For car buyers not interested in value, practicality, economy or environmental concerns, consider the 2022 Mercedes-Maybach S580 It’s an ultra-luxury sedan purchased because the buyer can. It’s plush and modern and pretentious. It has champagne flutes and an energizing warning notification that results in soft music and a multi-position driver’s massage.
Available in the S580 and S680 trims, the former and reviewed model features a twin-turbocharged V8 with 496 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. The S680 is equipped with a twin-turbo V12 with 621 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torqueBoth versions are all-wheel-drive and are propelled by a nine-speed automatic transmission. Gas mileage averages are 15 miles per gallon in city driving, 24 mpg on the highway. Acceleration from zero to 60 miles per hour is accomplished in 4.7 seconds.
The S 580 is a showcase of prestige on the road, from its fluffy pillows to the lounge-like rear seating. But it’s also a less flashy, less expensive option than rivals such as the Rolls-Royce Ghost and Bentley Flying Spur.
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2022 Mercedes-Maybach: Prestige Defined
A lot should be expected from prestigious vehicles. The Mercedes-Maybach S580 and more powerful stablemate comply. The standard features list is exhaustive, 20-inch wheel to soft-close doors and a 30-speaker Burmester premium audio system to rear neck heaters.
Heated front and rear seats, steering wheel, armrest and rear neck pillow and six USB-C ports are in the mix of comfort and convenience. And what good is any uber-luxury sedan without a four-zone climate control with a fragrance atomizer in the glove box.
Heated, ventilated and massaging front and rear seats with memory settings and rear neck heaters are a must. A power trunk lid, air suspension (its raises or lowers the vehicle’s height) and soft-close doors (upon closing, the doors hesitate and gently pull shut), it’s all there.
2022 Mercedes-Maybach: Top Options List
If more heat is needed, the steering wheel and armrests get plenty toasty. For further comfort and sensory soothing assistance, ambient interior lighting, a detail-loaded head-up display, a wire charge pad, six USB-C ports and a theater-quality rear entertainment system satisfy.
The 2022 Mercedes-Maybach standard equipment list is exhaustive, but there’s more if desired, offered with the Executive Rear Seat Package Plus ($6,000). It includes dual rear seats with a center console, a power footrest for the right-side rear passenger, rear-seat folding tables and heated and cooled rear cupholders.
Enough is enough, except when it isn’t. The Manufaktur package ($8,000) means the leather throughout the vehicle is top-grade to a fault. Is there an ideal car-wide interior cover available? The refrigerator’s center console and its silver champagne flutes ($4,200) add to the opulence. It’s as if the Mercedes-Maybach upgrades are more focused on the rear-seat passengers than the front-of-the-cabin occupants, limousine-like.
The two-tone exterior, the Citrus Silver top and the Nautical Blue body combine for the most expensive option ($14,500). The vehicle is classically beautiful, with one overt exception. The solid rims look like leftovers from a Mad Max movie set.
With its presentation near perfect, the S580 is further impressive as a driving enthusiast’s car. It’s smooth-driving contentment at its best, a sedan to take on long hauls on the open road. Set the cruise control, turn up the symphonic-quality sound system, rejoice in the top-level safety and technology and drive across the state just because.
The Mercedes-Maybach S580 is a vehicle many consumers wouldn’t consider. But it’s an impressively crafted machine likely thoroughly enjoyed by its occupants and an owner who has a quarter-million dollars to spend.
Article Last Updated: April 18, 2023.
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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.