There's just one problem with a car like the $200,000 Mercedes-Maybach S600 ultra-luxury limousine. Yes, it has V12 power and, yes, it has back seats in which you can stretch out for days and, yes, of course, it has an available champagne cooler.
But it can really only drive on roads. If you expect your chauffeur to take you straight up the side of a boulder strewn mountain, you're out of luck.
For that, Mercedes will soon be offering the Mercedes-Maybach G650 Landaulet.
The Mercedes-Maybach G650 looks like a monster truck on the outside and a smoking lounge on the inside. The back seats, swathed in perforated quilted leather, are the same as those in the S-class limousine. There are a variety of automated massage functions to choose from. The seats fully recline while a leg rest comes up to support your calves.
Should you wish to get some work done as your driver is fording a stream or maneuvering through dense stands of trees, leather-covered desks fold out from console between the rear seats. That console also houses heated and cooled cupholders to keep your beverages at just the right temperature.
Overhead, the rear passenger area is covered with a cloth roof that folds away at the push of a button. That way, the passengers can enjoy the open air while also enjoying their privacy. The driver and front passenger sit under with a hard roof while a glass partition, which can also be lowered at the press of a button, separates them from those in the back.
Mercedes-Maybach is Mercedes' ultra luxury division, producing vehicles intended to compete against the likes of Rolls-Royce and Bentley. Last November, Mercedes unveiled the Mercedes-Maybach S650 Cabriolet, a V12 convertible that is, to date, Mercedes' most expensive model. Prices for that car, of which only 300 will be made, start at about $320,000.
Mercedes is not saying, officially, how much the G650 Landaulet will cost but less luxurious versions of the G-class off-roader can cost well over $200,000. The G650, of which only 99 will be made, could reasonably be expected to cost a good bit more.
With nearly 18 inches of ground clearance and 630 horsepower, the G650 should be able go over lots of things. It will not, however, go over the Atlantic Ocean. The G650 will not be available in the United States.
