I don’t keep up with the gossip columns and the society pages, so this one kind of took me by surprise. I’ve seen a few Maybached S-Class saloons and limos, and I’d heard about the GLS version, but a Maybach van? What kind of a coked-up superstar / Middle-Eastern prince / post-Soviet oligarch wet dream is this?
This particular Maybach is not exactly a production model. There are many types of high-rolling V-Class vans, but they’re usually not sporting the full-on Maybach regalia. The two-tone paintwork. The gaudy grille. The hood ornament. The huge chromed rims.
It even has an extra Maybach emblem on the D-pillars for good measure. But in the end, the brightwork can all be tacked on by any semi-competent custom car shop. It’s just a matter of getting a hold of the relevant bits of bling, which cannot be that difficult.
But on the other hand, if it were that easy, would there not be more of these around? The external bits and bobs are one thing. But I bet the real money’s inside, in that rear compartment. And there was no telling what that looked like from the outside…
What this is, essentially, is a very nicely appointed leather-upholstered living room on four wheels. There are a few similar vehicles online, so this is not a complete one-off. The typical seating arrangement is a four-chair type of deal, usually facing each other with a table – perfect for tea and a few rubbers of bridge on the go. That’s what the kids are keen on these days, I’m told.
Prices quoted on the Internets for something similar to our feature van hover between US$250,000-400,000. And you thought G-Wagen prices were nuts. I wonder why nobody has Maybached a G-Wagen, by the way. Probably shouldn’t write stuff like that, it might become true. Ah, who am I kidding, it probably already exists.
So this is a hard, long sneering guffaw from me about this vaingloriously vajazzled V-Class. Nothing wrong with getting a seriously pimped-out Benz van with all mod cons (and more) inside, but the vulgarity of the Maybach add-ons is just a tad nouveau-riche for my palate.
Looks like it could almost be a real Maybach, There are only two things that give it away.
1.It’s not a crossover. if Maybach really made such a thing, they would hop on the crossover bandwagon and not make something unique like a super-lux minivan.
2.The rubber band tires and Autozone clearance rack rims look too aftermarket.
Wheels look like standard Maybach rims. Germans never were very good at taste – or maybe that’s uncharitable and they are very good at knowing how little taste their customers have (compared to Rolls Royce customers for instance)
As a van (as opposed to pickup) fan, I love it. I could just see finding a used on, pulling the back seats and using it to travel to re-enactments in style.
In charity, it may well be the case that “taste” and “waste” were transposed in the translation to Japanese, but that is probably to clutch at straws. And to charity, or decency – or, indeed, straws, or clutches – this type of creation has very little likely connection.
New Mercedes V-class – a van so clever that not only can it make a delivery to the nouveau-riche, but of them.
“I wonder why nobody has Maybached a G-Wagen, by the way. Probably shouldn’t write stuff like that, it might become true. Ah, who am I kidding, it probably already exists.”
Why, yes it does:
https://www.mercedes-benz.com/en/vehicles/passenger-cars/g-class/the-new-mercedes-maybach-g-650-landaulet/
In China, vans have largely replaced limos as the executive transport of choice, with top-tier interiors. And why not? There’s a lot more room inside. it’s like an executive jet on wheels.
I rather suspect that that’s what this one is about too. Not likely to be hauling kiddies in the back.
I think a Maybach van actually makes sense. Maybachs are all about luxury for the rear seat passengers, and vans have far more room (and isn’t having room a luxury in itself?) for creating luxury than a sedan does.
I realize that I am a bit late to this conversation, but imagine someone doing this with a Chevy Express and bits and pieces (grille and wheels, for instance) from a Cadillac Escalade?