Mercedes-Maybach S-Class arrives with a wild price tag

There’s expensive, and then there’s Mercedes-Maybach expensive. The most extensive update in the S-Class’s history has landed in Australia, and it arrives with a suitably eye-watering price tag: the new Mercedes-Maybach S 580 kicks off at $517,900 plus on-road costs, while the flagship V12-powered S 680 tops the range at $582,428 (plus ORCs).

The S 680 continues with its hand built 6.0-litre twin-turbo V12 (463kW/900Nm), while the newly introduced S 580 brings a mild-hybrid 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 (395kW/750Nm), plus a further 17kW/205Nm from its 48-volt starter-generator.

Both hit 100km/h in 4.5 seconds.

But no-one buys a Maybach to chase the clock – this is about opulence, and the S-Class lays it on with a trowel.

A grille 20 per cent larger with an illuminated Maybach wordmark, rose-gold-accented ‘Digital Light’ headlamps, 20-inch forged wheels with a clever ball-bearing mechanism that keeps the three-pointed star upright as they spin, heated seatbelts that warm to 44 degrees and a 31-speaker, 1610-watt Burmester 4D sound system with Dolby Atmos.

Here’s where the numbers get even more ludicrous. Take the MANUFAKTUR Exclusive upholstery – the bespoke leather that trims the Maybach cabin. That single interior option costs $27,600.

In other words, the leather trim alone is dearer than an entire brand-new electric car: the Geely EX2, one of the cheapest EVs in the country, starts at $26,490 before on-road costs.

You could park a whole EX2 in the garage and still pocket change compared with what Mercedes charges just to re-clothe the seats.

And that’s before you tick the other boxes: a MANUFAKTUR Exclusive exterior finish at $24,300, the First-Class Package at $24,200, or the Night Series pack at $34,900. Individually, each of those extras costs about as much as a tidy used runabout.

Zoom out to the flagship S 680’s $582,428 sticker and the maths gets dizzying.

Australia’s favourite small car, the Toyota Corolla Ascent Sport Hybrid, starts at around $30K – so one Maybach S 680 equals roughly 18 brand-new hybrid Corollas. That’s enough to hand a set of keys to every member of the extended family and still have a few spare for the neighbours.

Not that any of this will trouble the target buyer.

The S-Class is dripping in the sort of details that justify the badge. There’s standard 4.5-degree rear-axle steering, with a 10-degree system optional, AIRMATIC air suspension and – on the S 580 – E-ACTIVE BODY CONTROL that reads the road ahead, storing the location of speed bumps in the cloud for up to 14 days so the suspension can brace itself in advance and keep the ride buttery smooth.

Inside, it’s a first for Maybach: the new MB.OS software brain, an MBUX Superscreen stretching a 14.4-inch central display and passenger screen under one sheet of glass, with rose-gold dials naturally.

You get biometric log-ins, heated armrests and a rear cabin that can be optioned into a two-seat First-Class sanctuary complete with a refrigerated compartment and champagne flutes.

So who actually buys one? Not rich people. They can’t afford it. This is for wealthy people. Legacy money. That’s the short, honest answer.

The Maybach S-Class isn’t pitched at anyone weighing up cost-per-kilometre or resale value. It’s aimed squarely at buyers for whom half a million dollars is a rounding error, and who want something rarer and more personal than a regular S-Class. But also want the ease of a national dealer network so they can service it anywhere.

Mercedes says nearly every Maybach S-Class worldwide is individually configured through MANUFAKTUR – including a new Beech Brown cabin hue – so no two examples need ever look alike, which is precisely the point at this end of the market.

Pre-orders open at Australian dealerships on August 27, with both models expected to touch down here in the first quarter of 2027.

For everyone else, it’s a lovely thing to admire from the footpath – ideally while doing the sums on how many Corollas just drove past.

How much does the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class cost?
Mercedes-Maybach S 580 4MATIC – $517,900
Mercedes-Maybach S 680 4MATIC – $582,428
*Prices exclude on-road costs

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