Mercedes is known to make some of the most luxurious and technologically advanced cars on the market and hardly anyone is willing to think that a 2022 Mercedes is not luxurious enough. However, for the ones that do, they can spend a lot more money on the Mercedes Maybach package which is available for only a selected few Mercedes cars.
The 2022 Mercedes S-Class is a world-renowned luxury car that has been in production for decades. Whenever a new S-Class comes out, it usually tends to set the standard for all the other full-size premium executive luxury cars to follow. If you believe that the S-Class is not luxurious enough, you can upgrade to a Maybach S-Class.
The 2022 Mercedes GLS is as Mercedes likes to call it, an “S-Class of SUVs”. However, this is not all that believable because the GLS is more akin to the GLE than it is to the S-Class. Many people believe that the GLS is just a larger version of the GLE, and I tend to agree that is it is not special enough to be classed as an S-Class of SUVs.
However, the GLS is also available with the Maybach package, and with the Maybach package, the GLS is a lot more luxurious. All in all, the Maybach package is the very top-echelon of Mercedes luxury, but it costs too much money and it is not all that more special.
The Mercedes S-Class and the Mercedes GLS-Class – The top-end Mercedes luxury cars
The 2022 Mercedes S-Class starts at $111,100 for the S500 4MATIC that comes with a 3.0L 6-cylinder engine with mild hybrid technology and a special electric compressor. This setup is enough to offer 429hp and 384lb-ft of torque which is more than enough for such a large sedan.
However, if that is not enough for you, you can upgrade to the $117,700 S580 4MATIC that comes with a 4.0L BiTurbo V8 with 500hp and 516lb-ft of torque. Both of these S-Class versions are available with an abundance of options, and if you optioned them out fully, they should not cost more than $140,000-$150,000 max.
The 2022 GLS starts at $77,850 for the GLS450 that comes with a 3.0L inline 6-cylinder turbo engine that also offers mild-hybrid functionality. This is enough to make 362hp and 369lb-ft of torque. The $100,400 GLS580 offers a 4.0L BiTurbo V8 with 483hp and a lot more torque.
If you fully option out a GLS with all the bells and whistles it should cost somewhere in the region of $130,000-$140,000. This is more than enough for 99% of people as both of these are extremely advanced, especially the S-Class.
The Mercedes S-Class Maybach and the Mercedes GLS-Class Maybach – The very top end of Mercedes luxury catalog
The 2022 Mercedes S580 Maybach starts at $184,900 and it offers a 4.0L BiTurbo V8 with 500hp and 516lb-ft of torque. However, the true king of Mercedes sedans is the Mercedes S680 Maybach that offers a 6.0L BiTurbo V12 with 600hp and a ridiculous 664lb-ft of torque. It is not yet confirmed how much the S680 should cost, but a $210,000 + price tag is expected.
This means that you will have to pay at least $35,000 over a fully optioned out S580. This makes little to no sense, especially if the Maybach S580 offers the same engine. However, if you are crazy enough to spend upwards of $210,000 on the V12 S680, this does not really concern you all that much.
The Mercedes GLS600 Maybach starts at $160,000 and it gets a slightly revised version of the 4.0L BiTurbo V8 in order for it to offer 550hp and 538lb-ft of torque. This means that a fully equipped GLS580 is at least $30,000 less than the entry-level GLS600 Maybach.
The Maybach Mercedes models are indeed the very top end of Mercedes luxury and they do offer more of everything, but they are not different enough for them to cost as much as they do. An initiated person will not be able to tell the difference between a Maybach version and a regular version.
Conclusion – Maybach models are better, but at what cost?
For a regular person, a 3.0L V6 S-Class is a true luxury car because it is still an S-Class. A more powerful engine does not make the S-Class more special, not if the engine is not backed with all the necessary options that make the S-Class what it truly is.
In that sense, a 3.0L entry-level S-Class with $30,000 worth of options is always going to be more luxurious when compared to a V8 S-Class with considerably fewer luxury options. If you go for the Maybach versions, you are getting everything a fully equipped Mercedes gets, and then some.
Even so, it makes little to no sense to buy a $210,000+ S-Class that is based on the same chassis and underpinnings as its $100,000 cheaper S500.
FAQ Section
Is a Mercedes Maybach worth it?
It depends on how you look at it. If you focus on value for money, a Maybach S-Class is definitely not worth the price hike necessary in order to get a fully-optioned Maybach S-Class model. However, if you don’t care about the price tag and you want the best possible, most luxurious Mercedes out there, then it might be worth it.
You need to keep in mind that an S-Class suffers extreme depreciation, both the Maybach version and the regular version. So, if you do indeed go for a Maybach S-Class, you will lose between $50,000-$100,000 in the first 5 years of ownership.
Why do people buy a Maybach?
People want the best, the most luxurious, and the most desirable items out there. A Maybach is more of a status symbol than it is a logical way of spending money. Given the fact that these luxury sedans lose value with each second, it makes little to no sense to actually buy them.
Either way, a Maybach Mercedes is a clear level above a regular S-Class because it is as opulent as a Mercedes can get.
Is Maybach better than Rolls Royce?
The flagship Maybach S-Class costs upwards of $200,000 while the flagship Rolls Royce Phantom tends to cost at least three times as much. Even though a Maybach is extremely plush, a Rolls Royce is an entirely different ballpark.
At the end of the day, a Maybach S-Class is a Mercedes underneath the skin while a Rolls Royce is a Rolls Royce, and that is why people buy Rolls cars and that is why Maybach is not nearly as good as Rolls is.
