Maybach didn’t wait long after the standard GLS facelift to remind everyone who’s actually running this segment. The new Mercedes-Maybach GLS lands with a reworked V8, a smarter suspension, a cabin that borrows tricks from the S-Class flagship, and a production story that starts in Tuscaloosa, Alabama rather than a European coachbuilder’s workshop.
A Front End Designed to Be Noticed First
The centerpiece is a redesigned Maybach-specific radiator grille with an illuminated outline, and for the first time on a GLS, the MAYBACH lettering itself lights up inside the grille frame. In select markets, buyers can even option an illuminated upright star on the hood. The headlamps get rose-gold accents and Maybach emblems, tied into the grille by a sleek black panel so the whole front end reads as one continuous design statement rather than a collection of parts.
Out back, a redesigned tailgate panel visually stretches the new taillights into a single wide graphic, with three-dimensional star motifs framed in chrome. Two new paint options join the palette, a dark petrol non-metallic and a two-tone dark petrol over verde silver metallic finish, alongside a MANUFAKTUR patagonia red metallic for buyers who want the full bespoke treatment.
The Star That Refuses to Spin
The forged 23-inch wheels carry Maybach’s signature party trick: a center-mounted Mercedes-Benz star that stays perfectly upright no matter how fast the wheel is turning. A precision ball-bearing mechanism lets it self-level using gravity alone, holding its vertical alignment through every rotation. It’s a small detail, but it’s the kind of small detail Maybach clearly wants written about, and it works as a neat shorthand for the whole car’s philosophy.
There’s also a bit of theater built into simply getting in. The electric running boards extend fully in under a second when a door opens, lit by an integrated LED strip while a Maybach emblem projects onto the ground beneath them. Mercedes calls this “the art of a grand welcome,” and while that’s exactly the kind of language you’d expect from a Maybach press release, the execution is genuinely elaborate for something most owners will barely register after the first week.
A Cabin Built Around MB.OS and a Genuinely Smart Assistant
Inside, the new MBUX Superscreen fuses three 12.3-inch displays into a single piece of glass, finished in Maybach’s rose-gold dial treatment, with a gold Maybach emblem set between the rings. Rear passengers get their own pair of 11.6-inch displays with individually configurable remotes covering climate, privacy blinds, and entertainment, plus integrated cameras for video calls on the move.
The bigger shift is under the hood of the software. Running on Mercedes’ MB. On the OS platform, the MBUX Virtual Assistant integrates ChatGPT, Microsoft Bing Search, and Google Gemini to hold genuinely contextual conversations and remember what was discussed earlier in the trip, appearing on screen as a rose-gold Mercedes star avatar. More than 40 apps are available across audio, video, productivity, and entertainment, with the roster expanding over time through over-the-air updates.
Comfort gets its own upgrades too. The front multi-contour seats add a new vibration massage to the seat cushions, and the rear Executive Seats introduce a massage function that, for the first time, reaches the calves. New Nappa leather in beech brown and macchiato beige pairs with fresh trim options including open-pore V-groove walnut and a high-gloss silver-and-black diamond fabric, while a new electric cabin air filter refreshes the interior air roughly every 90 seconds. The Burmester 3D surround system grows to 15 speakers with a 710-watt amplifier, and additional insulation on the transmission tunnel and engine bulkhead is aimed squarely at killing any noise that might disturb the peace.
More Power, Delivered Without Raising Its Voice
Under the hood sits the latest evolution of Mercedes’ electrified M177 EVO V8, paired with a second-generation integrated starter generator running on a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. Combined output is 612 hp from the twin-turbo eight-cylinder plus a 23 hp boost from the electric motor, for roughly 626 hp total and 850 Nm (627 lb-ft) of torque, an output Mercedes says now rivals its outgoing V12. Two newly added Lanchester balance shafts cut vibration further, and a revised, more direct steering ratio is meant to sharpen response without upsetting the ride.
The suspension story is arguably the more interesting one. The new AIRMATIC air suspension uses real-time Car-to-X data pulled from other Mercedes vehicles via the company’s Intelligent Cloud, reading the road ahead before the wheels actually get there. Step up to the optional E-ACTIVE BODY CONTROL system and five processors and more than 20 sensors make adjustments 1,000 times per second at each wheel, cutting roll, pitch, and lift. Switch into CURVE mode and the GLS will lean into corners by up to three degrees, actively reducing the lateral forces passengers feel. There’s also a rocking mode for sand or mud that rhythmically raises and lowers the body to help the SUV dig itself out.
Driving Assistance That Actually Handles City Traffic
Backed by 10 external cameras, five radar sensors, 12 ultrasonic sensors, and an onboard computer capable of 254 trillion operations per second, the GLS introduces MB.DRIVE ASSIST PRO, an SAE Level 2 system built to handle point-to-point navigation through dense urban traffic at the push of a button. It still demands constant driver supervision and responsibility, but it’s a notable step past basic distance-keeping. The system launches first in China, with a US rollout planned for later this year, and further markets to follow depending on local regulations.
Built by Hand in Alabama, Not Crewe or Goodwood
Every Mercedes-Maybach GLS is assembled at the Tuscaloosa plant that’s built the brand’s large SUVs for three decades and rolled out more than five million of them since the original M-Class in 1997. What sets the Maybach apart on that same line is a dedicated two-person team, trained in Germany at the Mercedes-Maybach MANUFAKTUR, who hand-finish each vehicle’s interior outside the regular assembly flow before it rejoins standard SUV production for final approval. It’s a genuinely different manufacturing story than a Bentayga built in Crewe, and Mercedes is clearly leaning into that as part of the pitch.
The Verdict
Order books open in the US and Europe at the end of July 2026, following China, where the GLS can already be configured. Pricing hasn’t been confirmed, but given the outgoing GLS 600 started above $180,000, expect the new 680 to open higher once official numbers land. What’s clear from the press release alone is that Maybach isn’t treating this as a mid-cycle refresh. Between the power bump, the CURVE-mode suspension, the MB.OS software stack, and a hand-finishing process that rivals a European coachbuilder, this is Mercedes making its most direct case yet that Bentley and Rolls-Royce no longer have this segment to themselves, and that the most opulent SUV in America doesn’t need a European postcode to prove it.
Source: Mercedes-Benz
