The Maybach reading of the GLS: a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with EQ Boost making 550 horsepower, wrapped in a body that trades the standard car's utility for outright presence, and riding on E-Active Body Control that reads the road ahead and irons it flat before you reach it.

Inside, the second row is the destination — heated, ventilated, reclining executive seats with folding tables and a chilled compartment between them. It is a Maybach saloon that happens to seat you a foot higher, and it arrives everywhere entirely on its own terms.