► New Mercedes-Maybach Pullman S600
► Stretched to 6.5 metres long
► Luxury to rival Rolls-Royce?
Daimler made a b-i-g splash at the Geneva motor show with its new Mercedes-Maybach Pullman – a huge, stretched 6.5-metre limousine reviving a famous name from the back catalogue.
CAR first revealed the plan to bring back the Pullman badge in 2012, but this is the first time we’ve seen the range-topper in action. And its length is striking: a full 1053mm is added to the wheelbase (at 4418mm, the distance between the axles is longer than many small family cars!).
It’s the second model in the Maybach brand that’s back from the dead. And the timing is fitting; it’s the 50th anniversary of the Mercedes-Benz 600.
A very Maybach kinda spec
Bearing in mind how comfy the regular S-class saloon is, it’s hard to get your head around the extra luxury squeezed into the back of the new Pullman. Two club-spec armchairs are fitted, and they swivel and move every which way so you can face the direction of travel or face each other for a business meeting. Or maybe a game of cards where the stakes are diamonds.
There are also two pop-down seats, just like in the back of a London cab, so your assistants can be dictated to on the way to the next board meeting.
The car would look a bit strange if merely stretched on the rack, and at Geneva you could see the extra height massaged into the design. It sits 100mm taller than a regular S-class, so top hats will fit easily. Not that you can stand up in this car – but you can slide in and out of the armchairs with dignity.
Prices, specs of new Merc Pullman limo
The new Mercedes-Maybach Pullman models arrive in early 2016. If you want a ‘basic’, unarmoured version, that’ll cost €500,000 (£362,000), thank you very much. Naturally, you get a very high spec, with leather lining every visible surface in place of plastics – even those low-down, awkward-to-reach areas around the doors. Plus the usual multimedia read-outs and top-end hi-fis.
Powering the Mercedes-Maybach Pullman S600 is the 6.0-litre V12 bi-turbo engine, with a velvet glove-like 523bhp and 612lb ft. Perfect for rapid but discrete progress, as the world’s rich list schmooze around the expensive postcodes of Monaco and Mayfair.
See the full list of every car at Geneva in our motor show section here.