The late, great Maybach 62 was one of the most memorable automotive moonshots of the 21st century. With a starting price equating to well over a half-million dollars today, the 6.2-meter-long land yacht was a cost-no-object salvo at the also remarkable Rolls-Royce Phantom and Bentley Arnage RL. The Maybach redux earned respect for its Teutonic interpretation of luxury, but the nameplate resuscitation ultimately couldn’t hang with its old money foes. RIP, OG Maybach: 2002-2012.
Enter 2026, and the Maybach nameplate has been living not-so-rent-free in Mercedes-Benz’s brand portfolio since 2014, once again drawing inspiration from its origins in 1909. While some loyalists have fallen lukewarm toward the half-’Bach, pragmatists nonetheless appreciate the psychic benefits of associating with the venerable Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
This latest update to Mercedes-Maybach brings the most mid-cycle changes in history to the model, affecting over 2,700 components, or more than half of the vehicle’s parts. There’s a flurry of technological introductions, including an AI-powered virtual assistant and a liquid-cooled supercomputer powering a new MB.Drive Assist Pro for point-to-point driving autonomy. But the latest Maybach also leans a lot into screens, so much so that the so-called MBUX Superscreens include a 12.3-inch driver display, 14.1-inch central display, and 12.3-inch passenger display.
At least they’re now lower on the dashboard, offering a clearer view of the road and lessening the digital oppression. All that pixelated real estate doesn’t exactly bolster ties to Maybach’s enviable brand history. But it is countered by lovely surface treatments, which go a long way to making this latest iteration feel special. Sophisticated veneer options include herringbone patterns of Natural Grain Amber Brown, and swaths of leather are generously upholstered on many surfaces, including unlikely spots like speaker covers.
Rear passengers experience more ‘displayapalooza’ with twin 13.1-inch screens which are controllable via two configurable remote controls. Climate control, sunshades, and the rear entertainment system are also controllable through the remotes. The rear perches are Maybach’s prime spots, with an executive seating setup offering jetliner-style recline similar to the 62’s legendarily long wheelbase configuration.
Though the feature is also available on the standard S-Class, the Maybach’s stretched wheelbase offers loads more legroom for rear seat inhabitants, that make for an excellent long-distance, high-speed mobile office. Maybach’s extra sound insulation and integrated, video conferencing cameras make it easier to conduct business from the rear cabin.
Another item you never knew you needed (like leather speaker covers) are heated seatbelts, which are now available in S-Class as well as Maybach models. And yet another fancy new life-improving item is cloud-based suspension tuning.
Though the Maybach already gets hardware enhancements for a smoother ride, the new tech leverages hyperspecific pothole and road irregularity information from other Mercedes-Benzes, thus enabling the Maybach to anticipate jolts by selectively softening the suspension.
<- Gallery ->
Styling-wise, the newest Mercedes-Maybach borrows the 20 percent larger grille from the S-Class and adds standard backlighting to the surround and hood ornament which, incidentally, remains a three-pointed star not a “Double M” Maybach logo. Slimmer rear taillamps are a successful aesthetic improvement, though the three-point star headlamp and taillamp designs verge on branding overkill.
And while the S-Class gains bucketfulls of three-point star logos across the front end, for what it’s worth the Maybach logo pattern over the front air intakes manage to feel less like a branding assault and more like a bold stylistic choice. Heavily Maybach logo’d 20-inch wheels double down with a complex pattern that looks more at home on a concept car than a serially produced luxury sedan. While the logo overload approach is similar on the more pedestrian S-Class, it somehow works better on the sky’s-the-limit Maybach.
Similarly fitting is the two-tone paint option. What might seem garish on a standard sedan – Obsidian Black over Mojave Silver, for instance – actually lends the Maybach a charisma that helps it punch it closer to the upper-class audacity that its long-wheelbase 62 ancestor, not to mention its current competitors, are known for. The 20 and 21-inch wheels feature always-centered hubs – a neat party trick, but nothing terribly exotic considering the same feature can be found on Korean luxury sedans.
Model-specific lighting plays a prominent role in the Maybach’s vibe setting, with backlit logos at the front end and C-pillars signaling its presence at night. Configurable ambient lighting inside plays along with the theme, adding to the after-hours ambiance.
While the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class effectively ups the anté on tech, creature comforts, and sense of occasion, the question remains: can it match the audaciousness of its long-wheelbase Maybach 62 antecedent? Though this hyphenate loses much of the differentiators that once set it apart from run-of-the-mill S-Classes, it does remain the only production Mercedes-Benz model with an available V12.
The twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter twelve-cylinder remains a desirable endangered species, and only the only other sedans competing in this rarified air are the Rolls-Royce Ghost and Phantom. A 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 can also be had for more sensible drivers. Mercedes also ups the anté with their Manufaktur program, which opens up the paint and interior options. The brand’s ultimate offering is Made to Measure, which expands on the Manufaktur program with personal consultations, immersive visualizing technology, and more personalization options.
This midcycle refresh brings enough upgrades to V8 and V12-powered Mercedes-Maybach sedans to boost their desirability against Bentley and Rolls-Royce. Although the German-owned Brits hold their own when it comes to panache and ultraluxury shock and awe, Mercedes-Maybach offers a relatively mild-mannered counterpoint. Yes, this land yacht is plush and beautifully finished; of course, it’s highly engineered and reassuringly well-built; and indeed, it boasts more tech and novelty features than ever before.
But what it lacks in singular, groundbreaking style it makes up for with what is arguably one of the most reassuring associations in all of automobiledom: the solid-as-a-rock Mercedes-Benz S-Class. That amortization has helped contain its cost to remarkably reasonable levels, especially when compared to its silver-spooned counterparts. The days of bold brand experiments at Mercedes-Benz may be gone, but Maybach continues to prove the power of taking a winning formula and making it posher.
View All Mercedes-Maybachs For Sale
Images: Mercedes-Benz
