Imagine we give you the finest suit from Dolce & Gabbana and $3,000 Salvatore Ferragamo Single Monk-Strap shoes and tell you to walk right into a moist and muddy forest. Will you?! No right! And it sounds stupid too. Well, Maybach once made an automobile for the above stupid scenario that didn't flinch on going into a moist and muddy forest, and it still baffles us.
Enter the Mercedes-Maybach G650 Landaulet. It was a Mercedes-Benz G-Class underpinned by the same chassis used in the mental 6X6 and the suspension and axle layout from the 4X4 Squared and packing a beastly V12 engine. But most importantly, it was the first-ever SUV with a Maybach badge, and it was insanity. Maybach gave it a Landaulet roof structure for the second-row seats which were technically inspired by the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
And so, if you look at the bigger picture, the G650 Landaulet was a glorified Frankenstein made with various top-spec Mercedes-Benz offerings that carried a half-a-million dollar price tag back in 2018. We are not sure what the people at Maybach were smoking at the time, but it sure did make a dent in the luxury world of automobiles. And we doubt there will be another insane creation like this Maybach. Even LeBron James has one of these insanities in his wicked car collection.
Of all the firsts they could make, Mercedes-Maybach decided to do a glorified convertible of the legendary G-Class for their first-ever SUV.
This Maybach's Hard Top-Soft Top Combo Is Called A Landaulet
The term Landaulet is generally used for a sedan that has a hybrid roof with the rear half being able to fold away for a convertible experience. It is technically fusing a hard top and soft top onto one roof. This body style was particularly famous during the first half of the 20th century with most taxicabs flaunting this style. The earliest known specimens included the Austin 12/4 and the Checker Model G. In the 20th century it was mostly used by popes and presidents for their rallies so that their people/fans/supporters could get a good view of them.
The latest known examples include the Peugeot 607 and the Maybach 62 Landaulet. That makes the Mercedes-Maybach G650 Landaulet the sole production model with this radical body style. As for the rest of its styling, this Maybach is a Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6X6 that let go of its middle axle and wheels. The boxy design of the G-Class weirdly blended in well with the soft-top for the rear half.
Second-Row Seats Offered Wind-Infused Opulence
We all know that Maybachs are land yachts with the absolute best of luxury and comfort. Well, the G650 Landaulet took things up a notch by opening up "a new world of luxury". The front row seats are akin to that of any normal G-Class albeit with loads of luxury touches.
But it is the modified second-row seats that talk serious luxury. Under the soft-top layer are two extending seats taken right off the S-Class. This lavish section is again separated from the front row via a partition glass which has an electrochromatic feature to vary the opacity level.
The open-top luxury affair is dialed up for the second row with massaging seats, temperature-controlled cup-holders, folding tables, and two 10-inch infotainment screens with a fair share of connectivity functions. The individual seats are wrapped in the finest leather flaunting diamond stitching and a two-tone layout.
The second-row seats also get an individual center console which houses the air vents for the climate control system and also hides the tables that we talked about earlier. As for the retractable soft top, it could be had with three color options and a click of a button is all it takes to elevate your Maybach experience to the outside world.
Mercedes-Maybach G650 Landaulet's "Other" Interior Was All G-Class
The front row was a whole different world in the Mercedes-Maybach G650 Landaulet. It was comparatively normal and deployed parts straight from a standard G-Class of the time, albeit with subtle Maybach touches. There was a sense of luxury here too, but it's puny compared to what the second-row housed. The technology bits were also unchanged and there were traces of carbon fiber on the center console to remind us of its sturdy and sporty origin.
Mercedes-Maybach G650 Landaulet Was A Very Capable SUV
The wildest aspect of this luxury Maybach was not the extravagance put forth in its second row. It was the insane underpinnings that made it as capable as it is luxurious. Maybach took the chassis of the AMG G63 6X6, removed the middle axle, and combined it with the portal axles of the 4X4 Squared. Combine this layout with the twin coil-over shocks on each of those chunky wheels and the G650 Landaulet sat 18-inches higher than the ground.
The fenders were made of carbon fiber which added to its rigidity. All of these bits made the first luxury SUV from Maybach more than just a shiny tuxedo-clad G-Class. And powering this tall-riding Maybach was a twin-turbocharged 6.0-Liter V12 motor churning out 621 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque. This engine was also seen in the Mercedes-Benz G65 AMG and also the Mercedes-Maybach S600 sedan.
Mercedes-Maybach G650 Landaulet Was Limited To Just 99 Units
The chances of you seeing one of these insane Maybach G-Class convertibles are pretty slim as Mercedes made just 99 of them and there wasn't technically a marketing team for it! Upon launch in 2018, the Mercedes-Maybach G650 Landaulet was priced over the $500,000 mark. And this wild Maybach sells for an average of $1.5 million today. Insane price for a more insane luxury convertible SUV!
Sources: Mercedes-benz.com