Even from its earliest days, Mercedes-Benz has always been synonymous with luxury. The finest leather seats, immaculately carved armrests and door handles, the latest in infotainment technology, and all other manner of automotive comforts are borderline expected in any vehicle that bears the Mercedes name. Even so, the company always manages to surprise us with just how luxurious its cars can get.
The 2023 Mercedes Maybach S580 is a model of luxury engineering packing a 496 hp motor that can go from 0 to 60 in 4.7 seconds, not to mention 516 lb-ft of torque. Any car can just be powerful, though. The Maybach compliments that mighty muscle with a bevy of exorbitant features. These are the kinds of extras that you probably wouldn’t think or care to put in a car, but once you drive one with them, you might not be able to go back.
The Maybach is absolutely jam-packed with such features — as it should be given its $193,400 price tag – even if some of those features are so luxurious it’s almost a little too much.
Multicontour massage seats
Even the fanciest car seats made out of the finest leather can get uncomfortable if you’ve been on the road for hours on end. Depending on where you’re driving, though, you may not be able to get up and stretch. Luckily, with luxury often comes convenience –- if you can’t get out of the car to soothe those aching muscles, then have the car soothe them for you with live seating adjustments and deep tissue massages.
Both the front and rear cabin seats of the Maybach are equipped with active multicontour features, allowing the driver and passengers to freely adjust their lumbar, side, and shoulder supports to achieve the optimal seating arrangement. Not only that, but the seats also feature built-in massage rollers with ten pre-programmed massage routines. You can even activate heaters in the rollers to create a hot stone spa massage effect, perfect for alleviating that highway weariness.
LED ambient lighting
In perhaps a similar vein to the RGB lighting systems that dominate the modern PC hardware market, decking out your automobile with lights that glow in all colors of the rainbow gives it a futuristic, ephemeral quality. You’re not just sitting in a car — you’re swimming amongst a sea of multicolored stars. Naturally, the Maybach possesses such functionality.
The cabin of the Maybach is lined with a network of LED lights, with specific attention given to the dash, the console, the door trim, and the footwells. Using the onboard infotainment screen, you can customize these lights freely, altering their color, brightness, and shifting patterns.
You can even set the lights to change and pulse in time with vehicle adjustments and settings. This means you can have them pulse in acknowledgment of verbal commands, change from blue to red to signify a change in ambient temperature, or even highlight important driver-assistance programs.
Air Balance cabin fragrance system
Everyone loves the scent of a new car, which is why that scent has been one of the default varieties of those little air freshener trees you can buy at the car wash. The Maybach is far too luxurious to be befouled by a $5 air freshener, however. No sir, if you want your Maybach to have a distinctive aroma, then the solution lies within.
The Maybach is equipped with Mercedes’ proprietary Air Balance system. This system is primarily used for air purification purposes, but in addition to that it can dispense tailored fragrances throughout the cabin. Just pour your favorite liquid aroma into the backlit vial located in the glove box, and the system will carefully atomize and circulate it around the cabin. The resulting scent is distinct enough that you can properly smell it but not so heavy that it sticks to the seats or your clothes.
Side logo projectors
To drive a Mercedes vehicle is not just to experience luxury but to project luxury. After all, Mercedes-Benz is a brand that is famous for being both well-appointed and pricey — just take a look at some of the most expensive Mercedes of all time. The car itself usually broadcasts that message just fine, but if you need an extra cherry on top, the Maybach has a feature that you’ll love.
Whenever you remotely lock or unlock your Maybach, a special LED lamp fixture on the driver-side door winks on, projecting the Mercedes-Maybach logo onto the ground next to it. Consider it both a wholehearted welcome from your car as you approach and a fond farewell as you depart.
Plus, as an added bonus, the projection is bright enough to illuminate potential hazards on the ground like holes and puddles. As you walk toward your car, you’ll gracefully step over any ground imperfections into the literal limelight of the Maybach.
Rear cabin refrigerator
Have you ever ridden in a limousine and availed yourself of the rear cabin minibar? There’s a very particular flavor of luxury associated with popping a fresh bottle of champagne in the middle of a car ride. If you have a particular affinity for that feeling, then the Maybach will let you experience it whenever you want.
The Maybach features an optional rear cabin refrigerator compartment discreetly nestled between the rear seatbacks. While not gigantic, this cooled cubby is large enough to store multiple full-sized champagne bottles — or other less interesting beverages. Not only that but the refrigerator comes loaded with a pair of silver-plated champagne flutes, which can be conveniently locked in place onto magnetic pads on the console.
If you’re wealthy enough to own this car, then there’s a nonzero chance you also have a private driver, so you can always pop a cold one in the back seat while they handle the driving.
