2008 Maybach 62

The Maybach 62 is the largest production sedan on the market. As its name implies, the car is 6.2 meters long (244 inches) -- dwarfing the smaller Maybach 57 and even the Rolls-Royce Phantom. At 150.7 inches, the 62's wheelbase is a whopping two feet longer than that of a Mercedes S-Class.

But length isn't the 62's only incredible measurement. At 6,340 pounds, the car's hulking weight necessitates a 6.0-liter V12 engine producing 543 horsepower at 5250 rpm and 664 pound-feet of torque between 2300 rpm 3000 rpm. As a result, the sprint to 62 mph takes just over five seconds.

Several technologies from parent company Mercedes-Benz have been improved and carried over to the Maybach 62. These include: the electrohydraulic braking system Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC), Linguatronic voice control, the electronically controlled air suspension system Airmatic DC (Dual Control), the operating and display system Command APS, and the automatic emergency call system Teleaid.

Numerous high-quality materials are used in the car's interior, including more than 100 hand crafted and fitted items of fine wood trim. Maybach customers have a choice of six Grand nappa leather colours and three types of fine wood.

A range of 17 paint finishes is available for the exterior. Any of these can be combined to produce a two-tone color scheme -- a popular choice among Maybach 62 buyers.

Standard features available to the rear passengers include a DVD player, TV receiver, a refrigerated compartment, a cordless phone system with two handsets, reclining seats, and lots more. Other available features include Distronic radar-based active cruise control, keyless-go, and ventilated seats. The extensive range of standard and optional equipment gives Maybach customers over two million ways of equipping, the company says.

Some optional features make the Maybach 62 even more exclusive -- albeit at a price. These include an $11,670 panoramic glass roof, a $1,780 loudspeaker system for communicating with people outside the car, and a $23,780 electrotransparent partition screen between the driver and the rear occupants. A bullet- and bomb-proofing package -- called Guard B4 -- adds $151,810 to the price.

A slew of safety features come standard on the sedan, including a total of ten airbags - two adaptive airbags with two-stage gas generators for the front occupants, four sidebags and two large windowbags on each side of the interior. The automatic comfort-fit three-point seat belts, high-performance belt tensioners and belt force limiters are integrated into the seats and can therefore develop their full protective action in any position.

The SBC braking system features a total of eight braking circuits, while the front brake rotors have two calipers each -- a system that should be virtually fail-proof.