After the S-Class, it’s the Maybach GLS 600. Yes, the GLS-Class gets a Maybach iteration in India and we spend a day with it to tell you just how much they’ve managed to pack into their new flagship SUV.
Story: Jim Gorde
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
Exotic mansions. Sprawling gardens. White marble flooring. Clean aqua-blue pools of water. Expansive porch views. Just some of the imagery that pops into my mind when I imagine the new Maybach GLS. Pristine surroundings are a given but each Maybach is built to deliver its best regardless of its surroundings. And that’s the real challenge.
The GLS 600 is the first Maybach SUV in India and the fourth global Maybach model. First came the S-Class limousine, then the S 650 Cabriolet, and their first SUV, the high-riding G 650 Landaulet. I always believed the GLS-Class — brilliant as it always was, balancing space and comfort with equipment and versatility — would make an excellent candidate for a double M (Maybach Motorenbau) job and the added super luxury appointments it brings. And it has!
Mercedes have spared no detail. The tall, vertically slatted grille with the three-pointed star sitting proudly atop is the first element that sets it apart. Then you have the two-tone paint-finish complete with a separation pin-stripe, powered side-steps that unfold when a door is opened, and two plush business-class, reclining rear seats in designo Exclusive Leather complete with extending calf-support, Energizing Comfort Control, a refrigerator with champagne flute holders, rear-seat entertainment screens, MBUX interface tablet and a Burmester premium 3D sound system, even a fire extinguisher under the driver’s seat — all of which are options. I have to get this out of the way: our test car had optional equipment worth more than Rs 1.2 crore! The two-tone exterior paint scheme of Obsidian Black plus Rubellite Red at Rs 32.50 lakh and the leather package at Rs 37.20 lakh (Rs 12.35 lakh designo Exclusive leather with the Rs 24.85 lakh designo leather package mandatory selection) are the most expensive options.
The Maybach GLS 600 is truly flagship luxury material from the Star. Spec-ed right, it brings kit (and raises the price) to rival the Bentley Bentayga and Range Rover. And that’s saying something. The huge exterior makes for a formidable presence on the road. Its length is no more than a standard GLS but what’s special here is that the cabin area usually reserved for five occupants now seats just two. And that makes for quite an experience inside what is one of the most opulent of surroundings.
With the white-finished keyfob in hand, I open the very large and heavy door and the Maybach-logo-laden aluminium side steps fold out from underneath to enable easier entry into the luxury behemoth. First, the driver’s seat. The wood-and-leather steering wheel, again optional, adds a touch of class to the package. The two 12-inch twin widescreen displays seamlessly form a visual bar, complemented by the wood trim on the expansive dashboard. The MBUX interface seems thoroughly modern and the intuitive voice assistant is a useful addition as always. The perforated leather and seat ventilation together with the slew of massage options make for more than a comfortable throne for the journey. But more on the back seat later.
Huge sunroof helps; especially when high-flying cirrus clouds create a rare halo
