2002 MAYBACH 62 (V240) 5.5L V12 5AT (550 HP)

Vehicle Overview

In the early 2000s, Mercedes-Benz revived the old, ultra-luxury, brand, Maybach. It tried to make it a direct competitor with Rolls Royce and Bentley. The Maybach 62 was the top model.

Maybach used to be one of the most luxurious vehicles built in Germany before WWII. Their main expertise was in engines and transmissions and that is why the company mostly sold chassis with engines, transmissions, and dashboards to be bodied by independent coachbuilders. In 2002, Mercedes-Benz relaunched the Maybach brand with two vehicles: 57 and 62. The numbers were according to the length of the vehicles, expressed in meters. The 62 was the longer version, with more features and a bigger price-tag.

The exterior of the car resembled the design of another successful luxury car: the S-Class. The headlights were different, with a specific twin-lights design. The grille had a similar shape to that of an S-Class, but with vertical slats. Unlike the S-Class, the Maybach 62 featured an additional glass area behind the rear doors. But the biggest differences were inside.

For the driver, there was a comfortable vehicle at the same level as an S-Class. In the rear, it was a different story. The luxurious vehicle featured two seats with a refrigerator between them. The electrically adjustable individual seats allowed more support for the legs, just like in an airplane at Business Class.

Under the hood, there was a 5.5-liter twin-turbo engine with 12 cylinders. Since the total output of the engine was too high for the newly developed 7G-Tronic gearbox, the Maybach 62 featured an older, but tougher, 4-speed automatic gearbox.