The Maybach GLS600 is Mercedes' most luxurious SUV yet, but in a class of super-expensive SUVs, it could stand to offer more.
This fancy SUV looks like a bright, shiny silver dollar, complete with copious amounts of chrome and an available two-tone paint job. The grille, while shiny as hell, is actually quite subdued with its simple vertical slats. Yes, they reflect the sun and glint into the eyes of the peons that dare look at you, but I honestly expected something even more ostentatious.
The silhouette is dominated by my tester's available 23-inch multi-spoke wheels. Curiously, the center caps are not self-centering as those on the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, which is a bummer, as that's a pretty easy feature to incorporate. Regardless, when I open the door the GLS lowers itself slightly and a running board made of anodized aluminum deploys for easy ingress.
Inside, the dashboard and front seats are essentially ripped from the standard GLS, but tweaked ever so slightly. My tester has gorgeous, open-pore wood; leather at every touch; ambient lighting; ridiculously comfortable seats that are heated, cooled and massaging; and heated and cooled cup holders. There's plenty of Maybach badging as well and this thing even has its own dedicated Maybach scent piped in through the air vents. I'm no bloodhound, but Mercedes describes this aroma as, "The white osmanthus blossom, floral and light, rounded off by a gentle leather note and spicy tea." So yeah, let's go with that.
But really, the highlight of the Maybach GLS' cabin is in the back. The standard GLS' third row is gone and the back seats are moved rearward for improved legroom. You can get a bench seat, but I don't know why you would, especially since the awesome four-seat configuration is a no-cost option. Also, there's a built-in champagne cooler, along with holders for your champagne flutes and cooled cup holders for your more boring beverages. Go big, y'all.
I really enjoy Mercedes' suite of advanced driver's aids and they are all standard on the Maybach. That means you've got blind-spot monitoring and lane-keeping assist, while the adaptive cruise control works great in stop-and-go traffic. It can even slow the car down based information gathered from the in-dash navigation. The steering assist helps drivers get down the road and can even change lanes automatically provided the coast is clear. However, this is still a hands-on system and if the GLS thinks the driver is incapacitated in any way it will stop the car in its lane and unlock the doors so first responders have access.
Where the Maybach suffers, however, is in cargo space. Behind those executive seats is only 18.5 cubic feet of space and that's without the rear of the champers cooler invading the cargo area. That's a bit less than a Rolls-Royce Cullinan but way less than the 24.5 cubes in the Land Rover Range Rover SVAutobiography. Only the Bentley Bentayga, with 17 cubic feet behind the second row, has less.
If you needed further proof that the Maybach GLS is all about being driven, the SUV has a unique Maybach drive mode that prioritizes the comfort of rear seat passengers. This drive mode starts the GLS in second gear, mutes the throttle and turns off the stop/start for less passenger jostling.
Sources:Mercedes,Road Show.
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