Luxury. Maybach 62 S and Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 Edition

Leonid GOLOVANOV, photos by DaimlerChrysler — In the United Arab Emirates, we sell about half of all Maybachs sold in the Middle East. And we believe that the potential of this market is far from exhausted... While Klaus Nesser, head of the Maybach division, says these words, a characteristic clatter weaves into the conversation: a helicopter with new guests flies up to the helipad attached to the roof of the neighboring sail-shaped hotel Burj Al Arab (a room there costs no less than a thousand dollars a night!). And consciousness switches off for a second, refusing to believe in the reality of this incredible Dubai luxury that has grown in a few years in the middle of lifeless sands. But the Maybach 62 S and the supercar Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 Edition, for which I flew to the Emirates, fit into this picture of the world absolutely organically. But allow me, you can't scare me with luxury. I live in Moscow, I've been to New York. Back in 1997, I saw a man-made indoor ski slope in Tokyo. And how many times have I stayed in huge Tokyo hotels built in just a few years on the artificial island of Odaiba, reclaimed from the sea!.. However, the usual appearance of an Arab country is usually mud-brick shacks along the roads, donkeys with carts, broken old pickups. Sand and biblical poverty. Here, until the early 70s, it was the most ordinary Arab country, until the great Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan united the free emirates into an indestructible union. He raised the Arabs for a just cause, inspired them to work and feats. And now their free fatherland is glorified, and I sit on the terrace of the fashionable Madinat Jumeirah hotel, on the site of which just five years ago there was sand washed by the waves of the Persian Gulf. Today it is a bizarre mixture of Venice and the Arab "Thousand and One Nights": a huge city of buildings stylized as castles, connected by paved alleys and canals along which gondolas glide. "What does the gentleman wish?" — two Filipinos in the lobby of the building dutifully rush to my feet. They already know that Russians are interested in only three things: spa, shopping, or a nightclub. But I am interested in the parking lot in front of the main entrance of the hotel — a place where Mercedes S-class and BMW "sevens" look like faceless "automotive oatmeal" against the background of Bentley Arnage, Ferrari F430, Porsche 911 Turbo or... Or next to the super sedan Maybach 62 S. Perhaps the Mercedes people did not waste hundreds of millions on reviving the "dead" Maybach brand? After all, this huge fish with the "oriental" design of Olivier Boulay, a pretentious chrome grille and an abundance of lighting jewelry looks "exclusive" even here, in the Arab oil and gas paradise! The number 62 is the rounded length of the car in decimeters. And the letter S means Spezial — a version with a boosted biturbo V12 engine that develops 612 horsepower instead of the usual 550. First, in 2005, the "short" Maybach 57 began to be produced in the "special" version, now it's the turn of the "long" one. And if the Maybach 57 S is positioned as a powerful car that the owner sometimes drives himself, then the Maybach 62 S... After all, this is a car for a hired chauffeur, isn't it? Why should I, an emir, pay extra for a boosted engine and a slightly retuned suspension for my driver? Especially since it's customary here to sit not in the back, but next to the driver, and you can't transport all your wives in one sitting! We'll find out now. My driver is a German, a sturdy man in a black uniform, with gloves and a cap with a gold band. Next to him sits a guide — a smiling, short-haired native Emirati, Saeed. And I, contrary to tradition, settle in the back. "Where shall we go — to the desert or to the neighboring emirate of Abu Dhabi? In the desert, I can show you roads where there are no radars"... What a question — of course, to the desert! The huge door seems to weigh half a ton — the driver carefully closes it, and then the power closer softly brings it to the seals. There is also a servo button on the ceiling that will close the door from start to finish — in case the servants hesitated. It's not proper to slam this heavy "gate" yourself! And inside... In every test, we evaluate the legroom for rear passengers — and almost every time we complain that it's not enough. Meanwhile, there is at least one passenger car in the world where this space is always sufficient and without any reservations. This is the Maybach 62! You don't even need to move the guide's seat forward. Let Saeed sit, half-turned to me, let him talk about his homeland. And I'll recline the lounger — and sink into a morning nap. After all, I must check what it's like for the owner of a Maybach 62 S to sleep on the move? Oh, good... About like in a business-class airplane seat. The backrest can be reclined, the headrest lowered to the stop, the footrest extended, and you can stretch out to your full length with pleasure, without fear that your feet will hit anything except this very footrest. And at this time, the head lies... No, it doesn't lie — it rests. On a special pillow made of the finest leather with some magical, elastic and at the same time soft padding. Moreover, the height and angle of the headrest can also be adjusted with a silent servo so that the head — and this, by the way, is the container of especially valuable gray matter that allowed its owner to earn $600,000 for the Maybach 62 S — rests peacefully in an optimal position without straining the neck muscles. — Do you see the construction of the Al Burj skyscraper to our right? In Arabic, it means "tower". Each floor is built in four days. They say it will be at least 560 meters high, but they will keep adding to it until it becomes higher than the skyscraper being built in Shanghai — up to a kilometer high! Actually, the construction of the century is poorly visible from my place — the curtains on the side windows interfere. The fact is that the Maybach retained the architecture of the Mercedes S-class, and the rear passenger is like in plain sight, unlike the competitor Rolls Royce Phantom with its massive rear pillars. Therefore, the Maybach cannot do without curtains on the windows. But the sliding curtain on the side window, which the servo folds into an accordion, still leaves about a third of the window closed, right in front of my nose. A flaw. It's somehow humiliating — I, a multimillionaire, have to look out the window by stretching my neck! But there is a view upward — through the transparent roof. This roof is magical. The huge window above your head can be closed, and intimate twilight will reign inside. And if the Maybach 62 is equipped with a "stationary" limousine partition between the passenger and driver compartments, then you can separate yourself from the driver with a rising glass — and make it opaque by pressing a special key. The glass in the partition is not simple, but electrochromic: when current is applied, it becomes opal-matte. Here, the curtains on the windows can do good service. The main thing is not to accidentally press the intercom button with any part of the body. However, the chauffeur should keep the secrets of his boss, shouldn't he? What am I talking about? Away, sinful thoughts! No intimacy offered!

