The big test: luxury chariots

MERCEDESMAYBACH S650 £180,315/£184,210 as tested

Let’s answer that question right away, shall we? Neither of these is the World’s Best Car. It’s been a long time since the luxury saloon was the highest point on the automotive landscape, the pinnacle to which we all aspired. Now it’s a cul-de-sac off the SUV highway. And the cars themselves have suffered as a result.

We’ll use Maybach to illustrate the point. A proud luxury firm before WWII, Mercedes brought it back in 2002 as a stand-alone brand, poured millions into the development of two limousines and predicted global sales of 2,000 cars per year. In fact only around 3,000 were sold in total before Merc