Maybach 57 (03 on) - Review

Maybachs are designed to take up to two passengers in individual seats in the rear, but customers can choose a three-seat bench if the car needs to carry five people. All seats are electrically adjustable and the front and back compartments have their own air conditioning units with different interior temperatures available for each passenger if necessary. Higher grade leather than that used in typical luxury saloons is used for the seats and customers can choose upgraded seats with perforated leather. Folding rear tables (made from aluminium) can be chosen as an option for those who need to work while travelling along with dark tinted rear glass. For privacy there is an electric rear curtain as standard and side curtains can also be chosen as an option.

All passengers have plenty of room in the 57 - hardly surprising given its huge length. The enormous boot is able to accommodate a vast amount of luggage, with its 610-litre capacity. Customers can choose a rear-view camera in lieu of parking sensors to help with low-speed manoeuvres and there is interior storage in the centre console which extends into the rear of the car. Interior door trims also include stowage compartments, while the rear centre console has additional space and contains cupholders and holders for champagne flutes. A fridge is fitted as standard in the rear centre console and three instruments set into the roof show rear passengers the car's speed, the time and the outside temperature. The Maybach also has Dunhill umbrellas stowed in the rear doors to ensure passengers don't have to step outside into the rain.

The driver's seat is perhaps not the optimum position from which to enjoy the Maybach, but front-seat occupants are very well catered for. All the seats (plus the steering column) are electrically adjustable, so finding a comfortable driving position should be easy. The white-on-black instruments are easy to read and although the instrument layout will appear familiar in style to owners of large Mercedes-Benz models, the Maybach has its own unique type-face for the figures on the dials. The dashboard's centre panel includes a screen to view the DVD satellite navigation system and displays various audio, communication and media functions. Other switches appear on the centre console for the adaptive damping system, parking sensor deactivation and Distronic cruise control (where chosen).