The roof window here is also equipped with an electrochromic glass insert. The disadvantage is that it is not completely transparent, which makes the tops of palm trees and skyscrapers look as if in a haze. But there is also a plus: with a button, you can switch the glass to matte mode. And then both day and night (thanks to the built-in lighting), the same milky-white light pours from the ceiling. A very original solution! True, the grid of black lacquered partitions superimposed on the ceiling window is slightly confusing. What does it remind me of... A sky in a grid? A warning for the rich? Like, live for your pleasure, but don't forget: you shouldn't swear off prison or poverty!

The huge door, which houses three boxes with lids, can be closed by a servo — with a button on the ceiling. But the curtain on the window does not open completely...

Meanwhile, the fantastic views of Dubai's construction sites gave way to an endless desert crossed by a gray strip of asphalt. The roads in the UAE are almost like in America: straight, wide, and rather monotonous. The speed limit is 120 km/h, and cameras on low posts are often encountered. Fines, they say, are very severe. But...

— Here you can drive without fear. — Saeed's eyes sparkle with excitement. — There are no cameras or police on this road: verified!

Behind the wheel of the Maybach, you feel like in the previous generation S-class, pumped to the extreme. Chrome, leather... The gas and brake pedals are a bit stiff, but their travel is perfectly calibrated. You start quickly and smoothly, and the good old five-speed automatic shifts the long gears imperceptibly and infrequently — no wonder, with such a torque shelf of 1000 Nm.

But the Maybach "floats" on the road! And the steering wheel has to be constantly corrected — a little, but regularly. And this is not surprising: the basis of the Maybach's "mechanics" was laid back in the 90s, and the archaic "screw — ball nut" steering system passed to this monster from the "one hundred and fortieth" S-class. And even with the refined air suspension of the Spezial version, comfort remains the main thing in this car. Therefore, with a sharp turn of the steering wheel, the Maybach noticeably rolls and goes into an arc with a noticeable oversteer. At least the steering wheel doesn't "bite" during energetic rotation, as with the first Maybachs (see AR No. 22, 2002).

In short, driving the Maybach 62 S is not a pleasure, but rather a job. But if you accelerate...

Under full throttle, the Maybach 62 S gains speed like a jet airliner on takeoff — powerfully, quickly, and absolutely imperceptibly. You are slightly pressed into the leather seat back: as a passenger, you won't even spill champagne. It would be possible, by the way, to arrange such a test with Saeed and the driver sitting in the back, but Saeed doesn't drink alcohol: for Muslims in the Emirates, drunkenness gets three months in prison. So in the refrigerator between the rear seats, instead of champagne, there are just bottles of water.

