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Mercedes-Maybach S-Class tries on a pinstriped suit to look more dignified

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Mercedes-Maybach S-Class
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Mercedes-Maybach S-Class
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Mercedes-Maybach S-Class
Mercedes-Maybach S-Class Image used with permission by copyright holder
Mercedes-Maybach S-Class
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Mercedes-Maybach S-Class
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Mercedes-Maybach S-Class
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’re rich, you drive a Mercedes-Benz S-Class. If you’re super-rich, you drive a Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. The German automaker updated its flagship model with a more stately design that points the way forward as Maybach prepares to once again expand its lineup.

Mercedes-Maybach — which Mercedes parent company Daimler spun off into a subdivision in 2015 — offers two models, named S560 and S650, respectively. Both evolved from the S-Class, and until now it took a well-trained eye to tell the Maybach apart from the Benz. That’s no longer the case. Every Maybach-branded limousine receives a new grille with chromed vertical slats and a discreet emblem embedded into the top part of the frame. Mercedes’ emblematic three-pointed star proudly remains on the hood.

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The brand explains its latest design language draws inspiration from the elegant pinstriped suits often found resting on the soft leather that’s draped across the cabin. It also creates a visual link to the 20-foot long Vision 6 concept introduced at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August of 2016. While it’s not a confirmation that the concept will spawn a production model, as rumors persistently claim, it proves the Vision 6 at least had a significant influence on Maybach’s design direction.

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Mercedes-Maybach S-Class live
Ronan Glon/Digital Trends
Mercedes-Maybach S-Class live
Ronan Glon/Digital Trends
Mercedes-Maybach S-Class live
Ronan Glon/Digital Trends
Mercedes-Maybach S-Class live
Ronan Glon/Digital Trends
Mercedes-Maybach S-Class live
Mercedes-Maybach S-Class Ronan Glon/Digital Trends
Mercedes-Maybach S-Class live
Ronan Glon/Digital Trends

Maybach also added a two-tone paint job (pictured) to the list of extra-cost options. It’s offered in nine color combinations. New-look 20-inch alloy wheel designs and two additional interior color combinations round out the list of aesthetic changes for the 2019 model year.

The changes are only skin-deep. The S560 carries on with a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine that sends 463 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque to the four wheels via Mercedes’ time-tested 4-Matic all-wheel drive system. Nicer inside and correspondingly more expensive, the S650 boasts a majestic 6.0-liter V12 that places 621 hp and 738 lb-ft. of torque under the driver’s right foot. The 12-cylinder only comes with rear-wheel drive, and it makes enough power for a 0-to-60-mph sprint of 4.6 seconds.

The 2019 Mercedes-Maybach S-Class will make its public debut in a few short weeks at the Geneva Auto Show. The firm will release pricing closer to the limousine’s on-sale date, which is set for this summer. For what it’s worth, the current model starts at $168,00 before buyers pile on options.

Update: added live photos.

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Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon
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Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV preview: The EV lineup grows again
Front three quarter view of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV.

As Mercedes-Benz has steadily expanded its EQ range of electric cars, the lineup has become a bit like the late stages of a Tetris game. It’s mostly complete, but with a few gaps still left. And the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV is the piece that perfectly fits one of them.
Mercedes recently launched two other electric SUVs at opposite ends of the price spectrum. The EQS SUV is positioned as the lineup’s flagship, while the EQB is the entry-level model. The EQE SUV slots between those two in size and, presumably, price. The latter hasn’t been confirmed yet, and likely won’t be until the EQE SUV’s planned March 2023 on-sale date.

