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Buy a V8 Mercedes-Maybach, or splurge for a V12? Oh to have such problems

There's a certain air that surrounds the Maybach badge, and it's not just the scent being pumped out by the ionizer in the car's glovebox. It's the cream of the crop when it comes to German luxury. These cars are filled with an acre's worth of wood and a herd's worth of cows, ensuring your fingers rarely touch materials as pedestrian as plastic. It's as quiet, as smooth, and as imposing as you think it would be. Though the latest model from Mercedes-Maybach, the S550, might have swapped in a V8 and all-wheel drive in place of the V12 at the heart of the S600, no other amenities have been lost in translation. The car's size gives it a certain presence. Staring at the profile shows a wheelbase that spans two counties, necessitating a microphone and speaker setup simply so that the driver can converse with the passenger – and a Maybach will almost always have a passenger. No one buys a Maybach to drive. You buy a Maybach to be driven. No means of transport short of business-class airline seating offers this much space. Sit back, recline the seat, roll up the shades and enjoy your $167,125 cocoon. But you know all of that already. What you really want to know is if $25,000 - the V12-powered S600 starts at $192,225 - is worth it to gain an extra four cylinders, 74 horsepower, and 96 lb-ft of torque. On paper, no, it's not. The two cars have identical performance numbers, and the S550 benefits from Mercedes' 4Matic all-wheel-drive system. Even with all-wheel drive, the S550 weighs less than the nose-heavy S600. Fuel economy is, as expected, superior in the S550. It's rated at 16 city, 24 highway and 19 combined as opposed to 13 city, 21 highway, and 16 combined. Visually, the two cars are identical save for a few badges. The V12 badge on the S600 is replaced with a 4Matic badge on the S550, and that's where things start to get murky. When you're spending six figures on a car, decisions become more emotional than practical. $25,000 is a lot of money, but there's a bigger difference between $25,000 and $50,000 than there is between $167,000 and $192,000. As stated, you don't buy these cars to drive. Performance needs to be merely adequate. A smooth, torquey V12 is likely preferable to a hairy-chested V8, refined as it may be. These cars will never touch redline, lest the passengers spill their champagne. Plus, that V12 badge is worth its weight in country club memberships. Driving an S550 is fine until an owner shows up at an event behind an S600.

Recharge Wrap-up: Audi's EV SUV to be built in Brussels, Mercedes-Benz to extend EV range

European Union Industry Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska is demanding that Volkswagen compensate owners of cars affected by the diesel emissions scandal. She says European customers should receive the same goodwill compensation as American drivers, whom VW is providing with $1,000 worth of recompense. "The issue of compensation goes beyond the difference in the legal setup between the US and the EU and plays a fundamental role in viewing VW as a responsible and trustworthy company," says Bienkowska in a letter to Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller. Bienkowska has also requested detailed data about the vehicles and "corrective measures" VW is planning. Read more from Automotive News Europe. Mercedes-Benz will equip its plug-in vehicles with higher-capacity batteries as it expands its electric model range. While the PHEVs it has released so far have electric driving ranges between 14 and 20 miles, better batteries should extend that range starting around model years 2018 or 2019. After releasing a slew of plug-ins by the end of next year, Mercedes-Benz development director Dr. Thomas Weber says, "The next-generation vehicle will overcome the 30-km to 50-km hurdle and then the next generation after that will be 80-100 km when they run as pure electric cars." Read more at Green Car Reports, or from Motoring. Audi will build its pure electric SUV at its plant in Brussels, Belgium. The batteries for the vehicle based on the Audi E-Tron Quattro concept (perhaps to be called the Q6) will also be built at the Brussels plant when production begins in 2018. With this announcement comes news that production of the A1 will shift from Brussels to Martorell, Spain, while Q3 production will move from Spain to Gyor Hungary. Audi says the Brussels facility will "become a key plant for electric mobility at the Volkswagen Group." Read more at Green Car Congress, or in the press release below. Audi production network: ready for electric mobility - Premium manufacturer to produce large series of electric cars in Brussels as of 2018 - New models for Martorell (Spain) and Gyor (Hungary) - Audi CEO Rupert Stadler: "We are increasing our efficiency and bundling key competencies" Audi is preparing its international production network for the mobility of the future. Large series production of the first purely electric driven SUV from Audi will begin at the site in Brussels in 2018. The plant will also produce its own batteries.

Recharge Wrap-up: Shift to offer Teslas for Hire, Model S P85D beats Ferrari in drag race

A company called Shift plans to provide bikes and EVs for hire. Based in Las Vegas, NV, Shift will provide chauffeured ride services like Uber, but will also include a car- and bike-sharing service that delivers the desired wheels to the customer. Shift's fleet will include EVs like the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive and the Tesla Model S. Shift also promises that you will, "Be on your way within five minutes," which is a pretty tall order. Shift is scheduled to be available to members beginning this fall. Read more at The Car Connection. Nissan UK has confirmed the price of replacement batteries for the Leaf. UK drivers will be able to buy new batteries for 4,920 pounds (or about $7,738). That's considerably more than the price of $5,499 for US customers. Customers get 1,000 pounds back when they exchange their old battery. The original battery is covered under a five-year, 60,000-mile warranty, and most owners will never need to replace it. According to Nissan, only three replacement batteries have been sold out of 30,000 Leafs sold in Europe. Read more at Autocar. The Tesla Model S P85D walloped a Ferrari in an impromptu drag race video. The Ferrari driver pulls up alongside the Tesla and asks, "What you got in there?" before challenging him to a race. The Ferrari gets a head start, but the Tesla pulls out ahead quickly. The video also gets the reactions of some passengers to the car's mighty acceleration. See the video below and read the account of a drag race against a Lamborghini Aventador at Car Throttle. Australian website Drive has chosen their Cars of the Year in various categories. The Tesla Model S was a carryover winner for Luxury Car Over $80,000, but the Mercedes-Benz C200 narrowly overtook it to be crowned the overall winner. Regarding the Model S, one judge says, "This makes every other EV look at least a generation behind." The main thing that held the Tesla back from winning outright was the near-term lack of charging infrastructure. The judges did note Tesla's plans to build a network of Superchargers in Australia, but also pointed out that those plans exclude much of the country so far. See the video below and read more at Drive. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.