Here's a question you probably haven't been asked before. What does Madonna, Simon Cowell, Jay-Z and our reigning Monarch all share in common? They are all owners of a Maybach.

If you're not in the market for a super-luxury car right now, you may not know much about this exclusive European brand. The German company was founded in 1909 and was originally set up to supply engines for Zeppelin passenger airships. When war broke out in Europe in 1939, Maybach switched to producing engines for German tanks. After sixty years in the abyss, Mercedes has revived the Maybach name to differentiate its super-high-end limousine.

All Maybach cars are based on the Mercedes S-Class, which explains why the cockpit is so similar to that car. Both the 57 (massive) and 62 (more massive) models are too large to be thought of as cars for the driver, but anyone who is seriously considering spending 9 million baht on a vehicle is likely to have a driver at their personal behest. You buy a car like this to be a passenger in it, and it is toys and space that make the difference.

When checking out the equipment you get in the Maybach, it's probably quicker to list the things it doesn't have. There are quite a few surprises though. We'll start with rear legroom, which comfortably extends beyond the reach of most normal humans, even when the seats are fully reclined into the Sleep position. My initial impression when I first experienced the Maybach interior was of a comparison to a Gulfstream private jet. It is this top-flight travel ethos which forms the core of the Maybach experience.

Between the rear seats is a small refrigerator, which is ideal for your on-route Bollinger champagne. The seats themselves have a heater and a massage function, and there are DVD media screens for each rear seat traveller. The “moving cinema” impression is enhanced even further by small curtains which close electrically behind the seating positions. The Bose sound system consists of no less than 21 speakers giving full 6.1 surround, and pumping out an immense 600-watts. You even have a lift-and-slide tray table for your laptop, and the wooden finish on the table top matches your chosen interior scheme. Much of the interior fittings and surfaces are finished in burr walnut and chrome. It is extravagance of the highest order.

By far the coolest feature has to be the Photo-chromatic roof. The ceiling is composed of 15 glass tiles which contain liquid crystals. This clever system passes an electrical current through them, which makes them opaque or clear, giving the impression of massive open space above your head. You can lie back and watch the clouds float above you, pausing occasionally to gaze at the vehicle speed and outside temperature which are displayed on smart, angled dials. Whilst the rear cabin may lack the time-worn elegance of a Rolls Royce, it bravely melds traditional gentlemen's club comfort to cutting edge technology. There are even an array of up-lighters with a dimmer control, so you can govern the interior ambience to your liking.

None of this craftsmanship or equipment comes particularly cheap. Maybach demands of you the asking price of one arm, one leg and several of your children. The financial atrocities mount further once you have taken ownership of your new limo, as you will be lucky to travel 100 kms on 16 litres of fuel. This is unlikely to be an issue at this end of the market though, as people who buy Maybachs tend to sell oil rather than buy it.

I'm sure you are by now cursing your luck and wishing you had enough money to buy one, but fear not. I feel I must draw your attention to the potentially catastrophic depreciation you are going to experience should you choose to buy this car from new. After twelve months of ownership, it will have lost around 6 million baht in value. It is a sobering thought, and one I felt may cheer you up.

In design terms, you are going to have to make up your own mind regarding the exterior. The front is suitably imposing, but the vast expanses of sheet metal down both flanks mean it lacks visual tension. It is truly one of those cars which polarises opinion. Some find it handsome and understated, whereas others view it as bland or vulgar. It is a good example of debate being brought about through contentious design language.

Power comes courtesy of a Mercedes 5.5-litre turbocharged V12, which delivers that never-ending sensation of all-enveloping torque that only big-power limos can muster. The acceleration is vivid, but the effect is subdued because you hear so little engine noise penetrating the cabin. The double-glazing sees to that, and the ride comfort enhances the impression that you are not really moving.

Should you buy one? An impossible question to answer. Normally when choosing a car, we decide what we need it to accomplish and we set ourselves a budget. Here, those responses would be everything and anything. This is not a car to which you can apply a logical process of selection. If you are in the enviable position of being able to afford a Maybach, then I'm sure you've already made up your own mind.