With our current journey to South Carolina to check drive of the up to date BMW X7 nonetheless recent in thoughts, we discovered it relatively serendipitous {that a} Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class would land in our driveway. With keys to a GLS 450 in hand, we have been desperate to see how the Merc SUV would stack up. Evaluating the 2 German powerhouses is just not as easy as you’d suppose; each are huge, three-row SUVs with six-figure value tags, acres of leather-based, and loads of tech. Nonetheless, the Mercedes begins on the again foot as BMW has simply refreshed the X7 for 2023. Mercedes is bound to reply, however maintain that in thoughts as we take you thru our time with the GLS.
Diving straight into the numbers, our GLS tester totaled $96,220 with choices – a good bit increased than the entry X7 xDrive 40i. That begins at $77,850, although the pre-production X7 was specced to the equal worth of round $100,000. Ought to Mercedes replace costs for the 2023 facelift, we think about these two can be separated by the slimmest of margins.
Our white GLS tester seen right here got here with some key upgrades over the inventory mannequin, which has a beginning MSRP of $77,850. Add-ons included the AMG Line package deal, which equips AMG physique styling, brushed stainless-steel pedals, and 21-inch AMG wheels for $4,350. The $1,950 Driver Help Package deal consists of adaptive cruise management and a collection of security options. Additionally outfitted was the Acoustic Consolation Package deal ($1,100), which retains issues quiet contained in the cabin.
Probably as a result of provide chain shortages, our automobile’s price ticket included a $200 credit score for a lacking wi-fi charger that ought to have been normal. Of the non-compulsory extras, the AMG Line package deal actually helps bolster the GLS’s appears, setting it other than the competitors.
Exterior: Luxurious By Goldilocks
When evaluating the X7 and the GLS, exterior appears are a win for the GLS in our ebook. The place the BMW shouts, this automobile whispers. Mercedes has lengthy had the system for SUVs down pat, and earlier than Mercedes refreshes the GLS, we would like to understand it for what it’s.
The strains on the GLS are clear and stylish. The wheels are 20-inch gadgets as normal and equally understated. Now we have a sense the producer is aware of you may acknowledge this automobile if you take a look at it, so the design does not need to shout about it.
You may park the GLS in most locations with out drawing consideration, however that is to not say it is not a looker. The SUV is especially enticing from the three-quarter angle, and whereas the grille is the least understated side of the automobile, it does announce the GLS in a cultured approach. In all, no notes, and level: Mercedes.
Efficiency: Understated Velocity
The GLS is fairly fast, contemplating its overarching character traits relate to it being massive. With 362 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque, its hefty 5,400-odd-pound curb weight does not cease it from reaching 60 mph in underneath six seconds. The GLS rockets away from the lights; the upcoming AMG model will naturally get the varsity run achieved quicker, however the X7 beats the GLS to 60 mph one-tenth faster.
The three.0-liter motor is turbocharged and has mild-hybrid drive, and the gearing of the 9-speed automated enhances the setup effectively for clean energy supply. Nonetheless, it is no efficiency SUV or sports activities automobile, and the GLS does a high quality job of quietly whisking you alongside whereas pulling some respectable gasoline financial system figures. Merc claims 20 mpg mixed, and on our barely highway-heavy week with the automobile, we managed 22 mpg with out touching eco mode.
After all, the GLS is AWD, identical to its competitors. Mercifully, the snow hadn’t set in once we examined the automobile, however the all-wheel traction would positively be helpful in such circumstances. Regardless, the GLS’s mechanical bits meet the temporary for the luxurious SUV to ferry passengers with poise and confidence.
Driving Impressions: Smooth And Pudgy
Whereas the S-Class Sedan is undoubtedly the height of the Mercedes luxurious mountain vary, the GLS manages a high quality impression- in a vacuum. Once more, now we have to contemplate that the GLS is going through down an up to date BMW X7 right here, however that does not cease the expertise from making us surprise what Mercedes might want to change when it updates the GLS.
