benz models have always been loved by celebrities and dark characters alike. By that, we mean, controversial or evil people. The W100 Mercedes, in particular, was known as the favorite car of all dictators. Nicolae Ceauşescu, Leonid Brezhnev, Todor Zhivkov, Kim Jong-il, Josip Broz Tito, and many more had one, with some having multiple. As Jay Leno humorously points out, the W100 was “meant to run over poor people”.
The Maybach 62 was no different in this regard. Fast-forward 40 years and the favorite “people-trumpler” of dictators is the Maybach 62. Kim Jong-il’s name is, once again, among the owners’ list while others like Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gadaffi, the latter of which ordered a custom, two-door coupe version, never received theirs due to sudden change in political regimes. Regardless, there is a similar pattern with regard to clientele.
Made To Be Chauffeured in
It’s clear that neither the classic W100 Mercedes 600 nor the Maybach 62 were meant to be driver’s cars. Their curb weight, alone, testifies to that. The Maybach 62 weighs over 6,150 pounds (2,800 kg) while the W100 can weigh as much as 7,231 pounds (3,280 kg).
It’s safe to say, the Maybach 62 is what the Mercedes 600 “Grosser” would have been if it was made in the 2000s. In terms of features, they are both loaded for their time and feature vast amounts of room on the second-row seats. The only major difference, really, is how all the tech is actuated – hydraulic for the classic W100 versus electronic for the Maybach 62.
Massaging seats, privacy glass and curtains don’t even begin to describe the options on this S-Class-looking, ultra-luxury barge. There is even a built-in DVD player and a solar panel at the front roof section, which powers various features while the engine is turned off. The car is also quite smart, as it adapts the stereo channels accordingly if you put up the separating glass.
Oh, and let’s not forget the Maybach headphones if you want that extra privacy. The Maybach 62 will certainly be a headache to own, especially as a used car, but it is also the car that best defines luxury above all else, even compared to modern offerings. But you don't have to take our word for it, as Jay Leno and Tyler Hoover do that quite well in a 30-minute video review linked above.