2009 Maybach 62

What do you do when your attempt to purchase Rolls Royce/Bentley falls through? If you’re Daimler AG (Mercedes to us common folk), you just build your own super-luxury car, which has become the largest production sedan on the market. The 2009 Maybach 62 is a staggering 6.2 meters long, with an expansive wheelbase of 150.7 inches. It also has a curb weight in excess of 6,300 pounds. Nearly identical to the smaller Maybach 57, the Maybach 62 is intended for chauffeur use and is available in two trims - Base and S.

Base trims are powered by a 543-hp, 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V12, pushing 664 lb-ft of torque through the five-speed automatic and back to the rear wheels. Further standard equipment for the Base includes ten total airbags, stability and traction control, four-wheel antilock disc brakes that are stopped by dual calipers in the front, 19-inch alloy wheels, an electronically controlled variable-height air suspension, a power sunroof, rear DVD players and monitors, Bluetooth, a navigation system, Parktronic parking assist, 21-speaker Bose stereo, bi-xenon high-intensity headlights, SmartKey remote entry, over 100 pieces of hand-assembled and hand-buffed trim, and heated power front and rear seats with memory settings.

The S trim upgrades to a 604-hp, 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged V12, carbon fiber and piano black interior trim, and 20-inch alloy wheels, however the 62 S gets several unique options - curtains for the back window, an electrotransparent retractable partition between rear passengers and driver, makeup mirror, panoramic glass sunroof with solar module, a reversing camera, and a tissue dispenser. That said, anyone who “commissions” a Maybach - because one simply does not “buy” a Maybach - is said to be able to ask for any option under the sun, even if it’s not currently offered by the manufacturer. They’ll have it engineered and installed by the time you take delivery, sometimes nine months down the road.

By Michael Perkins