Mercedes has kept its super-luxury SUV promise and launched the new Maybach GLS 600 as a rival to the likes of the Bentley Bentayga and Rolls-Royce Cullinan.
Super-luxury version of the GLS
The super-luxury GLS may share its basic structure with the standard Mercedes GLS (and also therefore with the smaller and much more affordable Mercedes GLE), but it's been fired upon by a leather-and-chrome bazooka.
It also gets some typically over-the-top Maybach styling add-ons, such as a vast grille up front, retractable aluminium side-steps along the sides (which are slightly wider at the back and which make it easier for your platinum-card passengers to get in and out) and the distinctive Maybach badges on the rear pillars.
Thankfully, the Maybach GLS has rear pillars - the original concept version was actually a vast SUV saloon, which looked horrendous. The production Maybach is hardly pretty, but it's a huge improvement on that.
You can further distinguish your Maybach with a two-tone colour scheme, while the wheels are either 22-inch or 23-inch items. You can even have pin-striping and exhaust pipes with a Maybach-only 'cross rib' trim.
Champagne fridge in the back
Inside, the cabin is basically that of the GLS but with even more leather, wood, aluminium and - depending on your taste in options - bottles of champagne with solid silver flutes (seriously, they're in a fridge in the back). While it's normally a five-seater, you can spec it with a huge centre console in the rear, turning it into a club-class two-seater in the back, with full recline seats that come with massaging and climate functions. Everything is swathed, of course, in Nappa leather.
There's even a special cabin fragrance package, which pipes a light perfume into the air conditioning system, using "White Osmanthus blossom, floral and light, is rounded off by a gentle leather note and spicy tea." There's also a dedicated rear seat air conditioning system.
The rear passenger compartment is also isolated from the boot by a fixed bulkhead and a luggage storage shelf, a similar setup to that used by Rolls-Royce for the Cullinan. This, says Mercedes, dramatically improves rear seat refinement and noise suppression. It also means your rear seat passengers won't get chilly when you open the boot on a cold day.
558hp mild-hybrid V8 engine
The GLS 600 uses the same 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 as the AMG GT coupe, and here it's in 558hp form, with 730Nm of torque and mild-hybrid assist. The 0-100km/h sprint takes just 4.9 seconds (not bad for something that weighs as much as a small moon) and the top speed is 250km/h. There's full air suspension, with a 48-volt anti-roll system, and a special Maybach setting in the dynamic drive menu that ensures the cushiest possible ride quality. That air suspension also drops the car down when a door is opened, making it easier to climb up.
Martin Hülder, who has been Director of Product Management Mercedes-Maybach since November 2014, said at the car's unveiling: "Our customers normally own several different vehicles - and if they drive an SUV, we want them to drive a Mercedes-Maybach that offers them the luxury they expect from the brand. By the way: since its market launch in 2015, more than 45,000 examples of the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class have been delivered worldwide. In 2018 more Mercedes-Maybach S-Class cars were sold than ever before: one in seven S-Class models sold was a Maybach."