The Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 is as luxurious as ground travel gets

There are only a few names that evoke as much luxury and opulence as Maybach. It was its own brand, created by the Maybach brothers in 1909, until it was scooped up by Daimler-Benz in 1960. Since then its name has been connected to Mercedes and now Maybach is now a sub-brand of the German marque, but that hasn’t diluted its excellence.

The 2024 Mercedes Maybach GLS 600 is the most expensive gas-powered vehicle you can buy on the Mercedes website without the letters AMG attached and with good reason. It features almost every bell and whistle the brand has imagined and brought to market to date.

That starts with the exterior and its two-tone paint option. The SUV’s grille features clean, vertical bars as the vertical tri-star logo and Maybach lettering complete the look.

The air inlets feature a special Maybach pattern and a chrome surround. These elements are further complimented by a new optional 23‑inch forged wheel in Maybach design with a forged wheel bolt cover. The new “Monoblock” wheels are also perfect but are a $6,000 option over the $174,350 base price of the 2024 Maybach GLS 600.

The Maybach GLS is powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 that makes 550 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque that is distributed to all four wheels. As opposed to an AMG model, the Maybach’s startup noise is restrained, especially from the cabin, which is almost completely insulated from the outside world.

With its softer suspension, the Maybach lifts its nose when taking off dives a bit when the brakes are applied, but that’s all part of the expected cushy ride. In Sport driving mode the standard air suspension firms up, but it never gets anything close to harsh.

The nine-speed automatic transmission works flawlessly in the background as does the all-wheel drive system. We did experience a little slush and snow during the test and the Maybach GLS was completely impervious. It’s certainly not for tight, off-road trails, but in muddy fields, sandy hills and wide rocky roads the GLS would easily adapt.

Once inside the cabin, after using the automatic folding step boards, it’s the rear seats that get all of the attention. Instead of the standard three-row GLS, the Maybach has two bucket seats with a piano black (or wood patterned) center console with a control screen. The seats are cotton candy soft with headrest pillows and an extending footrest. Those rear thrones seem wasted on children, but they do have the LATCH system for booster seats.

The front part of the cabin is almost as luxurious as the rear with a customizable digital instrument cluster and a touchscreen infotainment system under one pane of glass. It has a touchpad to control it, which is fortunate considering it’s too far away to touch without leaning when driving. The leather-wrapped, heated and cooled seats have diamond stitching in the center panel.

This tester had a white interior, with black trim and white pinstripes, but Mercedes offers dozens of leather, color and material combinations. Mercedes’ massaging seat function is easy to access through buttons by the seat and one of the better systems available from premium automakers.

The Energizing Comfort programs turn on the ventilated seats, massage functions, music, visuals and other comfort features in different themes like Freshness, Vitality, Joy and others to relax the driver. They run for ten minutes and though relaxing, are sometimes a little distracting with the lights and sounds and smells as it activates the vehicles perfume function in different scents.

The cabin is as comfortable and as quiet as anything on the road, especially with the heated and massaging seats. The sound system from Burmester is excellent making live music sound live and podcasts sound crisp. The pinstripe pattern looks like a luxury yacht but piano black has drawbacks. Wood is the perfect choice.

The interior ambient light bathes the cabin in any color the driver wishes, which will impress the kids, as will the rear-seat Wi-Fi enabled entertainment screens. The optional champagne cooler is less impressive children, more impressive for adults.

Safety features including the usual emergency braking and adaptive cruise control, but Mercedes’ assisted steering is one of the better systems on the market, acting almost imperceptibly in the background. It also stands out on the road, which is not an insignificant factor.

Competitors are few, which is the point of owning a Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600. The least expensive Bentley Bentayga starts under $200,000 but like this GLS quickly climbs past that. The other natural competitor is the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, though its base price of $374,000 more than doubles the cost of the GLS. The Bentayga is offered in hybrid, V8 and twelve-cylinder options; the Cullinan only comes with a twelve-cylinder.

Any of those three in the driveway will set your house apart from others on the block, though Maybach buyers could still fly slightly under the radar as it could be confused for a regular Mercedes. There are advantages to keeping your wealth private while still being able to enjoy the perks.