THE MAYBACH GLS 600 BLENDS THE BEST
OF THE AMG AND MERCEDES MODELS.I
t’s pretty easy to dismiss the
Maybach GLS 600 as just a
gaudy, gussied-up Mercedes
GLS. Bathed in pinstriped
two-tone paint and festooned
with chrome, gill-like vents,
and pizza pie–sized wheels,
though, this 17-foot, three-ton
super-luxury SUV certainly
won’t be mistaken for anything
but a Maybach.
A key feature unique to the
Maybach GLS is its Maybach
drive mode. Aside from
flattening the acceleration
curve, starting in second gear
and reducing gearshifts, and
turning off the stop/start
system, it also adds E-Active
Body Control air suspension.
Outside of Maybach mode,
the GLS 600 blends the bestof the Mercedes and AMG
GLS models into a new, more
luxurious form factor. The
AMG-built 550-hp, 538-lb-ft
twin-turbo V-8 is just the kind
of engine you’d want in a luxury
SUV. It offers tons of torque,
zero lag, and a quiet, muted,
luxe-appropriate roar. The
nine-speed automatic trans-
mission’s tuning is similarly
brilliant, with quick, smooth,
and decisive shifts as it sends
power to all four wheels.
Its suspension tuning is even
more impressive. E-Active
Body Control so effectively
reads and reacts to the road,Intake
NEWSI OPINIONI GOSSIPthe GLS 600 can bowl over
potholes, drainage ditches,
expansion joints, and speed
bumps in much the same way
something like a Ram 1500
TRX can. It’s so effective
that, weirdly, the absence of
big impacts almost serves to
highlight the smaller ones.
The suspension also allows the
Maybach to hustle on a good
winding road, mitigating body
roll and brake dive and allowing
you to focus on twirling the
well-weighted leather-wrapped
wheel in your hands.
The cabin is a nice place
to spend some time, with itsoptional airliner-style back
seats as the star of the show.
(Five seats are standard.)
Deleting the third row and
pushing the second row back
4.7 inches opens up much
more space for VIPs. Step up
on the wide, power-retract-
able running board and into
the rear of the four-seat GLS,
and you’ll be welcomed into
business class–style rear
seats with a gorgeous wooden
parcel shelf waterfalling into a
center console between them.
Maybach has done a superb job
of dressing up an already luxu-
rious SUV with lots of wood,
metal, and leather everywhere.
Incredibly comfortable
and supportive in all the right
places, the rear seats are
also soft, like your favorite
reading chair. But despite the
Maybach’s upsized second
row over the base GLS, I found
myself short of footroom at just
over 6 feet tall.
Maybach GLS 600 prices
start at $161,550, putting it
in the same ballpark as a new
Bentley Bentayga or Range
Rover SVAutobiography and
making it significantly cheaper
than a Rolls-Royce Cullinan,
which starts well north of
$300,000. Our test vehicle was
loaded with the few options
Maybach actually offers on the
GLS, for a total sticker price of
$185,995. Christian Seabaugh2021 Mercedes-Maybach
GLS 600 4Matic
SPECS 2021 Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 4Matic BASE PRICE $161,550 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, AWD, 4-5-pass,
4-door SUV ENGINE 4.0L/550-hp/538-lb-ft twin-turbocharged DOHC 32-valve V-8 plus 21-hp/184-lb-ft elec, 550 hp/
538 lb-ft (comb) TRANSMISSION 9-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT 6,000 lb (MT est) WHEELBASE 123.4 in L x W x H 204.9 x
79.9 x 72.4 in 0-60 MPH 4.8 sec (mfr est) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 15/19/16 mpg ON SALE IN U.S. Winter 2020FIRST DRIVE