2009 Maybach 57

• Overall
• Prices
• Performance
• Exterior
• Interior
• Safety
• Reliability

Interior - What the Auto Press Says

Inside, the 2009 Maybach 57 is one of the most luxurious automobiles ever built. It's also one of the most personalized, with dozens of possible color combinations and features available at the buyer's request. If a potential buyer is interested in an option the marque does not currently offer, Maybach will, in most cases, develop the requested feature, though such requests can take five months to fill and carry a significant price tag.

• "Though the Phantom and the 2009 Maybach 57 are similarly equipped, their executions seem worlds apart. Rather than the "old money" feel of a Rolls-Royce that harkens back to the days of empire and steamships, the Maybach has a decidedly "new money" European Union and spaceship flavor. For the well-heeled, we suspect deciding between them will largely depend on which approach appeals most." -- Edmunds
• "The Maybach's lavish rear accommodations are what separate it most from an S-class Mercedes. Here, you can recline the seat to an agreeable angle, sink your cranium deep into the pillow (stuffed with Andorran hummingbird feathers, or some such thing) that's strapped to the headrest, and fiddle with the 12 ambient lights." -- Car and Driver
• "In a $350,000 luxury car it's not as much about where the rubber meets the road as how the wood pleases the eye and the leather soothes the hand. Inside every Maybach you'll find something better described as woodwork than wood trim...and the softest, finest, most aesthetically scrumptious leather across which our off-the-rack chinos have ever had the privilege of sliding." -- Kelley Blue Book

Seating

The front seats of the Maybach 57, reviewers say, resemble those of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, with finer surfaces and a softer grain of leather.  The rear seats, however, are where most owners will spend time.  Fully power-adjustable with separate climate controls and entertainment screens for each seating position, those rear seats are exemplary - though some reviewers wonder why a buyer would not step up to the longer-wheelbase Maybach 62 at this price.

• "For their drivers, and the few owners who actually drive, the front quarters are nearly identical to the previous-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class, albeit with more upscale materials. In back, you'll find a pair of reclining and heated bucket seats separated by a center console (a three-place bench is an option) that houses controls for the rear dual-zone climate control and the standard DVD entertainment system. Other amenities include a refrigerator to chill a bottle of champagne, sterling silver champagne flutes and ceiling-mounted gauges that display time, speed and outside temperature." --  Edmunds
• "This car is about the back seat, which is why I can't imagine not popping for the ultralux 62" -- Car and Driver
• "The 57 S is as steady and solid as anything you'll drive well into the triple digits, although wind and road noise start to intrude at such speeds." -- Motor Trend

Interior Features

The list of available features for the cabin of the 2009 Maybach 57 is nearly too long to repeat.  The fine leather can be tanned in an array of colors, with contrasting piping available.  An array of exotic woods are also offered. 

• "Indulgent in its luxurious decadence, constructed like a leather-lined bank vault." -- Edmunds
• "The interior [of the Zeppelin edition] features a contrasting California beige and Stromboli black leather scheme, piano lacquer finish trim, a topstitched dash and door panels and lambskin carpets. A perfume atomizer is a $5,000 option on the Maybach Zeppelin." -- AutoWeek
• "What a Mercedes S-class buyer does get is much of the same switchgear as a Maybach owner does. Whether this will bother guys plunking down more than twice the cost of an S600, we can't say. We can say that all the switchgear works well and feels of high quality." -- Car and Driver
• "As many as 100 items inside the Maybach are trimmed in exotic woods. Available accessories include a luggage set, a sterling silver champagne goblet, a humidor and a golf bag, among other amenities." -- Cars.com
• "Every Maybach provides backseat passengers their own front seatback-mounted LCD displays, a TV tuner, DVD player, six-disc CD changer, a small refrigerated compartment, two sterling silver champagne flutes and a unique "cupholder" designed specifically for a bottle of champagne. Other standard features include four soft-close doors, four-zone climate control and an auto open/close trunk. An impressive list of features and can be outfitted to suit the tastes of any owner, so long as that person has deep enough pockets." -- Kelley Blue Book