Lounge
Mercedes Maybach GLS 600: A statement car that announces your arrival
Summary
The stylish Mercedes Maybach GLS 600 comes with a lot of pomp and flash, while offering some quiet time and fun in a noisy cityIt’s a car in which you could imagine actor Ranveer Singh arriving for a public event or singer Guru Randhawa filming one of his songs. It’s a statement car but more than stately, it’s kind of hip. The Mercedes Maybach GLS 600 comes with a lot of flash and pomp—its massive proportions, the flashy chrome all over and the gazillion Maybach badges and logos all around the car shout its owner’s arrival.
And when they step out, an innovative retractable side step unfurls to ensure they can step onto terra firma in style.
The off-road assist feature, Free Driving Mode, brings out the inner child, making you dance down the road. This feature bounces the car up and down to help free it when it’s stuck in soft sand or tough terrain, but one can’t resist having fun with it. There are several technologically advanced elements in the car that make it luxurious as well as cool.
For the 2024 version, there are changes to the exterior. The chrome grille that stares at you like a flashing grin has been tweaked ever so slightly with thicker outlines. The bumper is redone, and where the air intakes were earlier, you get a multitude of logos made in plastic. These seem amiss because they do not look Maybach-level.
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It comes in three colours, but if you want to stand out from the crowd you can get dual-tone paint options and a choice of upping the wheel size and alloy design. At the rear are new signature tail lamps and the Maybach tailpipes.
Inside, there aren’t too many changes, though. You now get a wider choice of interior trims. The open-pore wood in my car and the Nappa leather bordered with contrast double stitch look rich. The cabin feels luxurious as well. The steering wheel and aircon vents are new, and the MBUX system is now the latest with a fingerprint sensor, gesture commands and new graphics that are crisp and clean.
The screen works well and is easy to see, and the graphics quality can be truly experienced when you pull up the Energiser package menu. This combines sounds, visuals, ambient light, and even massages to transport you to your happy place, be it a forest, a club vibe or, on a hot sweltering day like mine, into some summer rain.
While it may sound quite unnecessary, when you experience it, you feel tranquil or energised, depending on your choice.
The Maybach GLS 600 also gets Level 2 ADAS (advanced driver-assistance system). Apart from this, the feature list remains as extensive as before, with 11.6" rear screens, 590 W Burmester sound system, massage functions for all seats, 43.5 degrees of recline with leg rest for the rear, among other safety and luxury features. There is also an armrest-based tablet controller for rear passengers, blinds, and wireless charging—it would be easier to list what you don’t get instead of what you do.
You can also opt for the bench seat, but the executive seats with the fixed central console are really the boss seats.
If you opt for the refrigerator, be warned that the fan and cooling system eats a lot into the boot space. Honestly, it might be easier to just put a cooler in the boot.
A moment of silence
The Maybach GLS is huge, and it’s a big step up into the cabin, which is why the retractable side step extends as you open the door. Once the doors close, it tucks itself away. I’m being driven in the midst of thick traffic, with horns blaring on a weekday morning, and inside, I feel like it’s all far away in the distance.
The city infrastructure upgrade has destroyed the roads around me, but the Maybach makes me feel like the work is complete and there is smooth tarmac beneath my wheels.
In Maybach mode, all the responses are softened. Acceleration and gear shifts are smoother, the suspension is more pliant, and it is all done to ensure that passengers are cosseted and carried in the smoothest manner possible. Loads of technology ensure the cabin is ultra hushed, and sensors work to read the road ahead and prepare for the bumps and potholes.
Reclined at 43.5 degrees, leg rest up, fully stretched out, and massage function activated with the Forest mode on the Energiser package, I feel like I am a million miles away from the thick of Monday morning traffic in the city. It is truly a world of first-class travel. While it is hugely tempting to just lay there basking in luxury, the petrolhead in me wants to get behind the wheel.
Behind the wheel
The first thing I do is switch from Maybach Mode and toggle it to Sport mode, step on the gas and the 2.8-tonne luxury liner shoots off the line with way more energy than I expected.
It took me around 4.7 seconds to 100, and that’s quick. The 4.4 L V8 is smooth and strong, delivering power from the get go. The 9-speed gearbox works well, keeping up the reputation of refined luxury and shifting smoothly and seamlessly. But when you plunge your foot to the floor, it takes a breath before dropping down the gears. You can circumvent that pause if you are in a spirited mood, with the paddle shifters.
The steering is light, letting you tuck into traffic gaps with ease, and while it’s not quick, it does give you enough fight back around corners. It handles remarkably well for its size and weight. When you are in the twisties, Maybach has added another funky feature to keep you hugging the curves. Switch to Curve mode and the car will lean into corners to counter the roll, much like a racing bike offering loads of confidence behind the wheel. However, the Maybach GLS 600 4 Matic is most comfortable cruising silently on a highway, ferrying its passengers in on a cloud of comfort. Yes, it is 4 Matic and has off-road modes and assistance, but I doubt most owners in India will venture anywhere on the road in this car.
The new Maybach GLS 600 comes at ₹39 lakh more than before, with a starting price of ₹3.35 crore.
What you get for all that money is a car that will transport you to places literally and figuratively (with the many mood settings it has), in utmost luxury, cutting edge technology and, of course, the ability to announce your arrival with loads of style and attitude.
Renuka Kirpalani is consulting editor, Autocar India.
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