What's on the odometer? Wow... You can't feel the speed at all. After 200 km/h, the Maybach stops wandering — and seems to freeze in the middle of the desert. All you can hear is the air outside hissing furiously, tearing and collapsing behind the long, streamlined body. But the acoustic protest of the air is quite well muffled by the almost centimeter-thick window glass. And while Said is chatting with the German in the back, I meditate on the asphalt ribbon, my relaxed hands resting on the heavy steering wheel. We're flying through the sands. The speedometer shows 260, but it feels like 60 km/h.

You asked what Gran Turismo is?

It's not a Ferrari. It's not a Lamborghini. It's not even a Mercedes. It's a Maybach 62. A car big and fast enough, with a spacious trunk for "grand touring." It has everything for a journey, like a business jet. Speed to keep up. Silence and smoothness to not notice distances. Finally, there's "music" and a DVD player (Bose brand, with rather mediocre sound) to keep you entertained. And most importantly — a full-fledged reclining lounge chair!

One thing is unclear: why do we, the emirs, need the "short" Maybach 57? Yes, we're used to riding in the front, next to the driver. But habits are a matter of time; soon we'll move to the back! And for driving yourself, there are completely different cars — no less expensive and far more "driver-oriented." For example, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition.

The numbers 722 — that's 7 hours 22 minutes, the start time and also the race number of the legendary crew of Moss and Jenkinson in the Mercedes SLR race car at the victorious Mille Miglia rally in 1955. We've talked about all this more than once — and we even know how the "regular" modern SLR drives.

This car is quite strange. On one hand — stunning looks, carbon fiber monocoque, racing double-wishbone suspension, a highly tuned 626-horsepower supercharged V8, composite brakes, and a top speed of 330 km/h. On the other — a regular "open" differential without self-locking and a five-speed automatic. The Mercedes folks themselves feel that the SLR doesn't thunder in the world of supercars. It doesn't have the aura of its predecessor, the McLaren F1. That's probably why the SLR 722 Edition appeared — a kind of "hot" SLR.

The recipe is simple: tuning! Weight reduction of 44 kg thanks to sound insulation removal and different forged wheels, "single-tube" Koni shocks instead of Bilstein dampers. A "rechipped" engine that, without increasing boost pressure (0.9 atm), develops 24 hp more. Larger Brembo brake discs with a modernized electro-hydraulic drive. For all this, including the beautiful 722 badges, red seat belts, and "racing" rough suede interior trim — about 5% of the car's price. And that price is, no more no less, 580 thousand euros. And don't grab your head: the entire limited series of 150 722 Edition supercars has already been sold out!

And I, lucky guy, without the usual million in my pocket, casually approach the dark graphite supercar, sink into the leather-covered carbon fiber "bucket" seat, and, even if on the second try, manage to slam shut the tight "guillotine" door.

In the Maybach, I glided silently and smoothly. But the SLR 722 shakes me on every seam of Dubai's asphalt. And the deep roar of the eight-cylinder "supercharger" almost deafens me — because instead of sound-absorbing mats underfoot, the bare carbon fiber of the monocoque gleams. And where did that uncertainty in the "near-zero" steering zone go, which surprised us in the "regular" SLR three years ago (see AR No. 24, 2003)? Where's the whine of the differential? Where did the braking problems at low speeds disappear?

The steering wheel of the SLR 722 Edition is wrapped in rough suede — "grippy" and good at absorbing treacherous sweat	The seats are based on carbon fiber racing "buckets," but with electric adjustments!
To "lay down" the needles, the 650-horsepower monster needs about half a minute	Badges of the special series 722: tuning...

And at high speeds?

Now Said isn't with me: there's no one to suggest a "safe" path. And the cameras — there they are, every couple of kilometers. I'm shaking in the cramped and noisy cockpit, wondering: why does the UAE need such a car if driving fast is prohibited?

The road leads to the neighboring Sultanate of Oman. The skyscraper frenzy of Dubai is left behind, but even here, in the hinterland, small villages with familiar one-story mud-brick houses alternate with something unusual — for example, fenced-off dunes where locals and tourists enthusiastically crawl in SUVs and race buggies and quad bikes. Oh, life is good in the UAE! And with their average annual income of 28 thousand dollars...

