When Mercedes first resurrected Maybach, there was some interest but it ultimately it fell flat. Now, the automaker seems to have finally figured out what to do with the luxury sub-brand.
The Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 is the perfect distillation of what the brand is getting right – down to the name, which seems deliberately chosen to imply to customers that as AMG is to performance, Maybach is to comfort.
Based on the GLS, Maybach turns the big SUV into a full-on first-class luxury affair. Replacing the second and third rows of seating with two massive recliners, it’s clear that Maybach expects owners of this vehicle to have a chauffeur.
In this video, Doug DeMuro goes over all the fun quirks and features of the car, taking us through the wealth of Maybach logos, its richness in pillows, and the bling design accents. He highlights the reclining, massaging seats, the champagne refrigerator, and the fold-out trays allowing owners to do important business things, among other features.
See Also: Can The GLS 600 Take On The Bentayga And Cullinan?
It’s an ideal vehicle for DeMuro’s genre of video, but for a car all about being driven in, it’s not until he gets behind the wheel that it all comes together.
Along with all of the features, when you drive down the road, there’s a vault-like quality shutting the outside world out that DeMuro says is one of the most impressive parts of the car. Indeed, tipping the scales at 6,140 lbs, it weighs nearly 400 lbs more than a GLS 450 and costs significantly more, too.
Some of that is down to this using a 4.0-liter V8 capable of producing 550 hp (the GLS 450 uses a V6), but some of that is clearly down to added insulation (and probably the fridge, too).
In the end, it makes for a vehicle that’s close to being able to compete with the likes of the Bentley Bentayga and the Rolls-Royce Cullinan. According to DeMuro, it can’t quite keep up, but its sub-$200,000 price tag means that it is a good deal.
