Luxury with power and protection: the new Mercedes-Maybach Pullman

For years, the Mercedes Pullman was the flagship of limousine fleets for the elite, counting users like Elvis Presley, Coco Chanel and several German chancellors. The original Mercedes was named after the railway car that was a luxurious open-plan sanctuary for those who could pay for the privilege; now, Mercedes has come up with a car that puts even those old Pullman cars — both railway and automobile — to shame.

A replacement for the Maybach 57 and 62 models, the new 2015 Mercedes-Maybach Pullman comes in at 21.3 feet, longer than the old Pullman by a foot and a yard longer than the Cadillac Escalade ESV. It also stands almost 4 inches higher than the standard Mercedes S-Class and uses a twin-turbo V-12 cranking out 523 horsepower. Available in two versions, the non-armored Pullman comes in at about $566,000; the armored version for celebrities, heads of state and wealthy businessmen will probably start at around $1 million.

Whether a buyer prefers the armored or non-armored version, the car’s engine sets the tone from the beginning. Car and Driver noted, “It is supremely quiet and muscular, closely related to the AMG engine fitted in the ‘65’ models but with far more discreet manners.” Those who check out the inside will find that Daimler has equipped the Pullman with only the best: a passenger compartment with two seats facing forward and two fold-down seats facing toward the rear so those in back can talk to each other. The traditional bench seat is now two seats separated by a center console, and the rear-facing row is the same way although they will remove the rear-facing seats if requested.

Daimler refers to the passenger compartment as a “club lounge” and the moniker makes sense; the entire compartment is covered in leather from the seats to the door panels, consoles and even the headliner. The two front-facing seats can recline up to a 43.5 degree angle with extra padded headrests and embedded calf supports, and riders can see the car’s speed, time, and outside temperature by checking three analog gauges in the roof liner.

The German automaker improved the privacy of its occupants by setting the seats back behind the rear roof pillar; the Pullman also has privacy curtains as well as an electrically-operated partition between the driver and passengers that can go dark at the push of a button. An 18.5-inch monitor and premium Burmeister sound system complete the package.

Ola Källenius of the Daimler AG Management Board said that the Mercedes-Maybach Pullman is the embodiment of exclusivity, telling Autoweek, "One can sense the significance and greatness of it in every detail." The company has yet not revealed how many units it will produce; the Mercedes-Maybach Pullman will be available in Europe at the beginning of 2016, but negotiations are still in progress for US distribution.

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