When we hit a section of bad road under repair, the SLR 722 gives a brutal shaking. Good thing none of the 150 cars produced have been ordered for Russia! By the way, the suspension of the "seven twenty-second" version with stiffer springs and Koni shocks was tuned by my old acquaintance, Chris de Bruyn, now the leading test engineer at Koni. He's the one who likes to "tighten" the shock absorber resistance on rebound so much that the car literally sticks to the road. But on poor surfaces or during emergency braking, this turns into a problem: during each suspension stroke, the "one-way" increased shock absorber resistance prevents the body from fully rising after the compression stroke, and the car "squats" lower and lower. Look how intensely the SLR 722 dives its nose during deceleration: the front suspension simply can't "straighten out" under load!

The Koni shocks on this car aren't ordinary ones, but from the new FSD line, with automatic valves that react to vibration frequency. The idea is that they should provide both precise handling and decent ride comfort. But, as with the VAZ "twelfth" we tested in 2006, comfort is out of the question here: the stiff rebound stroke turns the Mercedes SLR 722 into a real recorder, registering every bump.

But compared to the base Mercedes SLR, all rocking has disappeared, the steering has become heavier and more informative, and reactions are noticeably sharper. On a winding road in the low Omani mountains, the limit in corners is only my own fear. How tenaciously the SLR 722 holds the asphalt! And how fitting that the steering wheel of the "seven twenty-second" is wrapped in that rough racing suede — it perfectly absorbs sweat from the palms.

The SLR 722 goes into a slide more gently than the "regular" SLR three years ago. Back then, with stability control off, it was truly terrifying. Now it's quite tolerable.

However, turning off the stability system on this car is simply pointless. Without it, not only can you not achieve the claimed 3.6 seconds to 100 km/h — even just getting moving is extremely difficult. The rear wheels spin on the asphalt as if there's ice under them! Huge traction plus an "open" differential without locking — not a pleasant combination.

So a fast start without electronics is practically impossible. But with ESP on, everything is simple: hold the car with the brakes, add a little gas, release the left pedal — and a moment later, when the SLR squats and the huge rear wheels, almost thirty centimeters wide, find grip on the asphalt, smoothly press the accelerator. And — off we go...

The roar of the supercharged "eight" at full throttle becomes piercingly resonant. At first, the acceleration doesn't seem stunning, but... When the five-speed automatic shifts into fifth gear with a lightning-fast jolt, I look at the speedometer. And it's already 300 km/h.

And the acceleration doesn't stop! The needle keeps stubbornly creeping: 310, 320... The car gives 100% confidence — at speeds over three hundred, the SLR 722, despite the fine and frequent shaking, as if in air pockets, stands on the straight as if glued. I feel I can calmly change to the left lane, overtake a car going my way, return, and continue accelerating. After all, the claimed top speed of the 722 Edition version has increased by 3 km/h — from 334 to 337 km/h.

But better not to tempt fate. Let the road around be deserted and empty, but this is still not a test track.

Brake.

Behind, the spoiler instantly "opens" — it stands almost vertically, helping to dissipate the furious kinetic energy. Remember Einstein's formula — E=mc²? Okay, let's stick with Newtonian mechanics: E=mV²/2. Given: mass — 1724 kg, speed — 320 km/h... But the huge ceramic brakes don't care — they slow the SLR equally confidently from three hundred and from thirty kilometers per hour. And the world behind the glass regains its usual relationship of space and time.

Superb! The Mercedes SLR 722 Edition is an example of excellent factory tuning. But why so expensive? Is it really just for reprogramming control units, changing springs and shocks, that you need to pay an extra 30 thousand euros?

The SLR 722 Edition brakes "to the floor" from about 200 km/h: the spoiler is raised to a maximum angle of 65°, the stiff "on rebound" suspension presses the front end to the asphalt. Deceleration — over 1.3 g!

Actually, this money includes 100 hours of aerodynamic wind tunnel testing, thanks to which the 722 version got a carbon fiber 'splitter' lip under the front bumper. And most importantly — if you compare this with the 80,000 euro surcharge for the Spezial version of the Maybach 62, it doesn't seem so expensive after all...

Not expensive? With Russian prices of 580,000 euros for the Mercedes SLR and 665,000 euros for the Maybach 62 S?

Has the world gone mad?

No, everything is fine, the skyscrapers of Dubai, rising from the sands, silently confirm. It's just that there is a lot of money in the world now. It needs to be spent on something. Some, like in the Emirates, invest it in construction — billions from oil and liquefied gas sales go into fantastic skyscraper projects, giant hotels, indoor ski slopes, or artificial islands with multi-million-dollar villas. Soon, Dubai will even have a high-speed metro with automatic cars accelerating to 110 km/h. Moscow looks poor, gray, and very provincial after all this.

