2024 Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 Is the Peak of Luxury, If Not Taste

• Mercedes-Maybach introduces its first all-electric series production vehicle, the EQS 680 SUV.

• It sports 649 hp, 700 lb-ft of torque and a big battery that holds 107.8 kWh.

• It’ll be available this fall. Pricing to be announced.

The Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 is the pinnacle of electric luxury in SUV form, wrapped in a body that is, certainly, eye-catching.

Based largely on the all-electric Mercedes EQS 580 SUV, the mighty Maybach version has been tuned for a quieter, smoother ride. Which does not mean it's sedate. Power is way up, from 536 hp in the Mercedes to 649 hp in the Maybach. Torque is likewise more formidable in the Maybach, going from 633 lb-ft in the Mercedes to 700 lb-ft.

Suffice to say, nothing can touch the Maybach’s levels of luxury and comfort in this, or possibly any full-size luxury electric SUV class. If you shake the electric luxury SUV tree, what falls out are less-luxurious sport utilities that are aimed more at practicality and family hauling, or at performance. Most are smaller and less luxo-minded.

Consider: The Audi Q8 e-tron with 402 hp starts at $75,595 but hits $89,395 when you get the level of luxury closest to the Maybach; the Porsche Taycan is decidedly more sporty than the Maybach, having broken the Nurburgring record for production EVs just last year; the Tesla Model X is likewise sports-oriented practicality, with 1020 hp and a 0-60 mph time of 2.5 seconds; the Rivian R1S goes 400 miles on a charge and gets to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, but you may have to wait for one to show up in your driveway.

When you’re looking for peak luxury, you have to look at the Maybach.

“We basically took the top of our drivetrains, and we adjusted it to the Maybach,” said Maybach’s Timo Hartsock.

“Usually (other cars in the Mercedes lineup) have a more performance-oriented powertrain. This is what we are doing with all the parts in the Maybach—is really to adjust them to find the best solution for comfort and for noise, and for what a Maybach is.”

The powertrain improvements come as “mostly software,” according to Hartsock (making you wonder what a good aftermarket tuner with a laptop could do to just about any car to get at least 100 more hp out of the engine).

The extra quietness comes thanks to added insulation. The rear parcel shelf slides under the lift gate, which eliminates any noise coming from back there. The air suspension is different from the Mercedes EQS 580, with specific tuning, Hartsock said, but the volume of air in the suspension is the same. The Maybach weighs 6545 pounds.

And then there is the look from the outside.

“Based on the technology of the EQS SUV from Mercedes-EQ, it combines technical perfection with Maybach exclusivity—in line with Wilhelm Maybach’s principle: ‘What is good must also be beautiful,’” Maybach boasted.

Many Maybachs get that two-tone paint job and huge wheels with many, many spokes that distinguish this brand. Some get fancy black background wheels with the MM logo plastered all over it.

This is certainly eye-catching and must be beautiful to anyone of a certain demographic, and there are a lot of those. Maybe the Kardashians? Don’t let anyone tell you what looks good—decide for yourself and follow your dreams.

I followed them all the way to Vancouver Island in beautiful British Columbia where Maybach had a few of these for us to drive around. The scenery was stunning, and so was the feeling of 700 lb-ft of torque launching the portly Maybach EQS SUV. With its souped-up version of Mercedes’ dual permanently excited synchronous motors drawing on its 107.8-kWh battery pack, passing power is sock-knocking.

So are off-the-line launches, with 0-60 mph coming up in an impressive-for-its-size 4.8 seconds. It’s a little slower to 60 because of its added weight, with the EQS 580 recording 4.5 seconds for the same run, but it’s as lively on its feet (or wheels) as anything this heavy has a right to be.

And driving along on smooth highways, whether seated behind the wheel or in the back like the landed plutocrat you know you are, was pure luxury.

They don’t have a lot of potholes up there in The BC, so maybe my ride wasn’t representative of what you’d get in Detroit. But the AirMatic air suspension with adaptive damping system rolling on 21-inch rims ate up miles and miles (or kilometers and kilometers) of road and never transmitted so much as a hiccup into the cabin.

Inside, your view is dominated by the MBUX Hyperscreen, with its 17.7-inch OLED central display, 12.3-inch OLED passenger display, and 12.3-inch instrument cluster. In the back, lucky little plutocrats get two 11.6-inch MBUX rear seat entertainment displays that can be controlled by a separate handheld pop-out screen.

Everyone gets to enjoy the Burmester 4D sound system with Dolby Atmos, EQ Sound Experience, and Sound Personalization. Ours even had the refrigerator in the middle of the rear seat back for storing champagne to impress your dates and silver-coated machined champagne flutes to seal the deal.

Mine had the Maybach Night Series Design Package that included Dark Chrome, Garnet Glow Ambient Lighting in case you don’t like the standard ambient lighting, and Rose Gold Pins inside the headlights.

No pricing has been released yet, but it won’t come cheap. The V8 gasoline-powered Maybach GLS 600 starts at $171,195, so expect this to be priced higher. We’ll know how much more when the car comes to market this fall. Is it worth a $100,000 price premium over the very similar Mercedes EQS 580 SUV? For some people, yes. If you’re one of them, your car will be in showrooms soon.

If you had crazy money to spend on an all-electric SUV, would this be on your shopping list? Please comment below.