Spy shots of the Mercedes-Maybach GLS show it’s getting new lights and a reshaped grille
Electric SUVs may be stealing headlines, but there’s plenty happening elsewhere in the Mercedes lineup. The brand’s latest GLC with EQ Tech made its debut recently at the Munich motor show and with it the illuminated grille Mercedes will roll out to future models including the new C-Class. But not all future Merc cars and SUVs will get it, as these spy shots of a facelifted Mercedes-Maybach GLS show.
Related: Rearview Mirrors Might Fall Off These High-End Mercedes And Maybach SUVs
We’ve already spied what looked like a GLS 580, which does seem to to have adopted a more traditional-style Mercedes grille for the facelift probably due out later this year or early in 2026. That grille features a series of prominent horizontal bars, giving a kind of retro feel that’s classier than the fat chrome bars on the current GLS 450 and 580.
Maybach Goes Its Own Way
But the Maybach-branded GLS 600 has always had its very own grille, and that’s not about to change with the coming update. Once again its grille bars are oriented vertically, and will be covered in chrome when the production version debuts. You could even be forgiven for thinking the grille, which still has the iPhone-style notch at the top containing the Maybach name, hasn’t changed at all. But you’d be wrong.
The design tweak is subtle, but it’s there all the same. The new grille is more heart-shaped than the old one, the sides being more tightly angled than before meaning the lower edge of the grille is now much shorter. Looking back at the spy photos of the GLS 580 we wrote about in June we can see that it gets the same treatment.
Lighting And Tech Upgrades
But even if you don’t spot the reprofiled grille when a new GLS 600 (or any new GLS) rolls by, there’ll be other clues to help you with the ID. Like almost every other model in Merc’s lineup, the GLS is getting the star-shaped front DRLs and rear LEDs that we’ve already seen on cars like the GLC with EQ Technology revealed at the Munich Motor Show. This Maybach prototype doesn’t have the rear lights but the lack of camo suggests we may see new lamps on a later prototype.
We can’t quite see the dashboard in these Nurburging images of the Maybach version, but previous spy shots suggest the GLS is getting a techy pillar-to-pillar digital display to go with its refreshed exterior styling.
There’s also a chance Mercedes might squeeze a few more horses from the 542 hp (550 PS) 4.0-liter twin turbo V8, and there’s a 100 percent chance that the current $180,000 price will grow regardless of whether the pony count does.
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Chris is a seasoned automotive journalist with over two decades of experience. He has worked… Read full bio

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