Mercedes-Benz Gls600 vs Audi S1

What's the difference?

It’s big, it’s bold and totally baller, but that’s kind of the point.

The Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 might not win over many fans with its in-your-face design or its sky-high price tag, but there is definitely an appeal here.

Taking luxury to another level is no easy feat, especially in a Mercedes, but the attention to detail, lavish second row and butter-smooth V8 engine combine to turn the already-good GLS into this exquisite Maybach.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.

Cars this small shouldn't be this fast and useable at the same time, but the Audi S1 is. It isn't without its problems - the ride is harder even than the Fiesta ST which might weary some prospective buyers.

It's also a bit difficult to justify the price - in its basic form it's missing a few creature comforts that you'd expect in a $50,000 car - reversing camera, high-res screen, that sort of thing.

However, in the hot hatch world, those things don't matter. It has the bragging rights, the tech and the outright blinding speed to take on the bonkers Focus ST and equally zany Megane RS. And even the Audi S3.

If you have wealth, why not flaunt it? I reckon that might be the philosophy of the Maybach designers back at HQ, and it kind of shows!

The styling of the Maybach GLS might be the most controversial thing about it. But honestly, I love it!

The liberal lashings of chrome, the three-pointed star hood ornament, and especially with the optional two-tone paintwork, it’s all just so over the top and in your face that it brings out a smile.

From the front, the Maybach is also distinguished by an imposing grille that gives it serious presence on the road, while the profile is characterised by massive 23-inch multi-spoke wheels – better park well clear of any gutters!

You’ll also notice the Maybach eschews the usual black-plastic cladding around the wheelarches and underbody found on lesser/cheaper SUVs in favour of body-coloured and gloss-black panels.

There is also a little Maybach badge on the D-pillar, which is a nice attention-to-detail touch. From the rear, there’s more chrome, while the dual exhaust outlets hint at the performance on offer. But it’s inside where you really want to be.

Everything in there is just a sea of soft-touch and premium materials, from the dashboard to the seats and even the carpet under your feet.

Though the layout of the interior mirrors the GLS, the extra detailing, like the Maybach-stamped pedals, unique multimedia surround and woodgrain steering wheel, elevates the cabin into something truly special.

And if you opt for the comfort rear seats, well they wouldn’t look out of place on a private jet.

The second-row seats also feature contrast stitching on the headrests, cushions, console and doors for that add a touch of class.

I can see the Maybach GLS might not be to everyone’s tastes, but it certainly stands out from the sea of samey-looking luxury SUVs out there.

The A1 is so small it starts to strain Audi's design language. When you cram on the S-style bumpers and raccoon-eyed trim on the hatchback, it's starts to look a bit busy.

It isn't quite a shrink-wrapped A3 - Ingolstadt's designers know better than that - but it's full of Audi design cues, such as the strong, light-catching character lines, distinctive LED daytime running lights and fondness for big wheels.

Inside is along the themes of the A3, with what are becoming Audi's trademark; round eyeball air-con vents, the manual fold-down screen familiar to Q3 owners (but smaller) and a good clear dash. The handbrake jars slightly as it feels cheap to hold and wobbles a bit.

The S Sport seats are big and comfortable, and the top half of the backs are capped in plastic, which was colour-coded on our car. The rear passengers will certainly get an eyeful of whatever terrifying hue you've chosen, so choose wisely.

Despite the five doors, the back seats are occasionals, like the Mini the A1 is gunning for, and the boot is very small, but okay for shopping for couples or singles.

Starting at $49,900, Audi S1 is by far the priciest of the small-hatch based hotties, at least until Mini's madcap JCW arrives. This price is just almost double that of VW stablemate's forthcoming 2015 Polo GTI.

Standard on the manual-and-five-door-only S1 is a ten speaker stereo, climate control, ambient lighting, remote central locking, cruise control, satnav, headlight washers, auto headlights with xenon low beams, partial leather seats, leather-bound steering wheel, auto wipers and rear parking sensors.

Our Misano Red ($990 option) came with two extra packs. The Quattro Exterior Package ($3990) adds bi-xenon headlights with red trim, red brake calipers, spoiler, quattro logos on rear doors (ahem!) and five-spoke 18-inch alloys that are part matt black, part polished.

The Quattro Interior Package ($2490) adds S Sport front seats with Nappa leather and red backrest capping with quattro logo (ugh), more nappa around the cabin with contrast stitching, flat bottom steering wheel and red rings on the air vents.

There's an S Performance Package that brings the best of these two packs together for $4990, saving about $1500 and the embarrassment of the quattro logos.

Our test car also had aluminium air vents ($220), black contrasting boot lid ($300) and black roof ($720).

The A1 is so small it starts to strain Audi's design language

The grand total is a sobering $58,610. There's a couple more options that'll easily pop you over $60,000.

Audi's MMI is dash-mounted in the A1 as there's no room on the narrow centre console. As ever, it works well and doesn't take much getting used to. The satnav is a bit grainy on the smaller screen but is otherwise a competent unit.

