Mercedes-Benz Gls600 vs Lexus RX450H

What's the difference?

You could argue that no brand is more synonymous with luxury than Mercedes-Benz, but what happens with a standard GLS SUV just isn’t exclusive enough for your tastes?

Enter the Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600, which builds on the brand’s large SUV offering with extra helpings of opulence and lavishness.

This thing screams money like Louis Vuitton or Cartier, only it has four wheels and will transport passengers in nearly unrivalled levels of refinement and comfort.

But is it more than just a showpiece? And can it handle the rigours of day-to-day life without losing its shiny, jewel-like lustre? Let’s go for a drive and find out.

This is a review with a difference. For three days, I had a Lexus RX450h and thought it was pretty terrible to drive. Every time I turned the steering wheel, the tyres would squeal as though they weren't inflated with air but instead with tiny, fluffy kittens.

I was bitterly disappointed. How could a car get out the door of the Lexus engineering division with such an aversion to corners. I mean, I know it's not meant to be a corner-carving monster, but normal cornering should have been okay.

After those three days, I'd had enough. The low tyre pressure warning light came on and the penny dropped. I hadn't even thought to check the pressures. They were very, very low. Like only at two-thirds of recommended. So after visiting three separate establishments to find a working pump, I had a whole different car.