Verdict
At RM714,800, the BMW i7 costs RM1,136,088 less than the RM1,850,888 Mercedes-Benz Maybach S-Class, yet it is marginally quicker to 100 km/h at 4.7 seconds and carries five people with a 525-litre boot. Its 625 km EV range and 195 kW DC charging make it the more rational locally driven limousine, while annual road tax is RM1,015 against RM6,549. The Maybach earns its huge premium as a four-seat rear-cabin experience, with reclining, ventilated and massage seats, an ottoman, rear screens and a fridge. Choose based on how often someone will occupy the back.
i7
Pick the BMW i7 if you want a 625 km electric limousine with five seats, a 525-litre boot and dramatically lower purchase price and road tax.
Maybach S-Class
Pick the Mercedes-Benz Maybach S-Class if the priority is a chauffeur-driven rear cabin with reclining massage seats, an ottoman, rear entertainment and a fridge.
Key differences
- Price: BMW i7 RM714,800; Mercedes-Benz Maybach S-Class RM1,850,888.
- Annual road tax: BMW i7 RM1,015; Mercedes-Benz Maybach S-Class RM6,549.
- 0-100 km/h: BMW i7 4.7 seconds; Mercedes-Benz Maybach S-Class 4.8 seconds.
- Wheelbase: BMW i7 3,215 mm; Mercedes-Benz Maybach S-Class 3,396 mm.
- Boot space: BMW i7 525 litres; Mercedes-Benz Maybach S-Class 470 litres.
- Seating: BMW i7 five seats; Mercedes-Benz Maybach S-Class four seats.
i7
- 625 km EV range with 195 kW DC charging
- Five seats and a 525-litre boot
- RM1,136,088 lower purchase price
- Rear seats lack the Maybach's ventilation, massage, one-touch recline, ottoman and leg rest.
- Autonomous braking detects pedestrians to 80 km/h, versus pedestrian and cyclist detection to 130 km/h in the Maybach.
- 240 km/h top speed is 10 km/h below the Maybach's 250 km/h.
Maybach S-Class
- Rear massage, ventilation, one-touch recline and powered ottoman
- 11.6-inch rear displays, rear tablet and rear fridge
- 3,396 mm wheelbase and 12 airbags
- Costs RM1,136,088 more to buy.
- Annual road tax is RM6,549, versus RM1,015 for the i7.
- Has four seats and a 470-litre boot, against the i7's five seats and 525 litres.
| Price & overview | ||
|---|---|---|
| Price | RM714,800✓ | RM1,850,888 |
| Body type | Sedan | Sedan |
| Segment | Luxury | Luxury |
| Assembly | CBU | CKD |
| Ownership | ||
| Road tax / year | RM1,015✓ | RM6,549 |
| Powertrain | ||
| Engine Tech | 5th-generation BMW eDrive, 400V architecture | 32-valve DOHC, Twin Turbocharged with Direct Injection and Variable Valve Timing and Lift |
| Capacity | — | 3,982 cc |
| Horsepower | — | 496 hp at 5,500 rpm |
| Torque | — | 700 Nm at 2,000 rpm |
| Cylinder Arrangement | — | V 8 |
| Fuel | Electric | Petrol Hybrid/REV |
| Bore × Stroke | — | 83 mm × 92.4 mm |
| Compression Ratio | — | 10.5 |
| Number of Motors | 2 | 1 |
| Motor Horsepower | 536 hp✓ | 20 hp |
| Motor Torque | 745 Nm✓ | 200 Nm |
| EV Range | 625 km | — |
| Charging Rate (AC) | 11 kW | — |
| Charging Rate (DC) | 195 kW | — |
| Drivetrain | ||
| Transmission | Single Ratio Automatic | Conventional Automatic |
| Transmission Name | — | 9G-TRONIC |
| Gears | — | 9 |
| Transmission Manufacturer | — | Mercedes-Benz |
| Driveline | All Wheel Drive | All Wheel Drive |
| Performance & Efficiency | ||
| 0-100 km/h | 4.7 seconds✓ | 4.8 seconds |
| Rated Economy | — | 11.7 L/100 km |
| Top Speed | 240 km/h | 250 km/h✓ |
| Co2 | — | 266 g/km |
| Dimensions | ||
| Length | 5,391 mm | 5,469 mm |