And others buy automotive luxury.

By the way, a 'Formula' track will soon appear in the UAE — in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. And the Mercedes SLR 722 Edition was created precisely to participate in track days from time to time.

There are no tracks in Moscow — and, apparently, there won't be any in the near future. But that didn't stop the sale of seven SLR supercars in 'standard' specification over three years. And Maybachs — many more: 45 cars, about two-thirds of which are in the long-wheelbase version 62.

Should we be happy about this or outraged? Should we sympathize with Mercedes people that global demand for Maybach is lower than expected — instead of the planned thousand cars a year, 'only' 300-400 Maybachs are sold — or should we gloat? How will this extravaganza of luxury end? With a global crisis, bursting bubbles — or, on the contrary, with a rise in living standards worldwide to the Emirates level? What is the norm — wealth or poverty?

Allah knows...

Specifications
Parameters	Vehicle
	Maybach 62	Maybach 62 S
Length, mm	6165	6165
Width, mm	1980	1980
Height, mm	1573	1573
Wheelbase, mm	3827	3827
Track front/rear, mm	1675/1695	1675/1695
Body type	4-door sedan	4-door sedan
Trunk volume, l	605	605
Curb weight, kg	2780	2780
Gross weight, kg	3380	3380
Engine	gasoline, with distributed fuel injection
Number and arrangement of cylinders	12, V-shaped	12, V-shaped
Displacement, cm³	5513	5513
Compression ratio	9.0:1	9.0:1
Number of valves	36	36
Max power, hp/kW/rpm	550/105/5250	612/450/4800
Max torque, Nm/rpm	900/2300—3000	1000/2000
Transmission	automatic, 5-speed
Gear ratios
I	3.59	3.59
II	2.19	2.19
III	1.41	1.41
IV	1.00	1.00
V	0.83	0.83
reverse	3.16	3.16
final drive	2.82	2.82
Drive	rear-wheel drive
Front suspension	independent, air, double wishbone, with stabilizer
Rear suspension	independent, air, multi-link, with stabilizer
Brake system	electro-hydraulic
Front brakes	disc, ventilated
Rear brakes	disc, ventilated
Tires	275/50 R19	275/45 R20
Maximum speed, km/h	250*	250*
Acceleration time 0—100 km/h, s	5.4	5.2
Fuel consumption (combined cycle), l/100 km	15.9	16.4
Fuel tank capacity, l	110	110
* Electronically limited

Specifications
Parameters	Vehicles
	Mercedes SLR McLaren	Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 Edition
Length, mm	4656	4656
Width, mm	1908	1908
Height, mm	1261	1251
Wheelbase, mm	2700	2700
Track front/rear, mm	1638/1569	1638/1569
Engine	gasoline, supercharged with two intercoolers
Location	front, longitudinal, within the wheelbase
Number and arrangement of cylinders	V8	V8
Displacement, cm³	5439	5439
Cylinder bore/piston stroke, mm	97.0/92.0	97.0/92.0
Compression ratio	8.8:1	8.8:1
Number of valves	24	24
Max power, hp/kW/rpm	626/460/6500	650/478/6500
Max torque, Nm/rpm	780/3250—5000	820/4000
Drive	rear-wheel drive
Transmission	automatic, 5-speed
Gear ratios
I	3.56	3.56
II	2.19	2.19
III	1.41	1.41
IV	1.00	1.00
V	0.83	0.83
reverse	3.17/1.93	3.17/1.93
final drive	3.06	3.06
Front suspension	independent double wishbone, coil spring, with stabilizer
Rear suspension	independent double wishbone, coil spring
Brakes	electro-hydraulic, with ABS
Steering	rack and pinion, power assisted
Steering ratio/turns lock to lock	12.6/2.2	12.6/2.2
Tires (wheels)
front	245/40 ZR18 (9Jx18)	255/35 ZR19 (9Jx19)
rear	295/35 ZR18 (11.5Jx18)	295/30 ZR19 (11.5Jx19)
Minimum turning circle, m	12.2	12.2
Curb/gross weight, kg	1693/1933	1649/1940
Trunk volume, l	272	272
Maximum speed, km/h	334	337
Acceleration time, s
0—100 km/h	3.8	3.6
0—200 km/h	10.6	10.2
0—300 km/h	28.8	28.0
Fuel consumption (combined cycle), l/100 km	14.5	—*
Fuel tank capacity (reserve), l	97.6 (12)	97.6 (12)
* No data