If you do anything long enough, you’re going to rack up your share of failures. You’re not going to hit every time. Occasionally, you’ll miss. Mercedes-Benz has been making luxury and performance cars for decades, so it’s keenly aware of that.
The German manufacturer created the four-door coupe segment with its CLS-Class. It’s been selling droves of its CLA baby sedan. However, it couldn’t quite make the resurrected Maybach ultra-luxury brand work as a standalone vehicle line. Perhaps it will have better luck with the Mercedes-Maybach S600.
Hopefully, it can find plenty of people like Drive.com.au host David McCowen. In the clip below, he praises the S600’s 523-horsepower V12 for its smoothness, the seven-speed automatic for its nearly imperceptible shifts, and the air suspension for its supple ride.
Of course, McCowen would be missing the point of a car wearing a Maybach badge if he didn’t mention the flagship-of-flagship’s luxurious, nearly silent, and tech-laden rear seating compartment, which is especially roomy thanks to Mercedes making the new Maybach more than 8 inches longer than a regular S.
The success of this S600 is doubly important to the three-point star because it’s not just a car, it’s the first offering from the Mercedes-Maybach sub-brand. With a US starting price ($189,350*) well south of that on the window stickers attached to the Maybach 57s and 62s of yesteryear, the reborn version of Maybach might fare better than its hyper-expensive predecessor. Only time will tell. The 2016 Mercedes-Maybach S600 is coming to American dealers this April.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
