Land Rover Defender vs Lexus LX 500d vs Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS (2026)
The classic luxury suv shortlist, settled with numbers (October 2026):
- Pick the Land Rover Defender if you want the lowest starting price (₹1.07 Crore), the most power (626 bhp), the most seats (8).
- Pick the Lexus LX 500d as the balanced middle path — it wins no single spec outright but concedes little anywhere.
- Pick the Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS as the balanced middle path — it wins no single spec outright but concedes little anywhere.
Three-Way Specification Comparison
Land Rover Defender in short
The Defender is Land Rover's icon and its widest Indian range: three body lengths (three-door 90, five-door 110, eight-seat 130) and four engines spanning ₹1.07 crore for the 2.0 petrol 110 X-Dynamic HSE to ₹2.62 crore for the 635 PS OCTA Black — the most extreme Defender ever made. In between sit the 350 PS D350 diesel, the 5.0L V8 across all three bodies, and the twin-turbo 4.4L V8 OCTA flagship. All prices are from Land Rover India's official July 2026 pan-India price list. Its only real rival in capability-plus-status terms is the Mercedes G-Class, at roughly double the entry money.
Full Defender prices & variants →Lexus LX 500d in short
The LX 500d is Lexus's flagship SUV and mechanically the Toyota Land Cruiser 300's luxury twin: a ladder-frame body-on-chassis SUV with a 304 bhp, 700 Nm 3.3L twin-turbo diesel, sold in India as a five-seater in Urban (₹2.81 crore) and Overtrail (₹2.93 crore) trims per Lexus India's official list. In a segment of monocoque road-biased flagships it is the outlier — Land Cruiser toughness with a Lexus cabin — against the Range Rover, Mercedes-Maybach GLS and Mercedes G-Class.
Full LX 500d prices & variants →Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS in short
The Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 is the ultra-luxury SUV of the Mercedes range, and from January 2026 it is assembled in India as a CKD — a first for a Maybach SUV — spanning ₹2.75 crore to a ₹4.10 crore Celebration Edition. Power comes from a 557 PS 4.0L V8 with mild-hybrid assistance, but the point is the four-seat executive rear cabin. Rivals are the Bentley Bentayga and Range Rover long-wheelbase, both costlier imports.
Full Maybach GLS prices & variants →Head-to-head pairs
Frequently Asked Questions
Defender vs LX 500d vs Maybach GLS — which should I buy?
Pick the Land Rover Defender if you want the lowest starting price (₹1.07 Crore), the most power (626 bhp), the most seats (8). Pick the Lexus LX 500d as the balanced middle path — it wins no single spec outright but concedes little anywhere. Pick the Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS as the balanced middle path — it wins no single spec outright but concedes little anywhere. Test-drive at least two before deciding — ride and dealer experience differ by city.
Which is the cheapest among Defender, LX 500d, Maybach GLS?
The Land Rover Defender starts lowest at ₹1.07 Crore, against ₹2.75 Crore for the Maybach GLS and ₹2.81 Crore for the LX 500d (ex-showroom, October 2026).
Which is the safest of the three?
Land Rover Defender: not yet NCAP-tested; Lexus LX 500d: not yet NCAP-tested; Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS: not yet NCAP-tested.