If you have to ask how much, you can't afford the RM 2 mil price - 2022 Mercedes-Maybach S580 (Z223)

Out-luxing a Mercedes-Benz S-Class is a monumental task, but like all monumental tasks it can be solved with boatloads of money: which is where this 2022 Mercedes-Maybach S580 (Z223) stands, now available to Malaysians who have north of RM 1,928,815.76 to spend, to be exact.

That’s just where it starts, bound to grow with each tick of the available options that’s enough to make indecisive folk squirm. There’s an extensive colour palette – including choices where hand-applied double clear coat can be specified for a more lustrous finish, as well as varying wheel choices.

Making it a better chauffeur-driven S-Class is its 3,396 mm wheelbase, a good 180 mm longer than the recently-launched S580e’s. It’s larger in other aspects too:

The difference in dimensions means even the rear doors are bespoke, with the door lines cutting across the rear three-quarter window. As part of the gesture-controlled MBUX Interior Assist package, these are powered, which can be opened and closed via buttons accessible to the passengers and driver.

Business-class flight, on the roads

Once on-board, there’s a larger cabin to be enjoyed thanks to the wheelbase stretch, dedicated exclusively to the rear portion. Standard fare are individually-adjustable captain seats, with heating, cooling, and multicontour massage functions for that peak hedonistic touch.

There’s also the brilliant ambient lighting system, and picking up where the “regular” S-Class left off, the Maybach S580 comes with four infotainment screens as standard, compared to the base car’s pair.

Front and centre sits a 12.8-inch display, next to it, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a pair of 11.6-inch rear-seat entertainment monitors, and the fifth is a tablet that docks in the rear centre console.

All of these are linked through the Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) interface.

Go to match the show

Though active road noise compensation and the Burmester 3D audio system might not give the full picture, Maybach still hasn’t forgotten the little bit of fun for the chauffeur: behind the vertical grille sits a 4.0-litre V8 with EQ boost mild hybrid technology.

4Matic all-wheel drive (AWD) and a 9-speed automatic gearbox should put all 503 PS and 700 Nm down to the tarmac effectively.

Comfort and safety

Facilitating comfort within the Mercedes-Maybach S580 is its Airmatic air suspension, and its Dynamic Select modes allow one to put the luxobarge in Maybach mode: think of it as the road-smoothening equivalent of your smartphone’s ultra-fake selfie camera filter.

Four-wheel steering and E-Active Body Control - the latter which uses a stereo camera to scan the road, smoothen undulations, and can even raise the car in the event of a lateral collision - are standard fits on the Malaysian-spec Maybach S580.

On the safety front, a there's numerous airbags (including the rear seat ones), Pre-Safe and Driving Assistance packages, and up to Level 3 autonomous driving features via the car’s Drive Pilot system.

Looks nice, but is there an SUV?

For the one percenters who can afford this, it’s probably peak sedan - but what if a SUV is what you prefer? That’s a job for the Mercedes-Maybach GLS, also launched today, and you can read all about it here.