Nonetheless, this automobile drives like an S-Class on stilts, which is to say higher than the overwhelming majority of vehicles on the highway. First, there’s the experience consolation. The GLS’s suspension works to isolate you completely from something on the highway, as any good luxurious automobile does. But it surely’s the GLS’s capability to shake off bigger impacts that impressed us essentially the most. A killer experience is a should at this value level, however the GLS is ready to shrink pothole impacts to a smooth “whump.” The cabin is quiet, too, which augments the comfortable experience high quality completely.
Mercedes even manages a pleasant mix of sporty and smooth within the completely different drive modes, and we discovered ourselves altering issues up with the drive selector extra usually than anticipated.
The GLS is extra athletic than we anticipate, and we admire the steering really feel extra right here than within the rival BMW. The GLS’s steering manages to seize highway texture with out undue harshness, which is a really apt abstract of how the GLS drives. That is the GLS’s modus operandi. On the freeway, the automobile is just not so remoted from the surface world that you simply will not discover a semi-truck passing by your window, however the identical truck will not be a disturbance when it does. Round city, a de-catted and lifted F-250 will not disturb you, both.
The tech within the GLS can be beneficiant, however the non-compulsory Acoustic Consolation Package deal, which incorporates lamenting on the home windows and extra sound insulation, is a should for many who prioritize serene driving. There is a slew of security options that come normal, too, with Mercedes’ ADAS being among the finest suites available on the market. It consists of fundamentals comparable to lane-keep help, adaptive cruise management, blind-spot monitoring, consideration help, a surround-view monitor, and extra – in our time with the GLS, the ADAS suite by no means put a foot unsuitable.
Inside: Mercedes’ M.O.
The inside of the GLS is a classically Benz expertise – in case you’ve pushed one in the previous few years. It is protected to say that the inside is excessive up there among the many most vital features of a luxurious automobile, and the GLS ticks the containers for consolation, opulence, and tech wizardry. When it comes to the previous, all of the seas within the GLS are supremely snug and extensively adjustable the place it issues. Nonetheless, we really feel the Europeans cannot maintain a candle to the ventilated seats present in Stellantis merchandise.
When it comes to infotainment and different tech, we really feel that it really works very well on this software. The Burmester sound system is improbable, with glorious readability though we really feel it might be a bit missing within the mid-range. We favor this method to the X7’s sound system, although that setup has the wattage to out-loud the Merc. Mercedes continues to be the undisputed king of the ambient mild recreation, in our ebook, although. Nobody does it higher than Benz, and we love enjoying with the system each time we hop right into a Merc. And, name us loopy, however we favor the sprint format to the Hyperscreen within the EQS, and nonetheless favor MBUX to different infotainment techniques within the enterprise.
As with many vehicles at this value level, A and B touchpoints are lined in leather-based, and if not, they’re typically metallic or another high-quality materials. Mercedes does lag a bit behind the up to date X7 right here, as we most popular the disguise within the BMW, however the finer touches on the Mercedes considerably make up for this. The open-pore wooden is beautiful, and the controls nonetheless really feel good regardless of the actual fact Benz has been utilizing the identical local weather management stack for an age. If it ain’t broke, because the saying goes.
Nonetheless, for six figures, we anticipate a bit extra luxurious within the rear two rows of the GLS. Third-row forgetfulness is frequent in even the costliest SUVs, however we really feel Mercedes might’ve made a bit extra effort – there simply was not quite a bit happening within the rear seats, save for some local weather controls.
Verdict: Deliver On The Facelift
So, the place does all this depart the GLS? As issues stand, the BMW X7 is the three-row luxurious SUV of the second. Variations in pricing apart, BMW’s LCI has introduced the X7 forward, leaving the GLS behind when it comes to consolation, tech, and usefulness.
After all, there are nonetheless excessive notes as a result of, frankly, the GLS continues to be superb when considered in isolation. The Burmester sound system, for instance, is a literal excessive notice. So is the experience, MBUX system, and Mercedes’ lighting. And in case you care about aesthetics, Mercedes does a greater huge and brutish SUV that also appears elegant. The X7 could be good, but it surely’s not notably good-looking.
If something, we’re excited to see what Merc’s reply for the X7 can be. The GLS is a high quality product, but it surely’s time for an replace and we anticipate adjustments that can carry it extra in step with this SUV’s largest competitor.