Sound is from a ten-speaker stereo and you can stream across Bluetooth or plug in a memory card. The sound was good but the system did take a while to find the phone whenever we came back to the car.

Powering the Mercedes-Maybach is a 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 – the same engine you will find in many AMG products like the C 63 S and GT coupe.

In this application, the engine is tuned to produce 410kW and 730Nm, which is admittedly less than you get in something like the GLS 63, but the Maybach isn’t designed to be an outright powerhouse.

With drive sent to all four wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission, the Maybach SUV will accelerate from 0-100km/h in just 4.9 seconds – also helped by a 48-volt mild-hybrid 'EQ Boost' system.

Though not designed for outright grunt, the Maybach GLS’s engine is nicely tuned to deliver smooth power and seemless shifting

The Maybach is more than a match for rivals such as the Aston Martin DBX (405kW/700Nm), Bentley Bentayga (404kW/800Nm) and Range Rover P565 SV Autobiography (416kW/700Nm).

This is where the action is. The S1's tiny body packs a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder producing 170kW and 370Nm of torque. The S1 will streak to 100km/h in 5.9 seconds thank to the traction aid of quattro all-wheel drive.

All Audi S1s come with a six-speed manual

Despite a pretty solid hammering during its week with us, including more time than we'd have liked in Sydney traffic, the stop-start function helped deliver a pretty reasonable 10.2L/100km, however that's a long way over claimed 7.1L/100km.

All Audi S1s come with a six-speed manual, so dual-clutch haters can save the whining. The only downside from not having a self-shifter is the ECU can't deliver the boy racer farts, parps and crackles of the other S cars.

While you might not find many owners of the Maybach GLS in the driver’s seat, it’s nice to know it can hold its own in the driving dynamics department.

Don’t get me wrong, this won’t give the AMG-blessed GLS 63 a run for its money, but the Maybach SUV is far from dull.

And the engine plays a large part in this. Sure, it’s not as savage as some AMG models, but there is still plenty of grunt to come out of corners with enthusiasm.

The tune of the engine is obviously weighted towards smoothness and comfort, but with 410kW/730Nm on tap there is enough there to make things feel urgent.

The nine-speed automatic transmission also has to be called out, as it is calibrated in such a way that the shifts are imperceptible. There’s none of that mechanical jerkiness and clunkiness involved in swapping cogs, and it just makes the Maybach GLS feel that much more luxurious.

The steering, while straying a towards numb, still offers plenty of feedback so you know what’s happening underneath, but it’s the active body control that works to keep this hefty SUV in check in the bends.

The best bit, though, has to be the air suspension, which floats the Maybach GLS over bumps and uneven roads like a cloud.

The front-facing camera can also read the terrain ahead and set-up the suspension for incoming speed bumps and turns, taking comfort up to a whole new level.

All this is to say, yeah, the Maybach might look like a boat, and cost as much as a boat, but it doesn’t actually feel like a boat behind the wheel.

But really, are you buying this car because you want to be the driver? Or are you buying one because you want to be driven?

In the second row, it’s as close as you’ll get to a first-class flight on the road, and the seats are genuinely plush and cosy.

It’s eerily quiet and supremely comfortable in the second row, leaving you free to carry on with important business like drinking your champagne or uploading to the 'gram.

And while I usually suffer from a bout of motion sickness within minutes of looking at a phone in a car, I didn’t feel such ill effects in the Maybach GLS.

Even after about 20 minutes scrolling through Facebook and emails while being driven around, there was no sign of a headache or queasiness, which is all thanks to how well the suspension is tuned and the active anti-roll technology doing its thing.

If you're buying the S1 as a comfortable urban runabout with a cool badge, you're half right. While the seating for front passengers is certainly supportive, the hard suspension tune will ensure you're well aware of road surface imperfections.

The S1 is a rocket

Thankfully, what it missed out on in the ride department it makes up for in every other way - the S1 is a rocket. The 2.0-litre turbo jammed under the bonnet has almost no lag and is paired with a slick six-speed manual that is terrific fun to manhandle through the gears.

The way the S1 picks up speed when it's on boost is addictive and licence-endangering. A flattened accelerator in second or third will obliterate just about anything this side of $100,000 and you'll be having more fun in this than big brother S3 because the chassis is more adjustable and there's a bit more life.

You can hear the turbo sing to accompany the bassy exhaust growl. Hit the massive brakes hard and the car remains stable even over rutted roads. Turning the wheel brings almost-instant turn-in, mashing the throttle again a fun little wriggle. It's superb.

It's tremendous fun point-to-point on a twisty road

You'll have to be a bit patient with the throttle to get the wriggle, though - give it too much too early and it will want to push wide, the quattro system shuffling power around to try and quell understeer while the electronic diff fiddles with the braking system to do the same thing. It gets there in the end, but you're better off meting out the power with your right foot for maximum rewards.

It's tremendous fun point-to-point on a twisty road - despite being a bit heavy for its size (1415kg), it's as chuckable as the next best thing, the Fiesta ST.

Six airbags, stability and traction control, ABS, brake assist and distribution all add up to a five star ANCAP rating.