Driven: 2024 Mercedes-Maybach GLS Makes $170,000 Seem Like A Bargain

Power comes from a familiar 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. It delivers buttery smooth acceleration with 550 horsepower and 538 lb-ft of torque, enough to shoot the Maybach GLS up to 60 mph in just 4.8 seconds. A nine-speed automatic delivers nearly imperceptible gear changes.

The powertrain is excellent, but the Airmatic suspension with E-Active Body Control is the star of this show. Powered by the mild-hybrid system, the air suspension floats over bumps as if they weren't there. The GLS uses cameras and sensors to scan the road ahead and prepare the suspension to take a bump. It feels like magic; it's one of thethings we feel Mercedes has perfected. A Curve Mode can prime the outside wheels during a turn, basically nullifying body lean. We gravitated towards the Maybach Mode, which is positioned below the default Comfort Mode. It starts the vehicle in second gear and minimizes gear changes only when truly necessary to deliver a smoother ride. This may not be the fastest way to drive about, but it sure is comfortable.

Also included in the drive modes is an Off-Road Mode. This might seem like a surprise addition for a Maybach vehicle, but it was designed to help get the vehicle out of sand in a market like California or Dubai. An individual wheel control function gives drivers the ability to raise or lower each corner of the car on demand. There is also a Free Driving Mode that literally bounces the car up and down to unbury itself from deep sand. We doubt it will often be used for that, but if you use it when pulling into a Cars & Coffee meet, all eyes (and cameras) will be on you.

We only have one complaint with the driving experience: those oversized wheels. While the Maybach GLS glides over large bumps, it's flummoxed by small road imperfections. Torn up back roads cause odd vibrations that are felt through the cabin. It's an issue we've noted in many German luxury vehicles with big wheels where they can isolate large impacts but transmit smaller ones.

Riding in the back seat of a Maybach GLS is not dissimilar from sitting in first class on a trans-continental flight. The GLS's traditional seven-seat layout is dropped in favor of a less practical but more comfortable four-seat configuration with a center console splitting the rear seats. For no cost, a five-seat layout with a rear bench is also available. We'd highly recommend keeping the four-seat option; it sacrifices one seat but allows you to add pop-out tray tables (a $1,800 option), a refrigerator ($1,100), and storage for silver champagne flutes ($800). It's worth noting that the refrigerator takes up around a sixth of the 18.4 cubic feet of trunk space.

That console also contains an ejectable Samsung tablet to control various functions of the car, as well as hosting heated and cooled cupholders, a wireless phone charger, and USB-C ports. Each seat comes with heating, ventilation, and massage functions, plus powered ottomans to rest your feet. There are only afew back seats on the market that compareto this.

Maybach may no longer be a standalone brand like Bentley or Rolls-Royce, but this writer feels it deserves to be considered alongside those at the pinnacle of luxury. The 2024 Maybach GLS 600 is one of the most luxurious SUVs we've ever driven, with backseat comfort that puts some rivals to shame. Considering Mercedes' impressive suite of technology and slightly more attainable price tag, the GLS 600 stands out as a bargain.

A Rolls-Royce Cullinan is still a more special driving and ownership experience, and it comes with way more shock factor, but aside from that, there are no SUVs we'd choose over the GLS for sheer comfort. If the GLS 600 wasn't based on an SUV that starts under $90,000, Mercedes could probably charge a lot more than $170,000 for it, and it would still be worth the price.