Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600

The Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 sits in a curious place in a 600-car catalogue: its nearest comparison is the small group of luxury cars that try to combine high output, four-wheel drive and a premium position, but its own numbers define the gap. With 558 bhp, it ranks 270th for power, placing it in the top 45% of the entire collection rather than among the outright leaders. That makes the GLS 600 an interesting choice, because its appeal is not built on dominating one measurement.

Its strongest distinction comes from the combination of engineering choices rather than a single headline figure. A twin-turbocharged V8 producing 730 Nm and paired with AWD places it within a select part of the catalogue: 86 of 600 cars share the twin-turbocharged V8 layout, while only 74 pair a V8 with AWD. The 3,982 cc, 4.0-litre engine delivers 0 to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds, yet the acceleration ranking sits at 454th of 600. The figures suggest a car designed around a particular balance, where performance is present without making outright pace the defining argument.

The Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 also occupies a notable financial position. At a used price of £175,000, it ranks 201st by price, placing it above 399 cars in the catalogue. Its cost per bhp is £314, a useful reminder that this is a luxury purchase measured through more than power alone. It is a German car, from a German manufacturer founded in 2014, and it represents one of four Mercedes-Maybach cars within the collection.

The 250 km/h top speed follows the same theme. Ranked 414th among 600 cars, it is not a machine built around chasing the upper edge of the catalogue. Instead, the GLS 600 occupies a space where the presence of a V8, AWD traction and luxury classification matter together.

For a collector building a dream garage, the decision comes down to the role this car should play. The numbers show a vehicle that sits comfortably in the upper half of several important measures, but they do not decide whether its particular blend of refinement, size and performance is the right addition. That final choice belongs to the collector who decides whether this balance is the missing piece among the cars already chosen.