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2021 Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 is business class without the jet lag

Mercedes-AMG demonstrated how sporty a mammoth SUV can be by unveiling the 2021 GLS 63 S at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show. Across the Pacific, at the Guangzhou auto show in China, Mercedes-Maybach revealed another GLS variant that puts an unabashed focus on comfort. The 2021 GLS 600 ends years of rumors by finally taking Maybach into the SUV segment. (If you don't count the limited-edition G 650 Landaulet). It's not a standalone model developed from the ground up, and it's in no way related to the electric Vision Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury concept introduced in 2018. It's a second-generation GLS dressed up in a Hugo Boss suit. Stylists spruced up the front end with Maybach's chromed waterfall grille and mesh inserts in the lower part of the bumper. An abundance of chrome trim (including big slabs of it in on the B-pillars) and Maybach emblems on the D-pillars further set the SUV apart from its non-Maybach-badged sibling. Buyers can order a two-tone paint job at an extra cost. 6.8-foot-long running boards automatically extend from under the body about a second after one of the passengers opens a door. Designers took advantage of the cavernous interior to replace the second- and third-row seats with a pair of business class-like chairs that offer heated, ventilated, massaging and reclining functions. Maybach developed the GLS with chauffeur-driven buyers in mind, so the passengers traveling in the back benefit from their own infotainment system with wireless headphones, folding tablets, wireless device chargers, plus heated and cooled cupholders. Alternatively, buyers can order the GLS as a five-seater with a three-person rear bench. The GLS 600 receives the twin-turbocharged, 4.0-liter V8 engine that's omnipresent in the Mercedes range. It delivers 550 horsepower from 6,000 to 6,500 rpm and 538 pound-feet of torque between 2,500 and 5,000 rpm in this application, and it spins the four wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission and 4Matic all-wheel drive. Mercedes pegs its zero-to-60-mph time at 4.8 seconds. The standard 48-volt mild hybrid system briefly gives the GLS 600 an additional 21 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. It also sends the kinetic energy it recuperates to the battery pack while braking or coasting, and powers a technology named E-Active Body Control which scans the road ahead and adjusts the suspension as needed if it detects a pothole, a bump or another obstacle.

Lewis Hamilton wins Spanish Grand Prix, takes 17-point lead over Vettel

BARCELONA, SPAIN – Lewis Hamilton won the Spanish Grand Prix in a commanding Mercedes one-two on Sunday to stretch his Formula One lead over Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, who finished fourth, to 17 points. The victory, in a race that stayed dry despite the threat of rain, was the Briton's second of the season, 64th of his career and third at the Circuit de Catalunya. It also set a record, one that Hamilton had previously shared with seven times champion Michael Schumacher, of 41 wins from pole position. "This is more like it, let's keep this up," Hamilton told his celebrating team over the radio as he swept past the checkered flag. "Today the car and myself, I felt that synergy which I hadn't been feeling for the whole year," he added in a pre-podium interview after parking up in pit lane. "It's a good feeling." Hamilton's win followed on from the lucky victory that fell into his lap in Azerbaijan two weekends ago, but Sunday had nothing to do with chance and all to do with the champions being back to their best. He now has 95 points to Vettel's 78 after five rounds of the 21-race championship. Mercedes regained the lead in the constructors' standings and are now 27 points clear of Ferrari who had 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen retire from the race. Finland's Valtteri Bottas was second, a hefty 20.5 seconds behind, with Dutch 20-year-old Max Verstappen completing the podium for Red Bull – his first of an incident-filled season. Australian Daniel Ricciardo was fifth for Red Bull, ahead of Denmark's Kevin Magnussen for Haas and Spaniards Carlos Sainz (Renault) and Fernando Alonso (eighth for McLaren). Sainz's points lifted Renault ahead of McLaren and into fourth place by a single point. Mexican Sergio Perez was ninth for Force India and Monegasque rookie Charles Leclerc took the final point for Sauber. While Hamilton pulled away cleanly at the start, and Vettel passed Bottas into the first corner for second place, there was carnage behind as Romain Grosjean spun his Haas in a cloud of smoke. The Frenchman then collected the Renault of Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly's Toro Rosso in a major smash, fortunately without injury, that brought out the safety car for the first six laps. Stewards gave him two penalty points and imposed a three-place grid drop for the next race in Monaco.

Mercedes S-Class Cabrio caught nearly naked

The new Mercedes-Benz S-Class is a handsome car, and its new two-door variant is positively dashing. Considering that, did you really think Mercedes would shake things up when it finally came time to drop the top on its flagship luxury model? Nope, neither did we. This is the S-Class Cabriolet, and from the beltline down, it's basically the same fixed-roof car we tested back in October – same grille, same headlights, same twin character lines in the profile. This is not a bad thing. We're betting it'll wear very similar taillights to the S-Class Coupe, although it's difficult to tell on the more heavily camo'd example of the luxurious droptop. Differences, meanwhile, are kept to the absolute minimum. The windshield looks more aggressively raked, and the inclusion of a canvas roof has softened the Coupe's svelte profile, but other than that, there aren't many changes at all. Expect the S-Class Sedan and Coupe's engine lineup to inform the powertrain strategy for the Cabriolet, meaning a base S550 with a 4.7-liter, twin-turbocharged V8. It's unclear if AMG variants will be offered, although we wouldn't bet against it. Our spies report that the S-Class Cabrio will saunter into dealers later this year, eager to steal the lunch money of the aging BMW 6 Series Convertible. We're betting on a European auto show debut, so keep an eye open at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. If not there, Frankfurt seems like a likely destination for the new droptop.