Like sports cars and economy vehicles, what defines a luxury car is blurred in marketing materials and manufacturers’ whims. An ultra-luxury car may be easier to pinpoint since fewer are made. The 2022 Mercedes-Maybach qualifies without any squabble.
After its long tumultuous tenure, Maybach ceased as a standalone manufacturer in 2013. Two years later it became a sub-brand of Mercedes-Benz. Beginning in 2021, Daimler began to make ultra-luxury editions of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and GLS-Class using the name Mercedes-Maybach.
The 2022 edition is available in S 580 and S 680 trims. The reviewed S 580 features a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with 496 horsepower. Both trims have all-wheel drive and a nine-speed automatic transmission. The S 680 has a 12-cylinder engine, but the siblings share nearly all other equipment.
Key Takeaways
- Test car: The reviewed S 580 features a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with 496 horsepower.
- $184,900 MSRP and $231,100 with options.
- 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds.
- 15 mpg city, 24 highway as rated.
- Technology: a 12.8-inch OLED touchscreen, a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel and a 30-speaker Burmester premium audio system.
- Rear seats: An optional small refrigerator ($1,100) rests between the two seats and can hold two champagne flutes ($3,200).
As a top-line luxury sedan, the Mercedes-Maybach’s standard equipment list stretches the limits of decency. The air suspension allows the raising and lowering of the car to the proper height. Spa-like comfort reigns with ventilated heated and massaging front and rear seats with memory settings. Four-zone climate control with a fragrance atomizer, a rear neck heater, a heated steering wheel and heated armrests are in the comfort mix. Two front and two back set pillows attach to the headrests.
Champagne, Anyone?
Back-seat passengers gets the best of it. An optional small refrigerator ($1,100) rests between the two seats and can hold two champagne flutes ($3,200).
If eating and drinking on drives is important and further expense isn’t an issue, how about the Executive Rear Seat Package PLUS? It includes a four-place seating for the entire vehicle (two-passenger rear seats), a center console with dual folding tables as well as rear heated and cooled cupholders. It’s another $6,000.
Technology is state-of-the-art, centralized with a 12.8-inch OLED touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel. The navigation system has augmented reality driving directions, a head-up display, a rear entertainment system with individual monitors, six USB-C ports and a 30-speaker Burmester premium audio system.
Adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitor, lane-keeping with automated lane-change assist, forward collision mitigation, evasive steering assist and rear and cross-traffic automatic braking are among the more than a dozen added safety features.
Powerful, smooth and quick (0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds), the Mercedes-Maybach defines a plush apartment on wheels. The front seats are spacious, constructed from top-grade materials complemented by upscale painting and wood trim. It’s detailed as silver aluminum fanned walnut wood trim open pore and it adds ($3,200) to the car’s nearly $50,000 of options.
Design Nirvana
The manufacturers’ hand-crafted Manufaktur leather package ($8,000) makes a cruise in the limousine-esque beast feel just right. Perhaps the vehicle’s design team consulted with the art director of a glossy architecture magazine?
With its stunning interior, nothing less would be expected for the Maybach’s exterior presence. Two-tone paint palettes may be polarizing. But the combination of the Obsidian Black Metallic body and Cirrus Silver top and six trim is eye-catching, even if it’s an homage to gangster vehicles of yesteryear. The upscale paint costs $12,750.
Ultra Wonderful
Driving a 5,300-pound, elongated sedan with a V8 engine and nearly 500 horsepower isn’t for the economically minded. The S 580 is rated at 15 miles per gallon in city driving, 24 mpg on the highway. The tallies seem generous.
2022 Mercedes-Maybach S 580 Verdict
Ultra-luxury means ultra-pricing. The 2022 Mercedes-Maybach S 580 cost far less than many competitors. The MSRP is $184,900, with its lengthy list of high-end options pushing the price to $231,100.
Bentley and Rolls-Royce have more prestigious badges and far hefty prices, which gives the second-year S 580 a new title. It’s a value-priced, ultra-luxury sedan.
Facts & Figures: 2022 Mercedes-Maybach S 580
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Base Price | $184,900 |
| As-Tested Price | $231,100 |
| Engine | 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 |
| Horsepower | 496 hp |
| Transmission | 9-speed automatic |
| Drivetrain | All-wheel drive |
| 0-60 mph | 3.9 seconds |
| Fuel Economy | 15 city / 24 highway / 18 combined mpg |
| Fuel Type | Premium |
| Curb Weight | 5,300 pounds |
James Raia
A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida. An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.