2027 Mercedes-Maybach GLS680 Is A More In-Your-Face Refresh Of A Refresh

The Mercedes-Maybach GLS is not a new car. Far from it, in fact. It's been on sale in the U.S. since the 2021 model year, and the car it's based on — the regular Mercedes-Benz GLS — has been in production since October of 2019. To keep a car that old at least semi-relevant heading into its sixth model year, the Maybach team needed to give it a pretty comprehensive update, and it sort of did. After all, this is the SUV's second refresh.

After receiving a facelift for the 2023 model year, Mercedes' designers and engineers knew they had to one-up themselves to keep the GLS relevant this many years into its lifecycle, especially in an SUV-dominated market with big-time players like the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Bentley Bentayga and Range Rover SV. That's why the 2027 GLS680 sports a new-ish name, more power from a flat-plane-crank V8, a bolder face with a bigger grille and new headlights, a revised interior with Benz's latest MB.OS infotainment system, even more luxuries for the rear passengers, and a mind-boggling level of customization.

Still, I'm not sure that these updates are quite enough to steer the true luxury connoisseur away from one of the subbrand's other offerings: the Maybach S-Class with its stretched wheelbase and more avant-garde looks.

Full Disclosure: Mercedes-Maybach flew me out to the south of France, put me up in a couple of very nice hotels and fed me some very delicious food, all so I could check out the 2027 Maybach GLS680 (and the refreshed S-Class).

Much like its refreshed S-Class sibling, the 2027 GLS680 is a bit more in-your-face than its predecessor, thanks mostly to the nip/tuck job done to its schnoz. Up front, you'll find a new radiator grille that's larger than before. Its outline is illuminated, as is the Maybach lettering up top and the three-pointed star hood ornament. Like the standard 2027 GLS it has two three-pointed stars in each headlight, with Maybach-ified rose-gold accents. The front end adopts the glossy black trim that surrounds the grille we've seen on other updated Mercedes models. I wasn't a fan of it then, and I'm still not now. Of course, it also has shiny Maybach "Double M" logos in each of the front bumper's side air intakes. Some may argue it's a bit too much. I'd argue it's just right for this type of vehicle.

There are a few more stars in the taillights, which are now connected by a black panel that runs between them. A new 22-inch light-alloy 20-hole wheel is available, and wheel sizes go up to 23 inches. But if you order your GLS680 with anything other than the monoblocks, you ought to be committed. Doing anything else would be wrong. One new addition on every wheel is something copied from Bentley and Rolls-Royce: self-leveling badges.

Mercedes-Maybach

The power running boards remain largely the same, but they're still quite nice. They can pop out in less than one second, and are surfaced in anodized aluminum with non-slip black rubber inserts and finished with a chrome Maybach emblem. At night, an LED strip lights up the step. While that is cool, I've gotta say, the side profile is the least enthralling part of the Maybach GLS for the simple reason that it looks the most like a normie GLS from this angle. Sure, there's more chrome window trim and an extra (non-illuminated) Maybach logo on the D-pillar, but not much else differentiates it from the regular GLS, whereas with the Maybach S-Class, the added bodywork, stretched wheelbase and additional windows make it very clear you're looking at something more special.

Mercedes-Maybach

Luckily, if special is what you're after, Maybach has you covered through its Manufaktur program that offers all sorts of customization and individualization possibilities. For 2027, there are a couple of new Manufaktur paint schemes in the regular options list. One is called Patagonia Red Metallic, and the other is a two-tone finish of Dark Petrol over Verde Silver Metallic. Dark Petrol can also be had as a standalone color. If you want to spend even more money, the Manufaktur catalog has dozens of different paints to choose from.

The Manufaktur bits aren't just reserved for the outside. Like the Maybach S-Class, there are all sorts of lovely customization options for the GLS's interior. While the front seat is undeniably important, a real Maybach owner knows the back seats are where all the fun really is — thanks in no small part to the two Executive Seats that now have a massage function that can extend all the way to the passengers' calves.

Between the two seats is a redesigned center console with a wireless charging pad that's now big enough for two phones. It also houses a set of iPhone 5–sized touchscreen remotes that control various vehicle functions, in addition to the 11.6-inch displays mounted on the front seatbacks. It's an identical system to what is found in the S-Class. The system works very well, but it lacks the wow-factor of the Mercedes-Benz VLE's 31.3-inch 8K screen.

Mercedes-Maybach

Of course, at the back of the center console is your refrigerator compartment, which has enough space for two 0.75-liter champagne bottles. As in the Maybach S-Class, I found the normal cup holders to be too far away to reach while I was reclined in the lovely seats. Oh, well. More champagne please!

