The new Mercedes-Maybach GLS has a calf massage, champagne fridge and 612 hp
Restraint is not the point here
If you have ever wondered how much luxury can reasonably be fitted to one SUV, Mercedes-Maybach has an answer, and it involves an illuminated grille, wheel badges that keep themselves upright, and a massage function that now reaches your calves. The updated Maybach GLS has arrived, and subtlety was clearly not on the brief.
A V8 doing a V12's job
Under the bonnet sits the latest evolution of the electrified V8 biturbo, the M177 EVO, paired with a second-generation integrated starter generator running on a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. It produces 612 hp with a further 23 hp of electric boost, plus 850 Nm of torque. Mercedes points out that this is comparable to the output of its twelve-cylinder engine, but with quicker throttle response, better efficiency and smoother delivery. A revised steering system with a more direct ratio adds precision to match.
The chassis leans into corners for you
AIRMATIC air suspension is now standard, working alongside E-ACTIVE BODY CONTROL, which reads the road and reacts 1,000 times per second to neutralise roll, pitch and lift. In CURVE mode the GLS actually leans into bends by up to three degrees, reducing the lateral forces felt by passengers. It is the sort of engineering that exists purely so nobody in the back spills their drink.
Details you have to admire
The front now features an illuminated grille outline and, for the first time on a GLS, subtly illuminated MAYBACH lettering within the grille frame, with an illuminated bonnet star in selected markets and rose-gold accents on the headlamps. Best of all are the 23-inch forged wheels: each carries a centre-mounted Mercedes star that stays perfectly upright at all times, using a precision ball-bearing mechanism that self-levels under gravity as the wheel turns. The electric running boards, meanwhile, deploy in under a second and project a Maybach emblem onto the ground at night.
An interior built for being driven in
Inside, a new MBUX Superscreen brings Maybach-specific graphics with rose-gold dials, alongside MB.OS, over-the-air updates and an MBUX Virtual Assistant powered by generative AI. The front seats gain a vibration massage in the cushions, while the rear Executive Seats introduce a massage that, for the first time in the GLS, extends to the calves. There is new beech brown and macchiato beige Nappa leather, open-pore walnut and a diamond-pattern fabric trim, a refrigerated compartment sized for two 0.75-litre champagne bottles, and a Burmester 3D system with Dolby Atmos now running 15 speakers and a 710-watt amplifier. A new electric cabin air filter renews the interior air roughly every 90 seconds.
When you can order one
The new Maybach GLS can already be ordered in China, with order books opening in the United States and Europe at the end of July 2026 and further markets to follow. Also new is MB.DRIVE ASSIST PRO, offering urban point-to-point SAE Level 2 assisted driving, launching first in China and then the US. Official consumption for the GLS 680 is quoted at 13.7 to 13.3 l/100 km. "Every detail has been shaped to enhance comfort and serenity, in a way that feels unmistakably Maybach," said Markus Bauer, Head of Mercedes-Maybach.
AutoNext Take
There is something wonderfully absurd about a two-and-a-half-tonne SUV engineering a wheel badge to stay upright and a chassis to lean into corners so your champagne stays put, and we mean that as a compliment. This is over-engineering as an art form, and Maybach remains one of the few brands willing to spend real money on details almost nobody will consciously notice. The V8 matching V12 output while drinking less is the genuinely clever bit.
Whether the world needs a 612 hp luxury SUV that returns 13 litres per 100 km in 2026 is a fair question, and the honest answer is probably not. But for the small group of people who buy these, the Maybach GLS still does something almost nothing else manages: it makes ordinary luxury feel underdone. Rolls-Royce will have noticed.
