Test drove an S580 two weeks ago and was duly impressed with the Active Lane Keep Assist. It was as close to hands-free driving as MB offers at the moment. Unfortunately, the dealership did not have one in stock with Pinnacle Trim and 10-degree rear steering, nor could the salesman find one in his nationwide search. Last week, he told us about a 2024 Maybach GLS600 the dealership had in stock. My first thoughts were he didn't do the work to find an S580, but my personal search proved him correct. We went, out of curiosity, to see the GLS600.

To say it was finely equipped would have been understating it. I decided to take it for a test drive. Drove the same route as my previous test drive in the S580. Turned on the cruise and took my hands off the wheel, expecting the same locked-in-the-lane sensation as the S580. The GLS600 wandered to the center line, never crossed it, and then drove back to the center of the lane and repeated it every so many seconds. At one point, I grew tense, thinking it might cross the line with a fast-approaching car in the other lane.

The salesman questioned his manager, who said it's a big car and Active Lane Keep Assist can only do so much. Honestly, it felt as though some component was malfunctioning since it always wandered toward the dotted line before returning to the center of the lane.

Is this normal behavior for this vehicle? Given my impression of German engineering and precision, I find it hard to believe. Does anyone else have similar issues with this model? I'm seriously hoping that a component is wonky. It's hard to walk away from an otherwise exceptional vehicle.

 

There is lane keeping assist, and lane departure assist. Cruise control does not always activate lane keeping assist. It may have been turned off in the settings. My GLS stays dead center on highways and takes soft curves without my engagement as well (it wouldn’t even get close to the side lines). My GLS lane keeping assist is a big improvement over my S560 W222 which was already good.

If you are in the market for a W223, I highly recommend you test-drive the GLS one more time. You won’t be disappointed. The ride quality is OUTSTANDING for an SUV. Sedan’s ride quality is always better, but nothing beats the GLS as an SUV. It’s close enough to a sedan ride quality but the tire sizes and tire pressure make a huge difference. I got the 21” AMG wheels. The 22” were too firm. With my 21” wheels, I must have the pressure set to 34-35 PSI to get the best ride quality possible. An extra 5 PSI extra would lead to 2X negative impact on ride quality than how a +5 PSI impacts sedans. Not sure why it’s exaggerated in SUVs (perhaps cause the wheels are already larger and wider). I feel sad that dealers ignore this fact in many of their cars leaving some of their clients disappointed only cause service fills the tires of the demos or test-drive cars with 45-50 PSI!. 3 years ago, I walked away from a GLS 580 and got an X7 (I feel I the GLS would have had a better chance if the tire pressure was good but I wasn’t too passionate to even try to adjust and took it as an excuse to pick up by X7 at that time). Admittedly at that time I never realized how tricky tire pressure is for ride quality. 2 years later we got another X7 but this year I traded it recently for the GLS and can’t be happier. My wife though likes the look and software of the X7 more than our current GLS so am not sure that our next SUV (mostly her daily) will be the GLS or X7. I still hope it’s another GLS. The fact we still have an X5 helps for now that we’re not missing the X7 much. GLS is an outstanding family car.

 

Thanks for the response and for supporting my belief that Lane Keep Assist is either turned off or out of calibration on this GLS600. I will be in contact with my salesperson to arrange for a visit to be sure these settings are activated. If they are actually turned on, I have read where a camera might need recalibrating. Either way I maintain a strong interest in the vehicle and hope this hiccup can be figured out.

Thanks again for your input!

 

On a totally different front, what has been the costs of maintenance on your GLS600? I've putting together my purchase plan to present to my "accounting department" and I know enquiring minds will ask that question.

 

The 2024 S580 has some driver assistance features that the GLS580 does not. I have not heard that has changed in 2025.

That said, the automatic lane keep assist in my 2024 GLS580 works extremely well. It does not bounce from the side to the center and gives a lot of confidence.

 

I know Drive Pilot and I think assisted evasive steering, is there anything else?

 

Dealer BS. As usual. This is a parallel argument to complaints of fast tire wear on MBs. Dealer: "It's a heavy car." Reality: MB chooses bad alignment settings and tire compounds which result in fast tire wear.


No malfunction. You are describing normal function for lane keeping assist.


You describe normal function for lane keeping assist. No components are wonky. It has nothing to do with German precision. It's a feature you were not aware of - lane keeping assist.

 

Terminology:
Active Lane Keeping Assist doesn't have any steering function. It prevents you from crossing a lane line. It shakes your steering wheel as a warning or intervenes with brake action (sometimes violently), depending on how you have it set.

Try activating Active Steering Assist, which as it says, steers.

They are different functions and they do different things.

Active Lane keeping assist is more for inattentive drivers. It's designed to keep you from leaving your lane, not keeping you centered in the lane.

I also wonder if the OP misinterpreted the dealer terminology, or the dealer interchanged the names.

 

My Active Steering Assist on my 21 GLS450 works like your first driving experience. I will point out for all of my vehicles with similar functionality that the system relies on striping and such. Lighting, rain, camera lenses being clean, etc do make a difference in performance. I would presume the 600 might have not had the the steering assist on, lighting was different, camera lenses weren't clean, or some other difference. I don't believe the GLS has the option like one of my other vehicles to adjust how much control you give the vehicle which can make differences like this.

You could always go back and drive the 600 back to back with another GLS. Verify the settings are both the same in each vehicle. Driving them back to back eliminates weather conditions. Also go around with a rag and wipe off all of the camera lenses to ensure they are clean and not a factor. If they are still different it may be a calibration or some other difference, but the salesman riding with you should be able to verify these differences and try to have it remedied through service before purchase. I have had some strange quirks on my GLS solved by a software update or refresh. Frustrating, but that is the world we live in.

 

My status as a newbie to M-B is showing. I have been spending an large amount of time learning how each system performs. The difference between Lane Keep Assist and Active Steering Assist was particularly confusing. Thanks for clarifying the correct terminology and the differences between these two assistance systems.

We began this process wanting an S580. That test drive was truly remarkable, with both systems holding the center of the lane. Unfortunately, the dealership couldn't find a single 2024 with Pinnacle Trim in the United States, BUT they did have this 2024 GLS600. Why not take it out for a test drive? On the same route, there was no comparison in driving behavior. The salesman was busy flipping through settings screens, trying to determine the cause of it not staying in the center of the lane. We have kept the conversation going these past few weeks in hopes it was a minor malfunction that a software update or recalibration might correct. For whatever reason, the sales manager was hesitant to put the GLS600 into service. We finally told our salesman that, until it behaved correctly, we were losing interest in it.

On Friday, we were informed it had been moved to service and we would be able to test drive it on Saturday. There was no call from the salesman this weekend. We are waiting to hear from him and will take it for one last test drive. Depending upon how it drives, we either will or will not be bringing it home.

I appreciate all of the input!

WEGJR

 

Yes todays models ever increasing speed of new car assembly lines Front Camber and Caster along with Rear Camber has been deleted !

The often quoted reassuring “full Front and Rear ‘4’ wheel alignment” is now only basic Toe (directional) adjustment !

Yet Camber and Caster are essential allowing to adjust / compensate tire contact angles to spread load more evenly to resolve costly premature excess edge wear.

Result of day to day commuting - Encountering altering heights through various load or road conditions with excess edge wear both sides or passenger side edge wear through high cambered roads.

We therefore manufacture front and rear adjuster kits to reinstate "ongoing" adjustment capability.

See Spoiler






AUDI to VOLVO - Experience Resolving OEM Suspension Shortcomings (and costs) Since 1964 !