Road Test: Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680

Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 drives so well that after a brief stint behind the wheel all ruminating about its charging system, U.S. infrastructure, and its considerable proportions and potential range is ended, washed away in waves of sheer admiration for its wieldy chassis, plush ride, interstellar acceleration, and exemplary human factors. Maybach 680 may weigh three tons and have the girth and length of America’s best-selling minivans, but it shrinks around its pilot like a tall sports sedan, its controls and movements an extension of self.

But the personal reverie that accompanies such subliminal man-machine connection is frequently interrupted by drivers giving chase, veering up on the gunwales to snap photos or shoot smartphone video. Those chasing don’t think you’re Ringo Starr or Paul McCartney circa 1965, surviving a hard day’s night. They want to see the 3-ton Maybach jellybean up close. If you’re an attention whore, Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 draws more onlookers than any supercar I’ve had in years, and I’ve pedaled a fair few good ones. Strange how fascination with technology has changed human consciousness.

Maybach 680 is a few inches shorter than a Toyota Sienna, but with a wheelbase that’s a half-foot longer thanks to packaging advantages of an EV powertrain. It’s not really a CUV, but it’s also not really a minivan, or station wagon, and certainly not a sedan. Critically, its front and rear electric motors generate 700 lb.-ft. of torque and the electric equivalent of 649 horsepower. For those who do not understand those two figures, that’s roughly two and a half times more torque and horsepower than the best minivan on the market. Ultra-Luxury Thruster Pod? Maybach 680 is a new species.

Despite its considerable length, Maybach 680 proved wieldy in the tight quarters of urban Los Angeles thanks to no less than 10 degrees of rear axle steering. That extreme angle is possible because of its well proven multi-link air suspension, which also gives the 680 its phenomenal ride quality. Most cars have perhaps 3 degrees of rear-wheel steering at parking speeds, or none at all. Never was I forced to perform a 5- or 7-point turn in tight quarters. It was all U-turns and an occasional perfectly executed 3-point turn. Maybach 680 may not spin on its own axis like a London taxi, but it can thread the needle in urban California.

Human factors are excellent, as one expects in a Mercedes. One can put it right on the money every…single…time. Of course, the suite of cameras and sensors helps, but one can park in tight quarters without relying on the screens.

Maybach 680 achieves that connection usually reserved for sports cars, the vehicle’s motions and dimensions understood on a subconscious level. No risky guesswork about where the front corners are, as in some other ultra-luxury EVs I’ve tested over the past year. Great credit goes to its architecture, and stubby hood.

Many might question the need for an obligatory mountain run in an ultra-luxury pod, but results were surprising. I blasted by a dawdler in a short passing lane, speeds rising extremely quickly. In the default Comfort setting, Maybach 680’s air suspension allowed a little too much body roll. But touch the Dynamics toggle on the central console, shift to Sport, and the 680 conquers mountain 2-lanes with confidence and style. I had to remind myself this vehicle is three tons and guide her with a gentle hand, saving the irresistible walloping acceleration till she was aimed down the next straight. I used the Normal regenerative braking setting to ensure smooth deceleration, to not upset the chassis.

My test car had the Maybach signature rear lounge seats, and multiple iPad-sized touchscreens. Drawing on their fascination with JPL and NASA, children stated that Maybach rear seats are perfect for any blast-off acceleration run, the finest in the known universe this side of Kepler-452b.

Front seats can accommodate people of considerable proportions. With the driver’s seat adjusted far beyond the setting for my six foot two+, my arms were at full extension, and working the pedals would have been awkward and strenuous. Many NBA guards and probably even a few NFL front lineman will fit, though for linemen perhaps Maybach should offer a super-reinforced driver’s seat to withstand a 300+ pounder climbing in and out, similar in concept to the seat frames used for law enforcement patrol cars.

Front seat squabs (bottom cushion) unfurl to offer under-thigh hamstring support to guys who are six foot six or taller. The seat drops or elevates in a wide range to suit big guys or petite women. The driving column also adjusts in a wide range.

When electric Maybachs are inevitably pressed into service as shuttle limos at high-end business hotels, the drivers will love the assignment. Maybach 680 is much easier to place in difficult scenarios than gas-powered black cars, and it has a far, far better ride thanks to multi-link air suspension front and rear. But the hotel’s black car courtesy fleet dispatcher must be mindful of its applications. A run from LAX to El Encanto Belmond in Santa Barbara will be easy, but the hotel will need to provide a rapid DC charger available for a 30-minute boost to the batteries.

Acceleration is extraordinary, as in every Mercedes EQ I’ve sampled. Maybach 680 has the Big Bertha front and rear motors of the EQS model line, and this 3-ton whisper-quiet limo will hit 60 mph in…4.1 seconds. Decades ago, I worked with a team exploring potential for a “hot rod” minivan, but the concept just didn’t work, packaging a V8 in a front-drive architecture proving impossible, and the supercharged V6 of the development hack simply not potent enough. Maybach EQS 680 is an ultra-luxe sport pod to please every man’s Inner Hooligan.

Negatives? Only one of any merit. The sidestep is not big enough for a properly sized man to place his foot without toes landing on the rocker cover, which leads to fumbling. The sidestep is fine for most women, children and dainty little fellas, but considering this car might come with a driver and a bodyman of robust proportions, making the step perhaps two inches deeper will suffice. A very easy hurry-up fix.

Otherwise, no negatives beyond the caveats that apply to all battery-electric vehicles at this stage of their evolution. Always leave the gates with a 100-percent overnight charge. Don’t travel too far afield, likely no more than 120 miles from home unless your destination has an operational and convenient DC charger. Middle- and long-distance pleasure trips are not advisable without the most carefully charted recharging oasis on the journey—better to take the gas-electric hybrid.

I’ve driven the AMG EQS sedan and now this Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680. EQS works so well, especially with the Maybach “elephant” electric motors, I wonder if Mercedes will offer a four-place convertible Maybach based on this engineering package. Top down, that EQS convertible would be the ultimate Southern California Dig-Me show-off car. If a vehicle’s merit comes down to owner enjoyment without consideration of tangential social, political and engineering arguments, well, Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 fits the needs of many of my fellow Californians.