Maybach also has some new leather and trim options up its sleeve for 2027, including Nappa leather in Beech Brown/Macchiato Beige, as well as two new decorative trim elements: brown open-pore V-groove walnut wood and a high-gloss silver/black diamond-pattern mixed fabric.

As good as the back seats are, the front area of the passenger compartment gets an even bigger makeover. Pulling directly from the standard GLS, the Maybach version of the big crossover gets Mercedes' MBUX Superscreen, which is actually three separate 12.3-inch screens behind a piece of glass that stretches the length of the cabin. The screens have Maybach-specific design elements like rose gold dials in the digital gauge cluster, and there a few other rose gold elements in the cabin to match the trim pieces that can be seen outside.

The system is fairly easy to use, so there shouldn't be too much of a learning curve for you or your driver. The whole setup is powered by the automaker's new MB.OS operating system, which will stay up-to-date with OTA upgrades as time goes on. Mercedes also slightly redesigned the steering wheel to bring back a few physical controls, like a volume knob. Below that center screen is a row of capacitive touch buttons and a set of charging pads. They lay directly in front of your cup holders and a small storage area.

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While the Maybach GLS is undoubtedly all about the rear occupants, the two jamokes up front are just scraping by thanks to some wonderfully comfy multicontour seats that can now give you some sort of vibration massage. I told your mom about that feature, and she was really excited. And, since she's an audiophile, she's also excited about the booming audio system — a Burmester 3D Surround System with Dolby Atmos, to be exact. It's now got 15 speakers at 710 watts to play with. While I didn't get to mess with it too much, I'm sure it sounds great.

As you'd expect, all of the wood, leather, metal, suede, and just about everything else on the inside is as real as it gets. The Maybach GLS smells like an expensive cigar lounge and feels absolutely fantastic to the touch.

The Maybach GLS is definitely a very cool package, but one place where it falls short — especially when compared to its sedan sibling — is under the hood. There's just one engine available in the U.S., and it's not the right one. While S-Class buyers get the choice of a V8 or V12, GLS buyers only get a hopped-up version of Mercedes' M177 EVO V8, which now has a flat-plane crank. Sure, it produces similar power to Mercedes' V12, but it's just not the same, man. I suppose it's not exactly unexpected. I mean, the Maybach GLS never offered a V12.

In any case, this twin-turbocharged mild-hybrid 4.0-liter V8 puts out an incredibly strong 612 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque. That's the same amount of horsepower and 37 fewer torque than the V12 S-Class, but with the help of that new 48-volt mild-hybrid system, it can pull this 6,195-pound behemoth from 0 to 60 mph in under 4.5 seconds and go on to a top speed of 155 mph. That's serious speed, especially in a 205.5-inch beast like the Maybach GLS.

Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik

This is also way more power than it had before, hence the rename from GLS600 to GLS680. In 2026, the thing had to make do with just 550 hp and 538 lb-ft of torque. I'm so glad those days are behind us. Having fewer than 600 horsepower in 2026 is just embarrassing.

Mercedes-Maybach also did some steering and chassis retuning for 2027 to give the GLS a more comfortable ride that still provides "greater precision [...] whether navigating the grandest of boulevards or the most winding of country roads." The updated Airmatic suspension system now has intelligent damping, meaning it uses car-to-car information from other Mercedes vehicles driving ahead to let your car know what the road is like. The data is sent to the Mercedes-Benz Cloud, and the system can then anticipate the road and automatically adjust the damper setting to make the ride that much more comfortable.

Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik

It also comes with Mercedes' fantastic suite of driver assistance systems, including MB.Drive Assist Pro2 with a City Pro function. It's not going to ship at launch, but the system is supposed to enable seamless point-to-point navigation when it becomes available with an over-the-air update.

Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik

If this all sounds appealing to you, then I've got good news. The Mercedes-Maybach GLS680 should start rolling off the line soon at the automaker's plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, though exact timing hasn't been laid out just yet. We can expect to learn more about concrete timing and pricing as we get closer to the car's official launch date.

With all that being said, I'm not so sure, big dawg. If it were my money, which it obviously is, I think I'd have to stick with the Maybach S-Class. Yes, there's going to be more cargo space and passenger room inside the GLS. Yes, it's more imposing and a large SUV is more in vogue than a large sedan. But there's just something about the S-Class. I'm not sure if it's the added wheelbase to give it a more visual distinction from the normal car or the inclusion of the twin-turbo V12, but the S-Class is the Maybach I think I'd go with. Still, Mercedes has done an admirable job of keeping its flagship SUV relevant so many years after it first went on sale.