U.S. company Wires Only is turning Mercedes V-Class models into superluxury buses with Maybach-like design.
In the U.S., the Mercedes V-Class is called the Mercedes Metris, and the company Wires Only modifies them into superluxury vehicles. On the firm’s website are no less than seven Mercedes V-Class models produced between 2018 and 2021, transformed into luxury vehicles at exorbitant prices ranging from $199,995 to $299,000.
A 2021 Mercedes V-Class with bodywork in two colors caught our eye: silver gray on top and light blue on the bottom. The Americans wanted to create the impression that this is a Maybach Mercedes V-Class even though Mercedes doesn’t offer such a model.
To give the impression that this luxurious Mercedes V-Class is a Maybach, the Americans painted the bodywork in two colors and fitted a Maybach radiator grille without the Maybach logo. Mercedes did similar with the Maybach GLS 600, which does not have the Maybach logo in the grille but the Mercedes logo on the hood.
The radiator grille is identical to the Maybach, and the lower air intakes are covered with a metal mesh. Also, the many-spoked wheels are inspired by the Maybach.
The interior is exceptionally luxurious, with quilted leather upholstery, Alcantara on the headliner, and carbon and wood inserts on the dashboard. In the back are two seats as elegant as the front, and between them is a center console that includes a fridge and a display with carbon-fiber backing. The rear seats have carbon-fiber folding tables, induction charging for your mobile phone in the outer armrest, and power adjustments on the outer armrest.
Unlike the standard model, two aircraft-style emergency seats in front of the rear seats fold down. But when they are used, knee room shrinks considerably.
The Americans carried over from the old Maybach 57 and 62 models the three roof-mounted dials that display driving speeds, time, and interior temperature. A drawer equipped with coffee capsules is placed in the console between the emergency seats. Between the front and rear seats is a partition on which a large T.V. has been mounted.
Although some of the door panels have been covered in the same color leather as the seats, plenty of plastic areas similar to those in the V-Class and Vito don’t find a place in a Maybach.
But it’s not the interior plastics that are the biggest problem; it’s the engine. Under the hood of this V-Class works a turbocharged 4-cylinder gasoline engine developing 211 hp, combined with a 9-speed automatic transmission.
That’s why this V-Class can’t be considered a Maybach-level model. Mercedes’ prestigious sub-brand only offers 4.0-liter V8 engines with 503 hp in the Maybach S 580 and 557 hp in the Maybach GLS 600, and V12 in the Maybach S 680 with 612 hp.
And although the Maybach models are costly, their price is lower than Wires Only’s asking price for the 4-cylinder-only V-Class.
Wires Only is asking for no less than $269,000 (€246,970) on the modified V-Class shown above, while the Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 costs only €173,264 ($188,432).
