Inside a Maybach

A Maybach is a high-end, ultra-luxury sedan. It can hold up to four passengers in regal splendor. Prices range from $300,000 to $400,000.

Photo courtesy DaimlerChrysler

The Maybach comes in three models -- the Maybach 57, the Maybach 57 S (the S stands for "special"), and the Maybach 62. The 57 and 57 S are both 5.7 meters long, and the 62 is 6.2 meters long, hence the model names. The 57 and 62 models are very nearly identical except for the length. The extra length of the 62 is used to increase the rear seat leg room.
The Maybach 57 S (available December 2005) will offer several different interior and exterior features not available in the regular 57, including a twin-turbo 6-liter V-12 engine and sport suspension.
The Maybach 62 also offers several options unavailable in the 57. For example, the 62 has fully reclining rear seats because it has extra leg room available in the rear to accommodate them.

Photo courtesy DaimlerChrysler
Rear of the Maybach 62
The 62 also offers a huge skylight in the roof (known officially as the electro-transparent panoramic glass roof).

Photo courtesy DaimlerChrysler The laminated glass pane on the inside of the panoramic roof contains a layer of liquid crystal foil made from electrically conductive polymer material which becomes transparent when AC voltage is applied.

The glass in this skylight can be electronically changed between clear, frosted or completely opaque depending on your mood (see How Smart Windows Work to find out about this technology).
Inside a Maybach
The interior of the Maybach is designed for opulence.

Photo courtesy DaimlerChrysler

It has every creature comfort you can imagine, and several that you may have never thought of. The list of standard and optional features includes:

• A built-in refrigerator, operated by its own compressor
• The previously mentioned electro-transparent panoramic glass roof
• Solar cells built into the roof to operate a ventilation system while the car is parked
• Ten air bags: four normal airbags for all four passengers, four side-impact airbags and two curtain airbags
• Charcoal and pollen filters to clean incoming air
• Ambient lighting
• Writing desks that unfold from the armrests
  

  Photo courtesy DaimlerChrysler Each of the two rear seats in the Maybach 62 has a folding table which is housed in a special compartment, one on either side of the rear center console.

• DVD player in the back seat and two screens embedded in the backs of the front seats, along with a TV tuner and a 6-disc CD changer with cordless headphones
  

  Photo courtesy DaimlerChrysler

  
  

  Photo courtesy DaimlerChrysler

• Curtains to cover rear and side windows
• Two cell phones
• Automatic door unlocking and ignition using a fob transmitter (When you approach the car, it unlocks; when you touch the gear-selector knob, it starts.)
• Heated seats and steering wheel
  

  Photo courtesy Daimler Chrysler

• Optional fully-reclining rear seats with built-in massage
• Intercom between front and rear seats
• Retractable window between front and rear seats, with electro-frosting when desired
• Bose® sound system, 600 watts with 21 speakers
• Navigation system, self-monitoring tires, telediagnostics, etc.
• 100 wood veneer accent pieces and leather throughout

Photo courtesy DaimlerChrysler

In other words, the car has everything.


Security Upgrade: Maybach Guard The Maybach Guard is an upgraded version of the Maybach that offers enhanced B4-level security for the occupants of the vehicle. B4-level security means that someone attacking the car with a blunt instrument (like a bat or a crowbar) or a handgun up to .44 caliber at point-blank range will be unable to disable the vehicle or harm the passengers. Maybach Guard vehicles are built from the ground up on the assembly line -- the features are not added on after the fact. This allows a Maybach Guard vehicle to look identical to a standard Maybach.
Features include:

• Reinforced steel in areas like the roof, rear wall, firewall, doors and floor
• Kevlar® blankets, similar to those used in body armor, to absorb bullets that pass through the steel
• Bulletproof glass in all windows
• Special overlapping protection zones around door and window seams to prevent bullet entry
• Protected fuel tank
• Run-flat tires

There is also a special alarm system, including alarm activation buttons at every seat, along with an intercom system to allow communication with people outside the vehicle without opening a window.