Ultra-luxury cars are generally not built to provide an exciting driving experience for their owners, but rather an intensely smooth one. These vehicles, offered by top-line marques such as Rolls-Royce and Bentley in the form of luxury cruisers like the Phantom and Flying Spur, are designed with passengers in mind, and thus are equipped with plush rear cabins that offer all the comfort and convenience needed for their important VIPs.

• 

  
  2008 Maybach 57
  

  Base MSRP

  $343,250

  Base Trim Engine

  5.5L V12 Gas

  Base Trim Drivetrain

  Rear-Wheel Drive

  Base Trim Horsepower

  543 hp

  Base Trim Torque

  664 lb-ft @ 2300-3000 rpm

  Base Trim Curb Weight

  6,050 lbs

  Engine

  5.5L V12 Gas

  Fuel Economy

  10/16 MPG

  Expand

• 

  
  2008 Maybach 62
  

  Base MSRP

  $394,250

  Base Trim Engine

  5.5L V12 Gas

  Base Trim Drivetrain

  Rear-Wheel Drive

  Base Trim Horsepower

  543 hp

  Base Trim Torque

  664 lb-ft @ 2300-3000 rpm

  Base Trim Curb Weight

  6,340 lbs

  Engine

  5.5L V12 Gas

  Fuel Economy

  10/16 MPG

  Expand

They demand a huge amount of cash for the privilege of owning them as a consequence, though depreciation doesn’t discriminate. Once-revered luxury cruisers like the Maybach 57 and 62 were on the market for well over $300,000, but owners would be lucky to get a sixth of that today when they try to sell it.

The Maybach 57 And 62 Were Developed To Take The Fight To Rolls-Royce

The story of the Maybach goes all the way back to the start of the 21st century, when BMW-owned Rolls-Royce unveiled its new Phantom halo model. By this point, BMW and Mercedes-Benz had battled to win the luxury limo sector with its 7-Series and S-Class models, though the latter didn’t have a horse in the ultra-luxury market. Wanting to ensure BMW didn’t have the market largely to itself, Mercedes-Benz established the long-dead Maybach brand in 2002 to take on Rolls-Royce.

With the Phantom available in standard and extra-long wheelbase form, Maybach also decided to make two versions of its ultra-luxury contender. Named the 57 and 62, their names reflecting the length of the vehicle in decimeters, the former was designed with drivers in mind due to its shorter length, while the longer 62 was designed for owners that wanted to be chauffeured everywhere. Both used the underpinnings of the S-Class as a base, though the interior and exterior were jazzed up considerably to appeal to their higher-brow target market. Having first entered production in 2002, both were constructed until 2013, when the Maybach name was retired as a standalone brand once more due to struggling sales.

It lives on as a range-topping trim line for Mercedes’ modern S-Class.

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The Maybach Twins Took It To The Phantom In Terms Of Price

The Maybach 62, in particular, was more of a first-class lounge than a car cabin, especially in the back. Both rear seats could be fully reclined so that their users could get some sleep, while a pair of 9.5-inch TV screens boasted a DVD player and a TV receiver, and were connected to a Dolby surround-sound system. Available as an option was an electro-transparent roof, meaning it could morph from being completely opaque to transparent at the push of a button thanks to liquid crystals that reacted to electric pulses. A quad-zone climate control setup ensured the chauffeur could keep all of his passengers happy, should the Nappa-covered seats not provide enough comfort on their own.

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Having all this kit would cost you though, with the base 57 coming in at $300,000 when it was new, while the 62 was $350,000. With options included, it could easily exceed $400,000. This positioned them on either side of the Phantom, which started from $320,000 in the US, and featured a similarly luxurious interior.

The Maybach Twins Didn’t Lack Grunt

The 57 and 62 weren’t all show and no go either, as both came with a twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V12 powerplant that produced 543 hp. This grunt was sent to the rear wheels via a five-speed automatic transmission, the two elements working together to get the lighter 57 to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds. Considering the behemoth weighed in at over 6,000 pounds, it was a bit of a sleeper.

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Air Suspension Ensured It Could Also Deal With Bends Effectively

Maybach’s spare-no-expense approach was further illustrated by the 57 and 62’s active air suspension system, which could dial itself in to whatever situation the car found itself in. When cruising around town, it could iron out all the bumps and ripples that you’d find on normal peasant roads, but when finding itself on a smooth racetrack, it could stiffen up and ensure the car remained level when cornering and braking aggressively. Its onboard computer could alter the amount of braking force on each wheel to optimize braking performance.

Maybachs Haven’t Held Their Value Well

High-end luxury cars never hold their value well, and the Maybach range offers a ringing endorsement of this. According to Classic.com, a site that collates auction listings from around the world, the current average sale price of a 57 is just $64,548. This is around a sixth of its new price, and the 62 fares little better with an average sale price of $79,515, nearly $300,000 down on its MSRP.

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When you take into account some of the cheaper examples, you could expect to get all the luxury and performance offered by a 57 for less than a base-spec 2025 BMW 3 Series. This price drop doesn’t even take into account inflation, as a 2003 57 would cost $520,000 today at adjusted prices. The larger 62 would have cost a shade over $600,000 if it were released today, without options. Some higher-mileage examples, such as this 2005 57 with just over 51,000 miles on the clock sold via Mecum Auctions, are selling for well under $40,000.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Fares Much Better

While Maybachs have tumbled in value over the years, the Rolls-Royce Phantom hasn’t suffered quite the same level of depreciation. Classic.com reports that the average sale price of a Phantom VII currently stands at $132,608, with even earlier examples going for around $100,000 with lower mileages. Even cars with more miles on the clock, such as a 2007 example with 66,000 miles on the odometer, was offered by Autosport Group for $88,000. When adjusted for inflation, early Phantoms would have cost $554,000 new today, a decent chunk ahead of the current models’ $503,000 starting MSRP.

This is despite the Phantom coming with a less powerful 6.75-liter naturally aspirated V12 powerplant under its expansive hood, which only provided 446 hp to the Roller’s rear wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission. It was lighter though, with its 5,622-pound curb weight allowing it to stroll past the 60 mph mark in 5.7 seconds, just half a second down on the 57.

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The Phantom’s More Intricately Designed Cabin Helps It To Preserve More Value

There are a couple of reasons for this large discrepancy in value between the Phantom, which is currently the most expensive mass-produced car on sale, and Maybach models. Firstly, the Phantom’s cabin is designed to be more classically luxurious, the brand electing not to rely on technology like Maybach did. Of course, it doesn’t resemble any BMW interior either, while its Mercedes roots are readily apparent in the Maybach. This makes the Phantom’s cabin more timeless, helping to preserve its value. Rolls-Royce also has a stronger and longer-standing heritage than Maybach.

From a pure performance and equipment aspect, the cheaper Maybach is comfortably the better used deal when it comes to this ultra-luxury war. There is the chance it could leave you feeling colder than the Phantom due to its more tech-oriented cabin and S-Class-like styling, but only you can decide whether the more special-feeling Rolls is worth the extra outlay.

Sources: Maybach, Rolls-Royce.