New Mercedes-Maybach GLS Revealed With 603bhp V8 and Hands-Free City Driving

Mercedes-Maybach has revealed an updated version of its flagship GLS SUV, and the changes go well beyond a styling refresh. A new electrified V8 engine, a hands-free driving mode built for congested city streets, and a suspension system that reads the road ahead all feature on the reworked SUV. Order books open in the US and across Europe at the end of July 2026, with buyers in China already able to place their orders.

The GLS has anchored the top of the luxury SUV segment for Mercedes-Maybach for the best part of a decade, arriving first in 2019. It competes with the Bentley Bentayga, Range Rover SV and Rolls-Royce Cullinan, all built around the same pitch: a chauffeur-driven back seat with limousine comfort and SUV ground clearance. Maybach leans on Mercedes’ badge recognition in China and the Gulf, its two biggest markets, and on a deeper bench of driver-assistance technology than most rivals can match.

A More Powerful, More Composed Drive

The new electrified eight-cylinder engine produces a combined 450 kW, or 603 bhp, and 850 Nm of torque. Mercedes-Benz says the unit delivers a more immediate throttle response than the outgoing V8 while keeping the composure a Maybach buyer expects. A revised steering system with a more direct ratio adds precision on tighter roads, and the standard MAYBACH driving programme within the car’s DYNAMIC SELECT system tunes the chassis specifically for ride comfort rather than outright sharpness.

The bigger technical story sits in the suspension. The new AIRMATIC air suspension uses cloud-based Car-to-X data, shared by other Mercedes-Benz vehicles ahead, to anticipate poor road surfaces and adjust damping before the GLS reaches them. Mercedes built the system primarily to smooth the ride for rear-seat passengers, the people the Maybach badge exists to please. Official combined fuel consumption for the Mercedes-Maybach GLS 680 stands at 13.7 to 13.3 litres per 100km, with CO2 emissions of 312 to 304 g/km, placing it in emissions class G2.

Screens and software get an update too. The GLS moves onto Mercedes’ latest MB.OS operating system paired with the newest generation of MBUX, which the brand says responds more intuitively to voice and touch input than the outgoing infotainment setup. For a car built around rear-seat comfort as much as front-seat driving, that extends to the rear entertainment displays, which run the same underlying software as the dashboard screens.

Hands-Free Driving Through the City

The most significant technology addition is what Mercedes calls Urban point-to-point assisted driving, delivered through MB.DRIVE ASSIST PRO, an SAE Level 2 system built for complex urban traffic rather than the motorway. The GLS can also make automated lane changes once the driver glances toward the relevant mirror to confirm the move. As with any Level 2 system, the driver has to stay alert and ready to take over at all times; Mercedes is explicit that full responsibility for the car remains with the person behind the wheel. The feature launches first in China, with a US rollout scheduled for later this year. Further markets, including the UK, depend on local regulatory approval before Mercedes can switch it on.

Parking gets an update too. The standard-fit MB.DRIVE PARKING ASSIST now spots spaces on both sides of the car earlier than the outgoing system, and for the first time can support diagonal parking or identify free bays that have no painted white lines. It will also help reverse the GLS out of a space the driver parked in manually, and a new wheel-protection warning flags kerbs at low speed while parking to help protect the alloy wheels from scuffs.

The Level 2 system also uses what Mercedes calls a cooperative steering concept: drivers can make small manual adjustments to the wheel without fully disengaging the assistance, so a brief correction around a pothole or a cyclist doesn’t kick the car back into full manual mode. It’s a detail aimed at making the hands-free system feel less binary in everyday traffic, where drivers often want to nudge the car rather than take over completely.

An Even More Exclusive Interior

Inside, Mercedes-Maybach has focused on materials and comfort rather than reworking the layout. A new Nappa leather option in beech brown and macchiato beige joins the range, alongside two new trim finishes: an open-pore brown walnut wood with a V-groove pattern, and a high-gloss silver-and-black diamond-pattern mixed fabric. The massage functions extend further than before, and Mercedes has added surround speakers to sharpen the cabin’s sound. Extra insulation and a reworked engine mounting setup target road and wind noise, aimed at keeping the rear seats quiet at motorway speeds.

Buyers after a more understated look can specify the new Night Series treatment, which swaps the usual chrome for dark chrome detailing, dark anodised running boards, and 23-inch wheels carrying a Maybach-pattern insert. Exterior finishes include obsidian black metallic and two shades of MANUFAKTUR opalite white, plus a two-tone combination of obsidian black and mojave silver metallic. Buyers who prefer contrast can pair black pearl Nappa leather with crystal white trim, or go fully dark with black leather and a herringbone walnut décor.

Styling, Pricing and Availability

Outside, the redesign centres on a Maybach-specific radiator grille with an illuminated outline, and for the first time, illuminated MAYBACH lettering set into the grille surround itself. In selected markets, even the upright Mercedes-Benz star on the bonnet lights up after dark. Markus Bauer, Head of Mercedes-Maybach at Mercedes-Benz AG, said: “With the new Mercedes-Maybach GLS, we have elevated the character of our luxury SUV with even greater refinement. It combines effortless power with commanding presence. Every detail has been shaped to enhance comfort and serenity – in a way that feels unmistakably Maybach.”

Mercedes has not confirmed UK pricing. The outgoing Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 started at more than £190,000 in Britain, and the new GLS 680 is unlikely to undercut that figure once buyers account for the engine, suspension and technology changes layered on top. Order books open in the US and across Europe at the end of July 2026, giving buyers outside China their first chance to specify the updated SUV, with UK order timing expected to follow the wider European rollout once local pricing lands.

For UK buyers cross-shopping the segment, the GLS Maybach sits above the standard GLS range and above Mercedes-AMG’s performance-focused GLC and GLE. It shares its underpinnings with the standard-wheelbase Mercedes-Benz GLS but adds the extended Maybach-specific interior work, badge and, now, the more powerful electrified drivetrain. Buyers ordering now in China get first access to the update; European and US customers building the last of the outgoing GLS 600 won’t have full running-cost figures to compare against until Mercedes confirms pricing for the 680 later this year.