Bling meets muscle: Mercedes S-Class takes on Bentley as a Maybach

STUTTGART: More length, more luxury, more bling: When Mercedes rolls out the S-Class as a Maybach later this year, the company's flagship will become a competitor to Rolls-Royce and Bentley — in other words: much more expensive.

From the outside, the Maybach stands out with a stately chrome radiator in a pinstripe design and, above all, with 18cm more wheelbase as length increases to 5.47m, according to the manufacturer.

At the same time, the Maybach also marks the return of the V12 engine in the top model. The S 680, which increases the price around a third, has a displacement of six litres and an output of 612hp.

This allows the saloon to reaches 100kph from a standstill in 4.5 seconds. Mercedes gives a top speed of 250kph and a thirsty fuel consumption rate of 13.3 litres (305 g/km CO2).

Alternatively, you can get a four-litre V8 with the S 580, which has 503 hp, a sprint time of 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 250kph. Fuel consumption is listed as 10.2 litres (233 g/km).

In addition to the performance, the luxury of the large saloon is to be defined above all by a new equipment package that comes with an extra charge.

Included in this is reclining chairs with massage functions, leg rests and folding tables in the rear, electric seat belt reminders for the rear seat passengers and, for the first time, electrically operated rear doors.

In addition, the cabin is set to be even more quiet thanks to particularly dense insulation, as well as additional noise suppression, Mercedes says.

When it arrives in the coming weeks, it's set to cost a minimum of €164,565 (RM822,000) in its home market in Germany — about €35,000 (RM175,000) more than the long-wheelbase version of the S-Class.