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Mercedes-Benz reserves its most luxurious products for its Maybach sub-brand. The marque takes the German automaker's top models, such as the S-Class and SL, and makes them even more opulent – with an elevated price to match the extra extravagance. The company is now teasing the refreshed Mercedes-Maybach GLS by showing off the complex light show the vehicle can perform when greeting its wealthy owner.
The Updated Mercedes-Maybach GLS
The updated Maybach GLS has a revised face that follows the recently improved Mercedes version. Like the regular model, there are stacked star-shaped LED running lights. The grille, MAYBACH wordmark, grille border, and star-shaped emblem all light up. The brand's double-M logo shows up on the ground to welcome arriving occupants.
While it's on display in this teaser, the Mercedes-Maybach GLS will not be available with all of this tech at launch. The Instagram post (embedded below) notes that the "illuminated Mercedes-Benz Star available shortly after market launch. Availability varies by model, configuration and market." So, if your purchase of this Maybach is contingent on the light-up emblem, do not buy this high-end GLS at launch.
The company promises that the "new Mercedes-Maybach GLS redefines what your journey feels like. Coming soon." The marque isn't announcing an exact launch date for the model, but we'd expect it to premiere soon. The refreshed Mercedes GLS arrives at dealers in the United States in the second half of 2026. The Maybach is likely to start showing up in showrooms a few months later.
What To Expect From The New Mercedes-Maybach GLS
Like the existing Maybach GLS, we're expecting the updated one to take the bones from the Mercedes-branded version and add even more luxury features. The two versions likely share powertrains, and the refreshed GLS offers a revised V8 engine. The twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter eight-cylinder has a revised induction system and lower emissions, while now making 530 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque. There's also an improved 4Matic all-wheel-drive system that gains a transfer case with a selectable low range and a clutch-type center differential.
Inside, the Maybach GLS should cosset occupants in luxury. Where the regular model is available with three rows, look for this one to have two rows, providing folks in the rear with lots of legroom. An option would likely continue to be a pair of ultra-plush seats with their own climate control and massaging functions. There would also be a substantial center console in the rear, maximizing comfort while providing easy access to an array of technology features.
Up front, the refreshed GLS has a now-standard Superscreen infotainment display that spans the dashboard with three 12.3-inch screens. An improved MB.OS operating system allows for better-functioning adaptive cruise control and reverse assist, thanks in part to ten exterior cameras and five radars.
The 2026 Maybach GLS starts at $180,000 plus a $1,350 destination fee, and there are plenty of options to take the cost higher, such as 23-inch forged monoblock wheels for $6,000. Given current economic conditions, the refreshed model will likely cost even more.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
The Maybach-spec GLS is Mercedes' competitor to the Bentley Bentayga and Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Whereas those two models have unique styling that separates them from their makers' other offerings, the Maybach GLS is largely the same as the Mercedes versions, except for relatively small changes to the exterior styling and a nicer interior.
The advantage of this approach is that it allows Maybach GLS owners to be a little less conspicuous than the Bentley or Rolls. From Mercedes' perspective, the company doesn't have to engineer an all-new vehicle to compete among world-class competitors.
Source: Mercedes-Maybach via Instagram
