STUTTGART: It’s the 50th anniversary of the highly acclaimed Pullman variant Mercedes-Benz debuted in 1965 and to mark its return, it will debut as a Mercedes-Maybach Pullman S600 in Geneva.
It was announced in 2011 that Maybach would cease to be a brand by 2013 due to poor sales with only 3,000 units sold since Daimler revived the brand in 2002.
However, the brand is back as of last year and is Mercedes-Benz’s ultra-luxury range that uses the S600 as its platform and the price for a non-armoured version starts at roughly 500,000 Euros (RM2.2mil) before climbing upwards thanks to a vast range of individualization options.
With a wheelbase of 4,418mm, the range-topping Mercedes-Maybach Pullman S600 stands 6,499mm-long (1,053mm longer than the standard Mercedes-Maybach S-Class) and 1,598mm-tall (100mm taller than a standard S-Class).
The latest Pullman is uses a 5,980cc twin-turbo V12 engine with 519bhp and 830Nm of torque from 1,900rpm.
The 6.5m stretched Pullman will stand above the current Mercedes-Maybach S600 with more than ample legroom.
And much like past Pullmans, a total of four occupants can be seated facing each other in a compartment with an electrically operated partition window or the owner may opt to just have two seats.
The leather-clad seats (and interior) can have special adjustment kinematics that allow the backrest to be adjusted separately while the footwell and seat reference point remain unchanged.
The cushion can be adjusted separately, with inclination and horizontal adjustment combined.
For the executive seats, the maximum backrest angle is 43.5 degrees and the most upright backrest position is 19 degrees.
The reclining seats also feature calf support, which is freely adjustable for length and angle, while the head restraints come with an extra cushion as standard.
Further improvements include larger rear doors and the position of the passengers on the executive seats, which is even further to the rear.
As standard touches of Maybach, there are three analogue instruments in the roof liner that inform rear-seated passengers of the outside temperature, speed and time.
The glass partition wall can be lowered electrically and can change from transparent to opaque at the touch of a button for added privacy and comes in standard-fit 16:9 format with an 18.5-inch monitor.
Two sound systems are available for choice – both from Burmester with the standard system being trumped by the high-end 3D Surround Sound System.
It is currently undecided if this model will be available in the US.
Over the decades, governments, rulers and royal families from around the world have preferred to be ferried by a Mercedes-Benz Pullman that would be considered befitting of their status.
The name Pullman was originally applied to railway carriages with luxurious open-plan compartments manufactured by the American Pullman Palace Car Company.
This name was soon also applied to the motorcars from Mercedes-Benz, which were based on an extremely long wheelbase and offered a very generously sized passenger compartment.
Keyword: Mercedes-Maybach Pullman headed for Geneva