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MASTERS MAGAZINE: Gulfstream on wheels

14 oktober 2021Door MASTERS Redactie6 min lezenMASTERS MAGAZINE

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With the Maybach GLS, Mercedes-Benz has developed an SUV designed for wealthy entrepreneurs who prefer not to fly. The car suits those seeking comfort and the ability to conduct meetings at speed. Read the lightning-fast car report now.

Do you have a fear of flying? Or do you just like all the luxury and comfort and would you also like to have a pleasant meeting while you are transported along the highway? With the Maybach GLS, Mercedes-Benz has developed an SUV with which you can easily spend a night. Or two nights. Or… Anyway, off you go… Text: Erik Kouwenhoven
Online editing: Mical Joseph

The Maybach and Mercedes-Benz brands have been entwined in a complicated love-hate relationship for more than a century. Carl Benz and Wilhelm Maybach were once at the foundation of the automotive industry and both brands grew into the largest in the automotive field at the beginning of the twentieth century. Maybach has always been synonymous with luxury and excessive comfort, but it was the slightly less exuberant Mercedes-Benz that grew into a global brand. Maybach went bankrupt after the Second World War, but was revived as a luxury brand in 1960 by Daimler-Benz. It remained quiet for a long time, but in 2005 the types 57 and 62 were introduced under the own Maybach name. However, this time too, there was no blessing on the name. In 2012, Mercedes-Benz said goodbye to Maybach, only to add it back as a sub-brand in 2015. The Mercedes-Maybach S500 and S600 have been the most luxurious models from Mercedes-Benz ever since.

Champagne colored

This luxury did not go unnoticed for long, because the Daimler group sells six hundred copies of the Maybach version of the Mercedes S-class in China every month and came to the conclusion that there might also be a market for a Maybach SUV. Moreover, in recent years, Mercedes-Benz has seen with dismay that brands such as Bentley and Rolls-Royce have taken off with their very wealthy clientele in luxurious SUVs such as the Bentayga and Cullinan. And so the GLS Maybach was born: large, flashy, with a monumental grille, wheels like millstones and an interior that in terms of luxury and comfort can compete with the most expensive First Class departments in the aircraft industry. Its price is still relatively reasonable when you compare it with a 'standard' GLS 600. But as a self-confident businessman you naturally tick off some extra luxurious things. In the case of our test car, the base price rises from 227.893 euros to a much less standard 308.105. The most expensive option is the two-tone paint, or the two-tone painted exterior. Half champagne colored, half dark blue. That costs 21.175 euros. But of course you also want the Leather Package, which gives the car a lot of cowhide - an option for 15.125 euros. And then of course you need the individual 'captain seats' to be dragged through Europe like a king. Although, Europe: given the somewhat gaudy appearance, this is more of a car for an American industrialist, an oil sheik from the Middle East or a Chinese casino boss.

Newborn chicks

This model may be a bit too much for the Netherlands. This is largely due to the two-tone paint, but also due to the high bling content of the many chrome-plated elements. The car looks a lot better in a beautiful dark blue color. You must be a businessman with a fear of flying. In that case, there is little that will get you from A to B better and more comfortably. Slide the driver's seat forward and you have plenty of legroom. That extra space has been created here by sacrificing the third row of seats of the standard GLS. Sitting like a prince also includes being welcomed like a king, so the GLS 600 lowers its hooves a few centimeters for an easier entrance. Passengers are spoiled with an extra high seat and electrically operated sunshades for the rear side windows: ideal for VIPs who need privacy. They also have (standard) access to a tablet associated with the car's infotainment. And then we haven't even mentioned the nappa leather, the cushions that seem to be filled with newborn chicks and an opening panoramic roof with blinds. You grab a bottle of bubbles from the refrigerator in the center console, when it's finished you put the seat in the reclining position for a nap and before you know it you've already passed Frankfurt. By the way, the refrigerator is the most nonsensical option in the entire car. You especially notice this when the tailgate opens: the refrigerator extends so far back that half your luggage space is sacrificed for it. But you sit wonderfully on the two individual comfort chairs. Also possible for almost five grand each. But money is just a number in a bank account, and a pulsating backrest pampering you with a Thai massage is a reality that offers endless pleasure. If it is too hot, let the chair blow cold air. And when it is cold, you can preheat the car via the parking heater.

No V12

Contrary to what the number '600' suggests, this Maybach version no longer has a V12 engine, but 'simply' the well-known 4,0 liter eight-cylinder, which in this case has 558 hp and a pulling force of 730 Newton meters. If you want more power but less comfort, it is better to choose the GLS AMG. It is also equipped with a 4,0 liter V8 engine, but then you have 612 hp at your disposal. This AMG variant is only 8.500 euros less expensive, but looks slightly less striking. The competitors for the GLS Maybach are the Bentley Bentayga V8 and the Range Rover LWB P525 Autobiography, which also cost around 230.000 euros. If you have more to spend, you can also opt for the Rolls-Royce Cullinan. In conclusion, we fear that Mercedes-Benz will only sell one or two units here in the Netherlands. If anything extreme is sold here in the Mercedes field, it often concerns AMG variants. With a Maybach you show just a little too much that you have made it in the eyes of the Calvinist Dutchman. In many other countries they are a lot less difficult about this, but the mowing grass is also a lot higher there. At Mercedes-Benz they don't care if the Netherlands remains a sales vacuum for this SUV. Even the basic model was initially developed for the US. This mastodon is simply a size too big for the Netherlands. The basic variant literally and this Maybach version literally and figuratively.