Review: Maybach W240 57 (2004-10)

Overview

Released in Australia March 2004, the Maybach W240 57 was a prestige saloon. Manufactured in Sindelfingen, Germany, the rear-wheel drive Maybach 57 was powered by a 5.5-litre twin turbocharged V12 petrol engine that was mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. In June 2006, however, the 57 S was introduced – it was powered by a 6.0-litre twin turbocharged V12 engine and had a firmer suspension tune.

The Maybach brand was created by DaimlerChrysler AG (now Daimler AG) to compete with Rolls-Royce and Bentley. As such, the Maybach 57 – and the closely-related Maybach 62 – were based on the Mercedes-Benz W140 S-Class, with the model names referring to the length of the vehicles in decimetres (6160 mm and 5723 mm, respectively).

Engine

For the Maybach 57, the 5.5-litre M285 E55 V12 petrol engine had an aluminium block and cylinder head, aluminium-silicon (silitec) lined cylinders, facture-split forged steel connecting rods, twin turbochargers providing maximum boost pressure of 1.3 bar (18.9 psi), a single overhead camshaft (per cylinder bank), three valves per cylinder, twin-speak ignition, four knock sensors and a compression ratio of 9.0:1.

For the Maybach 57 S, the 6.0-litre M275 E60 V12 petrol engine differed in that it had air-to-liquid intercoolers and the twin turbochargers provided maximum boost pressure of 1.52 bar (22.1 psi).

Dimensions and suspension

The Maybach 57 was 5728 mm long, 1980 mm wide, 1557 mm tall and had a 3390 mm long wheelbase. Furthermore, the 57 had double wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension with Mercedes-Benz’s ‘AIRMATIC DC’ electronically-controlled air springs and Adaptive Damping System (‘ADS’) which automatically adjusted the shock absorber damping according to road conditions.

Safety equipment

Standard safety equipment for the Maybach 57 included dual front airbags, front and rear side airbags, full-length curtain airbags, ABS, electronic brake force distribution, brake assist, electronic stability control, traction control and front and outer rear seatbelts with pretensioners and load limiters.

The Maybach 57 was also fitted with ‘Sensotronic Brake Control’ (SBC); in emergency situations, SBC could instantly increase braking pressure in the brake lines so that they could provide maximum braking force when the brake pedal was depressed.

Features

Standard features for the Maybach 57 included 19-inch alloy wheels, COMAND APS (Cockpit Management and Data Auto Pilot System) with a 21 speaker sound system, six-disc CD changer, DVD player and satellite navigation system, four-zone climate control air conditioning, eighteen-way power adjustable front seats, fourteen-way power adjustable rear seats, ventilated front seats, heated front and rear seats, driver’s seat massage function, leather upholstery, cruise control with radar detection (‘Distronic’), bi-xenon headlights with washers, front fog lights, automatic headlights, rain-sensing wipers, reversing camera, rear parking sensors, a wood/leather steering wheel, voice recognition (‘Linguatronic’), remote central locking, power windows, power mirrors with heating and folding functions, a power adjustable steering column (for height and reach), automatically dipping mirrors on reverse, a power sunroof, car phone, television tuner, trip computer and an immobiliser.

The 57 S was further equipped with 20-inch alloy wheels, front parking sensors and Alcantara headlining. Visually, the 57 S could be identified by its monochrome paint job in black or silver, modified front section with an ‘enhanced’ radiator grille, revised rear valance, muffler with two integrated and redesigned tailpipes.

Related links

• Wikipedia.org: Maybach 57 and 62