Few names in the luxury-sedan segment command the respect and awe that Maybach does. The user base of the Mercedes Maybach S-Class is aspirational, and demands the mix of luxury and technology which makes these vehicles stand out.
While Mercedes S-Class has delivered a luxurious experience over the years, the Maybach takes it a notch higher with its extensive use of technology. The vehicle delivers unparalleled ease of use, a secure driving experience and some neat party tricks.
We got a hands-on experience of the technology in the S-Class, and here is what we found.
Rear passenger seats
The S-Class is best experienced from the rear passenger seat. The vehicle’s width, long wheelbase, and imposing presence ensure that the backseat is the place to be. In the rear of the cabin, you will find two pilot-seats, or rather lounge seats.
The rear is designed to seat two individuals in all the luxury and comfort imaginable. The seats come with individual calf supports and multiple adjustments to provide the best possible posture and comfort.
Features that stand out are the ability to adjust the width, shoulder support, and lumbar support in the seats. Settings for these adjustments can be found in 11.6-inch displays on the backs of the front passenger seats. The seats also get cooling and heating functions, controls for which can be found within the seat settings in the MBUX screens and the door panel.
The MBUX screens are bright, accurate and come with good touch sensitivity. The interface is simple and easy to use. They come loaded with a host of entertainment options, which are easy to set up. They also serve as the control panel for all the features; these include controlling cabin temperature and activating comfort modes. Further they also house settings for the massage functions, raising and lowering of calf supports, changing the interior mood lightning, activating noise cancellation within the cabin, choosing overall themes ranging from relaxing to meditative, and more.
The Mercedes-Maybach also gets gesture controls for closing the rear passenger doors and opening and closing the sunroof. Though a great feature, the gesture controls are unreliable and take time to get right. We found ourselves waving at the door to shut it, which it often failed to do.
We found the in-built air purifier to be a great addition, although it struggles when the vehicle is driven with the sunroof down. However, when all windows are up, the air quality in the vehicle improves drastically within a short span of time, forming a cocoon of fresh air around the passengers.
A dedicated button on the left door panel, adjacent to the rear seat, allows passengers to move the front seat to open up even more space and convert their seat into a lounger.
Front seat comfort
The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class may be designed for peak comfort in the rear seats, but the makers have in no way disregarded that owners may drive themselves. The front seats come with their own unique customisations. They can be adjusted per the passenger’s frame and have the same massage functionalities as the rear seats. The only difference appears to be the lack of footrests and calf supports on the front seats, understandably so.
The highlight of the front cabin is the 12.8-inch OLED central display. This is the central control system for the vehicle with a range of customisations and settings, from ambient light controls to parking assist and active driver assist features.
The screen comes with a responsive fingerprint sensor and haptic feedback. The touch feedback from the screen is as close as possible to the feel of actual buttons. The haptic feedback on the steering mounted controls is on point too.
The central control comes with useful features for the driver, including opening and closing the rear passenger doors through a rather intuitive interface in the central display and controlling the driver assist features voice recognition.
Hey Mercedes voice assistant and sound
The voice assistant in the Mercedes-Maybach is intuitive and comes in handy during an engaging drive. You can control the cabin temperature, change tracks, increase, and decrease volume. The helpful voice assistant can be hailed by saying the words “hey Mercedes”.
Smartphone integration with the vehicle is also easy. It takes just a couple of steps, which include downloading the Mercedes me app on your smartphone for added functionalities. Owners can keep a tab on the status of their vehicles using the app and connect their smart Alexa speakers. Smart home integration comes with a host of features like asking Alexa about when the next service is due, if the vehicle is locked, what the status of the vehicle is, and more.
Users can also use the profiles feature to set up the vehicle based on driving preferences; these settings are loaded as soon as each particular profile is activated using the fingerprint sensor or entering the pin in the central display.
The Mercedes-Maybach is a dream come true for audiophiles. The vehicle comes with Burmester 4D surround sound system. The sound quality is impeccable. Aided by the woofers integrated within the seats, every beat can be felt too, reverberating through the cabin. The speakers show no signs of distortion, or lag when playing music at high volumes.
Touch of modernity
The Maybachs of old, though modern for their time, presented a picture of luxury in wooden finish and Nappa leather. The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class 2022 keeps this elegant aesthetic while integrating modern technology at its core.
The vehicle’s door handles sit flush with the panel and pop up when the key is detected, the interior cabin has active-noise cancellation to keep out the sounds of hectic city roads, and the ambient lighting can be adjusted based on user’s preferences, making the car a blend of legacy and modernity.
Some of the features we enjoyed were easy navigation due to the clean UI of the displays, the picture quality and touch sensitivity of the screens and their haptic feedback, the speakers popping out when volume is increased and the addition of smart home devices and hand features, though the latter need some refinement.
The active drive assist features are reliable; while parking the vehicle we noticed it braking to avoid small branches and leaves protruding from the kerb. Active lane keep assist, blind spot detection and other driver assist features make driving and living with this big vehicle quite easy.
Verdict
It’s easy to write a verdict for the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. The vehicle sits at the junction of luxury, legacy, and modernity; and it does a fine job of amalgamating them all. The car meets expectations and despite requiring some refinement in gesture controls, it manages to impress.
Suave looks, a cushioned ride, and the driver seat sliding back every time engine is turned off to provide ease of access make the car a great fit for individuals who want a luxurious, tech-driven experience.
The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class 2022 starts at ₹2.69 crore.
