In the world of luxury SUVs, there are very few that can compete with the Maybach GLS. The Bentley Bentayga and Rolls Royce Cullinan are really about the only SUVs that deliver comparable features. The Aston Martin DBX and Lamborghini Urus are more sport-oriented.
Before we get too far in, a little explanation is in order. Maybach is a special ultra-luxury brand from the already luxurious Mercedes-Benz. Reading the current market carefully, Mercedes offers dozens of ways to customize and plus up any of their SUVs. You can go the Designo route and create a bespoke vehicle with different colors and interiors, or go with AMG for more performance. At the top of the list is Maybach, a reference to an early leader at Daimler-Benz. A Maybach gives you everything you can think of in an SUV.
The Maybach GLS is made in Alabama, right alongside the conventional Mercedes SUVs, but you get the top twin-turbo V8 engine, rated at 550 horsepower. That's paired with an all-wheel drive and 9-speed automatic transmission for impressive performance – especially given the 6,085-pound curb weight of the GLS.
The Maybach glides on air, courtesy of the Airmatic air suspension system, and it uses Mercedes' E-Active body control, which actually leans the SUV into corners like a motorcycle so that cornering doesn't feel like you're riding an elephant.
The real Maybach treatment these days is found in the SUV. The seats are all heated and ventilated, and wrapped in fine leather. There's a Burmester audio system, and a huge glass plane that incorporates all your controls and navigation. But you can get away without touching the screen very often because of MBUX, the Mercedes-Benz User eXperience. This system allows you to simply ask the SUV to do anything, such as turning on the seat massage functions, by saying, "Hey Mercedes, turn on the driver's seat massage."
There's not much limit to what you can ask. The Maybach is connected to the Internet, so you can ask for a brief recap of the history of Henry VIII or a recipe to make peanut butter cookies and the SUV will read the results to you. Note that it's just an Internet search, and some of the answers we got were wildly and hilariously wrong.
Getting back to the Maybach, the MBUX navigation system has taken a page from the gaming world. As you approach a navigation instruction, the center display changes to a camera view of the road ahead, with floating tags that identify street names, destination addresses, and floating arrows showing you which way to turn on the desired road.
On the outside, if you want it to be obvious that you're in the Maybach, you'll need to shell out $18,500 on top of the base price to get the fancy two-tone paint job. That's a Maybach exclusive. Our test vehicle also had the optional champagne flute holders in the back seat ($800) and a refrigerated compartment for the bubbly ($1,100) and fold-down tables for your snacks ($1,800). On the outside, it came with 23-inch custom Maybach wheels ($5,500) and the paint job.
Overall, it's easy to get north of $200,000 for the Maybach. To be perfectly honest, I think this SUV is more than a little bit silly. But if this level of luxury is your thing and you can afford the ticket price, you can enjoy the over-the-top SUV of your dreams.
2024 Maybach GLS 600
Base price: $174,350
Price as tested: $203,200
Type: Full size SUV
Engine: 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 (550 hp, 538 lbs-ft)
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
EPA estimated mileage: 14/19
Overall length: 204.9 inches
Curb weight: 6,085 pounds
Final assembly: Vance, Alabama
Most Popular
Comments / 0