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As the name says, the EQE SUV is a utility-vehicle version of the EQE sedan, which will likely beat it to showrooms by a few months. Mercedes did the same thing with the EQS, which is available in both SUV and sedan body styles.
With its tall, upright profile, the EQE SUV definitely looks like a proper SUV compared to the low-slung EQE sedan. Park it next to an EQS SUV, though, and you’ll have to get out a measuring tape to spot the differences.
The EQE SUV is 0.6 inch narrower and 1.2 inches lower than the EQS SUV, but the most significant difference is in length. The EQE SUV is 10.3 inches shorter than the EQS SUV, with a 2.1-inch shorter wheelbase. And while the EQS SUV has three-row seating, the EQE SUV has two rows. Based on our experience with the EQS SUV’s third row, that’s not a big loss.
The interior design theme carries over from other Mercedes EQ models, with an expansive sloping dashboard designed to accommodate many screens, and multicolor ambient lighting that should look pretty dramatic at night. However, leatherette upholstery is standard, rather than real leather, which Mercedes is now spinning as a vegan option.

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Front three quarter view of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV.

Mercedes-Benz is continuing to expand its EV lineup, this time with a model aimed at (wealthy) families.
As the name states, the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV is an SUV derivative of the EQS sedan. With the EQS sedan positioned as the electric analog to the Mercedes S-Class, the EQS SUV is the electric version of the GLS-Class. And like that vehicle, the EQS SUV is available with up to seven seats across three rows.
That makes the EQS SUV an important vehicle not just for Mercedes, but for the cause of EV adoption in general. While the Tesla Model X and Rivian R1S also offer three rows for family-hauling duty, there’s a lot more room in the market for another entry. Given the popularity of equivalent gasoline luxury SUVs like the GLS, Land Rover Range Rover, and Cadillac Escalade, the EQS SUV arrives not a moment too soon.
The EQS SUV is scheduled to reach U.S. dealerships this fall in three guises. The base rear-wheel-drive EQS 450+ starts at $105,550 with destination, while the all-wheel drive EQS 450 4Matic and EQS 580 4Matic start at $108,550 and $127,100, respectively. Although it will be built in Alabama, the EQS SUV won’t qualify for the revised federal EV tax credit because it exceeds the $80,000 price cap for SUVs.

Design and interior
A defining feature of Mercedes’ EQ lineup is aerodynamic bodywork aimed at maximizing range. The typical SUV is not aerodynamically ideal, but Mercedes managed to achieve an impressively low drag coefficient for an SUV — at 0.26, it’s close to the Toyota Prius. But function clearly took precedence over form. Mercedes deserves credit for not going in the polarizing direction BMW did with its two-row iX SUV, but the EQS SUV looks like a melting scoop of ice cream.
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The EQS SUV looks like a melting scoop of ice cream.

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Front three quarter view of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE sedan.

Mercedes-Benz wants its EQ sub-brand to be an all-electric counterpart to its current lineup of gasoline luxury cars, and it’s working toward that goal by starting at opposite ends of the price spectrum and working toward the middle.
Where the EQS sedan and SUV are the flagships of the lineup, and the EQB serves as an entry-level offering, the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE sedan aims for the middle of the market. It’s pitched as an electric equivalent of the Mercedes E-Class, one of the automaker’s bread-and-butter models. And like the E-Class, the EQE will compete against sedans from Mercedes’ German rivals, such as the Audi e-tron GT, BMW i4, and Porsche Taycan. It will likely be cross-shopped against the Genesis Electrified G80, Lucid Air, and Tesla Model S as well.
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Design and interior
The EQE has the same lozenge-like shape as the EQS sedan, which is dictated by aerodynamics. The appeal of the design is up for debate, but the smooth shape reduces aerodynamic drag, which helps improve efficiency and range. Under the skin, the EQE is also based on the same EVA2 architecture as the EQS sedan.
But while the two EQ sedans look similar at first glance, the EQE is a bit smaller than its sibling. It’s 10.6 inches shorter than the EQS sedan, with a 3.5-inch shorter wheelbase. Rear-seat passengers might notice the difference, but like its gasoline E-Class counterpart, the EQE is aimed more at drivers than passengers. Its tidier proportions were also a bit more pleasing to our eyes, making the EQE look sleeker than its sibling.
The interior design is minimalist while still maintaining functionality.

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