| Width | 1,950 mm | 1,921 mm |
| Height | 1,544 mm | 1,510 mm |
| Wheelbase | 3,215 mm | 3,396 mm |
| Weight | 2,715 kg | 2,290 kg |
| Fuel Tank | — | 76 litres |
| Doors | 4 | 4 |
| Seats | 5 | 4 |
| Boot Space | 525 litres✓ | 470 litres |
| Front Tyre | 255/45R20 | 265/35R21 |
| Rear Tyre | 255/45R20 | 265/35R21 |
| Spare Tyre | — | Tyre Repair Kit |
| Factory Tyres | Pirelli P Zero | Pirelli P-Zero MO-S |
| Chassis | ||
| Assembly | Germany (CBU) | Malaysia (CKD) |
| Front Suspension | Double Wishbones | Multi-Link with Air Suspension |
| Rear Suspension | Multi-link with Air Suspension | Multi-Link with Air Suspension |
| Front Wheels | 21" M Aerodynamic style 909 M alloy wheels | 21" Multi-spoke 2-tone Forged Alloy |
| Rear Wheels | 21" M Aerodynamic style 909 M alloy wheels | 21" Multi-spoke 2-tone Forged Alloy |
| Steering | Rack and Pinion (Electric Power Steering) | Rack and Pinion (Electric Power Steering) |
| Chassis Notes | Adaptive Air Suspension, All-wheel steering | Adaptive Dampers, 48-volt Active Roll Stabilisation, Rear-wheel Steering (4.5 Degrees) |
| Crash Safety Ratings | ||
| EuroNCAP | 5 stars | — |
| Safety | ||
| Airbags | 7 Airbags | 12 (Driver and Passenger, Driver Knee, Rear Passengers, Front and Rear Side, Front and Rear Curtain, Rear Left Cushion) |
| ABS/EBD | ✓ | ✓ |
| Stability Control | ✓ | ✓ |
| Alarm | ✓ | ✓ |
| Immobilizer | ✓ | ✓ |
| Airbag Disable Function | ✓ | ✓ |
| Child Safety Lock | Electronic for Rear Doors | Manual for Rear Doors |
| Seat Belts | 5 Three-point | 4 Three-point with Illumination, Rear Belt Bags and Rear Feeder |
| Blind Spot Info System | ✓ | ✓ |
| ISOFIX | — | Available for Rear Seats |
| Autonomous Braking System | Yes, with Pedestrian Detection (5 km/h to 80 km/h) | Yes, with Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection (up to 130 km/h) and Evasive Steering Assist (up to 108 km/h) |
| Lane-keeping Assist | Steering Correction | Steering Correction |
| Collision Warning | ✓ | ✓ |
| Seatbelt Reminder | All seats | All Seats |
| Safety Notes | — | Pre-Safe, Pre-Safe Impulse Side, Driver Attention Monitor with Eye Tracking |
| Lighting | ||
| Headlamps | LED Projectors with Auto High Beam | Adaptive LED Projector with Matrix High Beam (Digital Light with Projection Function) |
| Taillamps | LED combination | Full LED |
| LED Daytime Running Lights | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rear Foglamps | ✓ | ✓ |
| Wing Mirror Turn Indicators | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cabin | ||
| Front Seats | Power Adjustable Front Seats with Driver's Memory Function | Power Adjustable Front Seats with Memory, Heating and Massage Functions; Pillow Headrests; Passenger Seat Adjustment from Rear Seats |
| Rear Seats | Power Adjustable Rear Seats with Power Adjustments | Power Adjustable Rear Seats with Memory, Heating, Ventilation, Massage and One-touch Recline Functions; Heated Headrests; Powered Ottoman with Massage Function; Powered Leg Rest for Left Passenger |
| Front Air-con | Dual-zone Automatic Climate Control | Dual-zone Automatic Climate Control with Air Balance Perfume System and Ioniser |
| Rear Air-con | Dual-zone Automatic Climate Control | Dual-zone Automatic Climate Control |
| Sunroof | Sky Lounge Panoramic Glass Roof | Panoramic, Front Tilt with Sunshade Gesture Opening and Closing |
| Power Sockets | — | 4 Front USB-C, 4 Rear USB-C |
