Mercedes-Benz’s flagship GLS SUV is due for a makeover, and our spies have captured the refreshed Maybach variant testing in Germany.
Mercedes is readying an update to its range-topping GLS seven-seat SUV, as these spy shots reveal. The model our spy photographers have spotted is the ultra-luxurious Maybach version, which will go head-to-head with the Bentley Bentayga and Rolls Royce Cullinan. The facelift will bring styling tweaks and an infotainment upgrade to keep the GLS competitive with its rivals.
On the design front the changes will be minimal. The front end of the car looks unchanged, and the Maybach’s smattering of chrome trim remains. The front bumper body protection is finished in chrome, as is the mesh for the lower grille and the grille surrounds.
The enormous, Maybach-specific radiator grille is retained, too, with a set of thin vertical bars in place of the standard car’s horizontal ones. The grille is flanked by a pair of Multibeam LED headlights of the same design as the current car.
This pre-production example is fitted with 22-inch alloy wheels, along with chrome trim on the sills and side windows. The Maybach D-pillar badge is missing from this test model, but will likely be applied to finished production models.
The only meaningful design change will be at the rear and the car we spied wears heavy camouflage over its rear lights and tailgate, suggesting that the facelifted car could receive a new set of tail-lights. Elsewhere, there’s a gloss black lower bumper with chrome body protection and a thin chrome trim accent, all of which are shared with the outgoing Maybach.
Inside, the GLS line-up will be brought into line with Mercedes’s latest models, featuring a new steering wheel with a double spoke design similar to that used in the S-Class luxury saloon.
The infotainment system will also be upgraded to Mercedes’ latest MBUX set-up. It’s unlikely that the new portrait-orientated touchscreen that debuted on the S-Class will make its way to the SUV, but the new GLS could receive the latest ‘Hey Mercedes’ voice assistant tech and upgraded computing hardware. A new stereoscopic 3D instrument panel, as used in the S-Class, may be on the cards however.
Under the skin, the new Maybach GLS is likely to be fitted with the same 4.0-litre AMG-built twin-turbocharged V8 engine, with 48-volt mild-hybrid assistance. Currently, this produces 404kW and a healthy 730Nm of torque, but with plenty of headroom in the output of the engine in this specification, the facelifted Maybach GLS might receive a power increase for more effortless cruising and improved performance.
Yousuf Ashraf