Maybach’s back, with Bentley-spec GLS
Mercedes’ high-end sub-brand is having another go – this time in direct competition with the Bentayga.
It wouldn’t take a psychic to figure out that sooner or later Daimler would apply its Maybach luxury brand to a big SUV. But few would dare predict that the resulting GLS 600 would be executed with such thoroughness and flair, creating a direct rival to the Bentley Bentayga. Arriving towards the end of 2020, with a price yet to be announced (but certain to be well into six figures), it’s powered by a 550bhp mild-hybrid V8 and runs on high-octane chutzpah.
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MAYBACH GLS 600?
It’s a pimped Mercedes GLS, the latest product of a brand that’s been in and out of favour in the Daimler empire over the decades, but which has enjoyed slow-burn success with highend versions of the S-Class, plus a side-line in wild concepts. Unveiled to its core Chinese market at the Guangzhou motor show in late November, the GLS is virtually the same size as a regular Merc GLS but sports a more prominent and upright grille, deployable side running boards – Bugsy Malone-style – and plenty of fat chrome accents.
‘We did lots of things to make this car look bigger, especially around the sides,’ Robert Lesnik, head of exterior design, explains. ‘The window surrounds, especially the wide chrome B-pillar and roof rails, all help extend the car’s visual height.’ The biggest changes are on the interior. It was unveiled as a four-seater, although five seats are possible, with reclining rear seats, calf support and a white leather-lined ceiling akin to the plushest private jet, or you could opt for a huge sunroof. There’s a drive mode unique to the Maybach, designed to optimise comfort for passengers: the transmission is programmed to set off in second and minimise changes, and the stop-start function is disabled.
IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING
Wilhelm Maybach was a talented engineer who helped develop some of the world’s first cars in the 1880s; the first own-brand Maybach was the 1929 W3. Mercedes took over the name in 1960, and in 2002 Maybach re-launched as a standalone brand to take on the Rolls-Royce Phantom with the Maybach 57 and 62. They didn’t sell well and in 2014 Maybach was demoted to Merc sub-brand. Smart move: since 2014, 45,000 Mercedes-Maybachs have sold, two-thirds in China.
SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST A CAR
The Maybach GLS will have an accessories list that ventures into unfamiliar territory – unless you’re a Bentley customer, in which case it’s par for the course. It includes handbags, sunglasses and a signature scent to plug into the car’s air-con system via a slot in the glovebox. It’s a sure sign of Maybach’s commitment to out-Bentleying Bentley.