Some vehicles are meant to be driven, and others are meant to be driven in. I knew that the new 2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600 would be the latter—the ultra-luxurious sub-brand’s reputation for passenger opulence is known and deserved. I wasn’t expecting to be similarly wowed behind the wheel.

The Maybach GLS600 joins the S-Class as the second vehicle to come out of Mercedes-Benz’s ultra-luxurious sub-brand. It turns the large three-row GLS SUV into a two-row executive vehicle, in essence a taller version of the Maybach S-Class. A three-seat bench is optional to bring seating capacity to five, but don’t choose it. This luxo cruiser is meant to seat four people, each in a leather-upholstered throne.

My test vehicle was reasonably equipped by Maybach standards, adding only $4,300 in options that brought its total sticker price to $165,850 (including a mandatory $1,050 destination charge). For that you get what is perhaps the most luxurious vehicle on the road this side of a Bentley or a Rolls-Royce. The Maybach GLS600 blew me away with its attention to detail and dexterity on the road, though in my day with the big SUV I found some strange shortcomings for what is ostensibly a “utility” vehicle.

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

Magic suspension

The Maybach GLS600 takes the top of the GLS hierarchy in a more luxurious direction than the performance-focused AMG GLS63. It has a biturbo 4.0-liter V-8 like the GLS63 and GLS580, but its power output splits the difference between those models with a robust 550 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque that’s routed to the wheels through a 9-speed automatic transmission and permanent all-wheel drive. Mercedes’ EQ Boost 48-volt mild-hybrid system can add a temporary boost of 21 hp and 184 pound-feet of torque. The Maybach’s 550 horses are more than enough to easily move the big SUV even with its 6,085-pound curb weight. 

Even in its most aggressive drive mode, the Maybach feels as though it’s gliding forward during acceleration, but a quick glance at the speedometer assured me that the big SUV was moving much faster than it felt. It’ll sprint from 0-60 mph in an estimated 4.8 seconds. Mighty impressive for such a large beast.

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

This feeling of flying over the road rather than riding on it becomes even more apparent when the road turns curvy. Mercedes’ calls its suspension system “E-Active Body Control” and it combines road surface scanning, the air suspension, and adaptive dampers to keep the big SUV level. This combines with a curve inclination system that will actively lean the Maybach into corners up to three degrees (like a motorcyclist would) to make any lateral forces even less perceptible to passengers. These systems in tandem provide a driving experience I took to calling “magic carpet mode” because whether I was in higher-speed sweeping curves or sharper corners, the Maybach simply glided through them. I knew there should be body roll, but there just…wasn’t any. It moves around the corners as if it weighs nothing at all, though without the agility of a lighter vehicle.

The Maybach GLS600 also includes a new Maybach drive mode that is supposed to be even more comfortable and isolating for rear seat passengers. From the driver’s seat it just kind of felt like Comfort mode with a bit more throttle response and the curve mitigation dialed all the way up.

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

Looks and feels the part

Though the shape is similar to the other GLS models, the Maybach will never be confused with its relatives, especially with one of the available two-tone paint jobs. If that doesn’t do the trick, then the unique grille with vertical slats or the massive 22- or 23-inch wheels will set it apart. Maybach emblems adorn the wide D-pillars and the rear gets a Maybach badge as well.

From the moment you step into the Maybach GLS, it absolutely oozes elegance and luxuriousness. Even the running boards that flip out to help you climb into the SUV feel expensive. I’m a big guy, around 230 pounds, so I’m used to flip out running boards giving a bit as I step up into a vehicle. These are absolutely rock solid for both front- and back-seat passengers. I even hopped up and down on them and felt no give. 

The interior is impeccable. All of the touch points feel expensive, the switches are metal, many cows died to cover everything in high-quality leather, and the $600 combination wood-leather steering wheel has a high-quality feel. I poked around to try to find a spot that took a shortcut on materials or fit and finish and I found zero flaws. The Maybach is incredibly expensive, but its interior lives up to the price tag.

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

Work from Maybach

Social distancing protocols made it impossible to be driven around in the Maybach, so I did the next best thing. I decided that instead of working from home, I’d try “working from Maybach.” I found a shady spot to park and fired up my laptop. 

The back seat of the Maybach is just as impressive as the front. Pillows embossed with the Maybach logo are provided for each seat. Between the passengers sits a removable tablet that can control the screens attached to the front seatbacks; otherwise, it functions like a normal Android tablet with the ability to download apps. This is also where you find the controls for the rear-seat massagers and heating/ventilation. The rear seats are seriously comfortable. You don’t sit in them so much as sink luxuriously into them.

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

Mercedes also provides back seat amenities like a wireless charging pad, cupholders that can heat or cool, plenty of USB-C charging ports, and a view of the sky out of the panoramic sunroof. I turned on the seat massager, but when I started to recline the seat and raise the footrest I ran into my first issue with the Maybach—it’s somehow not big enough.

Taller passengers will run into an issue stretching out in the back seat. With the footrest up and the chair reclined, I wasn’t able to stretch out to full height (I’m 5’11) without my shoes firmly hitting the back of the front passenger seat, even with the front seat pushed all the way forward. I took off my shoes to keep from scuffing up the upholstery and that barely gave me enough room. This was not a problem I anticipated. I surmised (wrongly) that the sheer size of the Maybach GLS would have allowed for a veritable giant to stretch out in the back. But this turned out to be only the first space issue I found with the SUV.

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

Cargo woes

Cargo room behind the back seat measures just 18.4 cubic feet. A compact SUV like the Toyota RAV4 has 37.5 cubic feet behind its back seat, so we’re looking at about half of that room. The Maybach also comes with a cargo lid that can’t be removed, further constraining space, and the rear seat (at least in the two-seat executive setup) doesn’t fold down either.

Compounding things in my test vehicle was the presence of the optional champagne fridge located between the rear seats. The hardware for the fridge juts at least a foot into the cargo area. I loaded a couple large suitcases to confirm my suspicion: With the fridge, you can fit only one checked luggage bag in the back at a time and it has to go in standing on its side, perpendicular to the vehicle’s length. The bags don’t fit in lengthwise. I’m not sure you could fit two sets of golf clubs back there either, let alone gear for a weekend ski trip or a family’s luggage. 

This is a strange oversight for a vehicle that is sure to see lots of duty for high-end livery service. Imagine being picked up from the airport (you know, in the non-global pandemic times) by this big and opulent Maybach SUV and ending up spending the trip to the hotel with your bag in your lap.

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600

Spare no expense

Cargo woes aside, the 2021 Maybach GLS600 successfully looks, feels, and drives the part of an ultra-luxury SUV. The level of detail and impeccable cabin made it a better place to work in than my home office, and it’s suspension is pure witchcraft. In the same way gigantic 300-pound NFL linemen can perform startling feats of agility, the Maybach is a more ironic take on Yoda’s “judge me by my size do you” axiom.

As long as your journey doesn’t require too much luggage, or really any large luggage at all, the Mercedes Maybach GLS600 is among the most opulent ways to travel on-road. For a longer trip,  just hire a second livery car to drive behind you with all of your bags. I wonder if that’s on the options sheet...

Mercedes-Benz provided the vehicle for 24 hours (and not one minute longer) for Internet Brands to bring you this firsthand drive report.