| Interior Lighting | Map Lights and Ambient Lights (15 Colours) | Map Lights and Active Ambient Lights (64 Colours) |
| Cup Holders | 4 | 2 Heated and Cooled Front, 2 Heated and Cooled Rear |
| Sun Shade | 2x Side Shade, 1x Rear Shade | Double Sun Visors, Powered Rear Windscreen and Rear Door Window Sunshades |
| Audio | 14.9" BMW Curved Display Live Cockpit Professional, 10-Speaker HiFi Loudspeaker System | 12.8" OLED Touchscreen Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Augmented Reality Navigation; 11.6" Rear Entertainment Displays; 7" Rear Android Tablet; 15-speaker Burmester 3D Surround Sound System (710 Watts) |
| Convenience | ||
| Power Windows | 4 | Four Windows, Auto Up and Down with Anti-Pinch |
| Engine Start | Keyless Push Button Start | Keyless Push Button |
| Locks | Keyless Operation | Keyless Operation with Pop-out Door Handles |
| Auto Start/Stop | — | ✓ |
| Auto Headlamps | ✓ | ✓ |
| Auto Wipers | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cruise Control | Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go | Adaptive Cruise Control with Steering Assist, Stop and Go and Speed Limit Assist |
| Paddle Shift | ✓ | ✓ |
| Steering Audio Control | ✓ | ✓ |
| Steering Tilt | ✓ | ✓ |
| Steering Telescopic | ✓ | ✓ |
| Electric Steering Adjustment | ✓ | ✓ |
| Boot Operation | Remote Control Activation with Contactless Opening | Powered with Contactless Operation |
| Parking Sensor Front | 6 Sensors | 6 Sensors |
| Parking Sensor Rear | 6 Sensors | 6 Sensors |
| Reverse Camera | Yes, with Surround View Camera | Yes, with 360-degree Camera |
| Auto Parking | — | Yes, Parallel and Perpendicular |
| Folding Wing Mirrors | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bluetooth | ✓ | ✓ |
| Navigation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Head-up Display | ✓ | ✓ |
| Power Door | Yes | Soft Close for All Doors; Power-assisted Rear Doors with Gesture-operated One-touch Closing |
| Hill Start Assist | ✓ | ✓ |
| Instrument Cluster | Full LCD Monitor | Full LCD Monitor |
| Parking Brake | Electronic | Electronic |
| Convenience Notes | — | Front and Rear MBUX Interior Assistant, Fingerprint Scanner, Front and Rear Qi Wireless Chargers, Rear Wireless Headsets, Folding Rear Tables, Rear Fridge |
| Warranty | ||
| Warranty Mileage Manufacturer | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Warranty Mileage Extended | Unlimited | — |
| Warranty Manufacturer | 2 years | 2 years |
| Warranty Extended | 3 years✓ | 2 years |
| Warranty Notes | 8-year/160,000 km Battery Warranty | — |
Specs shown for the selected variant of each car. ✓ marks the better figure where lower/higher is objectively better. Road tax: West Malaysia, private registration.
Used i7 & Maybach S-Class for sale
i7 vs Maybach S-Class FAQ
Is the BMW i7 or Mercedes-Benz Maybach S-Class better?
The BMW i7 is the stronger buy for electric range, five-seat practicality and lower costs. The Mercedes-Benz Maybach S-Class is better if its rear-seat massage, recline, ottoman, rear screens and fridge will be regularly used.
What is the price difference?
The Mercedes-Benz Maybach S-Class costs RM1,136,088 more than the BMW i7: RM1,850,888 against RM714,800.
Which is cheaper to run in annual road tax?
The BMW i7 is far cheaper in annual road tax at RM1,015. The Mercedes-Benz Maybach S-Class is listed at RM6,549 per year, a RM5,534 difference.
