Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600

Scope of this guide

This guide is scoped to the Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 4MATIC (internal code X167) as it was launched in November 2019 and sold from the second half of 2020 until the facelifted car replaced it. It is the five-door SUV with the 4.0L twin-turbo V8 petrol with 48V mild hybrid, a nine-speed automatic gearbox and all-wheel drive, with two rows of seats. It is not a guide to the ordinary Mercedes-Benz GLS, to the AMG GLS 63 or to the diesel GLS models, which share the body but not the character. It is also not a guide to the facelifted Maybach GLS, which Mercedes-Benz revealed in April 2023 and which reached UK showrooms in October 2023. Where the facelift differs we say so below. Check the build date and the registration before you read any listing against this guide.

We have not driven this model for this article. Everything here comes from three cited sources: a Mercedes-Benz press text for the car's reveal, carried by Automotive World on 21 November 2019, PistonHeads' news report on the reveal from the same day, and the government recall checker. We also read other pages, including Auto Express's used buying guide to the GLS, and where they disagree we say so and do not choose quietly.

The figures at a glance

The engine is a 4.0L twin-turbo V8 petrol with 48V mild hybrid, which Mercedes-Benz describes as an engine variant developed exclusively for Maybach. Displacement is 3,982 cc. The press text gives 410 kW at 6,000 to 6,500 rpm and 730 Nm at 2,500 to 5,000 rpm. The 48 volt EQ Boost system adds a further 16 kW (22 PS) and 250 Nm for short periods, and that boost is not part of the headline 730 Nm.

The horsepower figure needs care. 410 kW is 557.4 PS, and PS is the metric horsepower used on the continent. Converted to British brake horsepower, using 1 PS as 0.9863 bhp, that is about 550 bhp, and 410 kW divided by 0.7457 gives 549.8, so the two routes agree. Mercedes-Benz Canada prints 550 hp and The Drive prints 550 hp. The 558 hp in the Automotive World text and in PistonHeads' report is therefore a rounded-up metric figure printed under a hp label, not a true bhp number, and it overstates the output by about eight. ADAC prints 557 PS for the engine output. We use 550 bhp.

Acceleration is claimed at 4.9 seconds for 0-100 km/h, which is what the press text and the Mercedes-Benz Canada page both say. That is a manufacturer figure, not a measured one. The Drive lists 4.7 seconds for 0-60 mph on the 2024 car, which is a different test speed and a different model year, so we do not mix it in. Top speed is 250 km/h, electronically limited. PistonHeads gives a weight of 2,785 kg, while the German motoring club ADAC lists 2,825 kg for the facelifted car, so expect a kerb weight of nearly 2.8 tonnes depending on equipment. Auto Express says it weighs just over three tonnes, which looks like a gross figure and conflicts with the others.

What makes it a Maybach

The Maybach is built on the long, wide GLS body and is sold as a car to be driven in as much as driven. The press text gives a wheelbase of 3,135 mm, a length of 5,205 mm, a width of 2,030 mm and a height of 1,838 mm, with 22 or 23-inch wheels. It is sold only with two seat rows. The two rear seats can recline, heat, cool and offer massage, and an optional fixed centre console turns it into what PistonHeads calls a spacious four-seater. The Drive says four or five seats, so confirm which layout the car you are looking at has, because the console is an option and the cars are not all identical.

The suspension is AIRMATIC air springs as standard, with an optional fully active suspension called E-ACTIVE BODY CONTROL. Auto Express says the latter is well worth seeking out on the GLS range. The provisional WLTP figures in the press text were 11.7 to 12.0 litres per 100 km combined and 266 to 273 g/km of carbon dioxide, and the figures were labelled provisional, so check the certificate of the actual car.

How it differs from the facelift

The facelift was revealed on 4 April 2023, according to Autocar India, and the engine stayed the 410 kW (557 PS) V8. Reports describe a revised front bumper with the Maybach logo on the lower intakes, new taillight graphics, 23-inch forged wheels, updated MBUX infotainment and steering wheel controls and new paint options. ADAC's listing for the facelifted car, produced from February 2024, shows 410 kW (557 PS) engine output, 426 kW (579 PS) system output and 770 Nm system torque. Some launch reports say 770 Nm is 40 Nm more than before. We could not reconcile that with the 730 Nm printed for the earlier car, so do not assume the older car has the same torque. A single July 2026 report describes a later update with more power; we could not corroborate it and it is outside this guide.

What to check before you buy

Auto Express's guide says there do not seem to be any fault patterns in the UK for the GLS, but that US forums report glitchy electrics and that some dealers struggle with certain faults, so test every function. It also mentions short tyre life on some cars, so check the tread and the date codes. Service intervals are every 12 months or 10,000 miles, alternating between Minor and Major services. Treat that as a general GLS statement and not a Maybach-specific one.

Our own checklist comes from reasoning about the car and is not taken from a source. Start with the air suspension: the car should sit level from cold and should not settle with one corner lower overnight, which would point to a leaking air spring or a tired compressor. Operate every height setting. Ask for a diagnostic scan that covers the air suspension, the 48 volt system, the gearbox and the infotainment modules, because the car is heavy and works its tyres and dampers hard. Test every rear-seat function, including the massage, the heating and cooling and the tablet dock, since the rear cabin is the point of the car. An owner forum snippet we saw mentioned problems with the 48 volt battery on cars from 2020 onwards. That is anecdotal and we only read it as a search summary, so we would simply ask the seller what has been replaced.

The service file should show main dealer or Mercedes-Maybach specialist work and software updates, not only oil changes. A pre-purchase inspection by a specialist who knows the 4MATIC and EQ Boost hardware is worth more than any generic checklist. We have not quoted prices because they vary with specification and mileage and we could not verify them.

Recalls and paperwork

Use the government recall checker before you buy and again after, entering the registration number or the manufacturer, model and year. It lists manufacturer safety recalls that have not been fixed. Auto Express says the GLS had 15 recalls in four years, covering rear window trim in 2020 and 2022, and wiring, seats, coolant leaks, fuel pumps and software in 2021 and 2022. These are for the GLS range as a whole, not for the Maybach alone. A search summary, which we did not verify, also described a March 2024 United States campaign about 48 volt connections that included 2021 to 2023 Maybach GLS 600 cars. We found no matching UK notice and have not run the checker for any specific car, so ask a dealer whether any campaign is open against the chassis number. A clean result on a public checker is not proof that every update has been done.

The ownership case

The pre-facelift Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 offers 550 bhp from a 4.0L twin-turbo V8 petrol with 48V mild hybrid, 730 Nm available from 2,500 rpm, all-wheel drive, air suspension and a rear cabin made for passengers. It does not offer startling acceleration for the weight, and the claimed 4.9 seconds is modest against the output. What you are buying is space, comfort and a badge, and the value of that rests on a verified build record, a complete service history and a clean electronic scan. We have not driven it, so read the sources, get a specialist inspection and treat every published performance figure as a claim until someone measures it.