Road Test: 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLS - Luxury Box

"We look forward to the day when we’ll no longer be scratching our heads, guessing which new Mercedes-Benz SUV is what. By then we’ll hopefully have the full GL lineup down pat. But, right now, it’s time to figure out what niche the GLS fits among Mercedes’ ever expanding SUV portfolio. Here’s a hint, it’s a big one."
Complete Road Test: goo.gl/5NBllO
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MotorWeek is television’s longest running and most respected automotive series. MotorWeek debuted in 1981 and launched a new television genre by becoming the first weekly series to offer consumer-oriented car and truck reviews, do-it-yourself car care tips, and the latest auto industry news.
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[@XxROCKSTARxX3]

Thinking about getting this as a family car beginning of next year, GLS 550,

[@kjackson1676]

Me too!! Can't wait to test drive

[@diederikpeperstraete1280]

I have the GLS 63 AMG as a daily driver and it is sooo nice to drive! The sound coming from the exhaust is genius!

[@GeauxRilla]

Would you sell?

[@faraz4692]

What year

[@nyc.bt.9512]

My dream suv of all time benz are my first choice ever when is about to buy a sexy and luxurious suv of this gourges design.

[@Walter-hg2nr]

This one look much better then Q7 .Audi Q7 looks like minivan with the sticker prise $100 000.

[@kuyaanthony7860]

i find it funny that my gls550 uses less gas than my vw cc (the 2.0t) after a full day of beating on them.

[@93remix]

the GERMs are pretty damned good @ building cars/suvs that are exciting. now why can't we Americans build stuff like this??

[@Tuppoo94]

That's what you get when the starting price for the car is 100 grand. American competitors are cheaper, which shows in the little things.

[@93remix]

Tuppoo94 ok and my point is if the US is supposed to be the best then, why can't we make cars/suv as good as this?? we can't, we don't. and pluuuuhease don't say the SRT8 GrandCherokee, pretty soon they'll find more reasons to recall that 1 too.

[@Tuppoo94]

93remix Well, clearly that statement doesn't hold up under scrutiny.

[@MrGreenelight]

The Mecedees GLS is made in Alabama, a very country part of Alabama at that.

[@Walter-hg2nr]

93remix Yes they look really good but how reliable they are ??? Had so many different German cars SUV and what can I say some American or Japanese more reliable !!!

[@shahinir]

I have this exact same model and it has a very powerful, responsive engine/transmission and smooth ride. Gas guzzler for sure, but well worth it for what you get. Audi Q7 comparison doesn't sound right.

[@MrStangdawg]

Don't ever own these out of warranty. Love my old Benz but left the brand due to cost of ownership. Impossible to keep check engine lights off once these start getting north of 60k-70k miles. Just like a boat owning these things. Best days of owning are when you buy it and when you sell it. If anyone thinking of getting a used one, look up the cost of the air shocks to repair lol. There is nothing more expensive than a "cheap" Mercedes.... buyer beware.

[@Lucky-gk7ez]

I bought a 2013 ML 350 with 120k mi. I’m spending 13gs to make her purr because the engine is a lemon.

[@Rexbraiku]

Sureee.i did they easy to replace and they not needed in texas thank u

[@Kaktus965]

Meh. Try owning a twin engine airplane….

[@deloreanman14]

When driver 'aids' nag constantly and lead drivers to disable them like MW had to do, that totally defeats the purpose of having them. My dad has a 2007 Acura RL that he bought new in 2006 and in those ten years, I can count the number of false alarms from the collision mitigation braking system on one hand. It sounds like Mercedes should have spent a few extra weeks honing them before releasing it to the world.

[@madogblue]

Good concise , honest review

[@redriver15262]

Im a die hard Mercedes fan, but GLS sounds like a trim on a Hyundai accent.......

[@andrewmoses2674]

Are u a woman?

[@chadharmon5716]

Come on that thing is overkill lol 😂

[@aayonce4]

That crazy power has to be amazing in a big vehicle . But I wonder will this have reliability issues like the escalade

[@mustafamb1172]

aayonce4

[@unknownunknowns]

Austin Chase Yes but MB has to appeal to everyone. It knows that SUV owners don't drive off road often enough but occasionally they do. So it has air suspension to soak up the potholes on the asphalt but can raise up the chassis to avoid its unibody underside to be damaged. Thus, being the best of both worlds can be expensive.

[@MrStangdawg]

I've literally owned both. The cost of repairs for the Benz are 2X+ over the Caddy. It's not even close. The Benz is definitely not reliable as it ages. Only failure I had on the Esky was the trans temp sensor ($500 repair) and the condenser which was done under warranty and was common on this gen of Caddy/suburban/silverado The Benz was check engine lights for non stop sensors, air suspension failures, etc. GET EXTENDED WARRANTIES if you want to hedge against big repair bills.

[@mahinahmed2316]

This is actually cheaper than toyota landcruser which starts at 80 grand in US

[@seankurth4371]

It makes sense, the GLS is a minivan with a fake skidplate, the Land Cruiser is one of the best if not the best offroaders in the world, and it will still be running 200k miles after the GLS is scrapped and crushed. All of that extra reinforcement and engineering costs money. Toyota charges twice as much for it as they do for their other SUVs (Sequoia, 4Runner, Highlander, etc) because it's built twice as well. It does compete directly with the Nissan Patrol, a much more luxurious but also more expensive chariot of Arab princes that is pretty much equally good offroad, as much as fanboys of both will claim otherwise due to a nanometer tighter turning radius or whatever. The GLS is popular for decorating garages in rich suburbs, the Land Cruiser is what the GLS pretends to be and more. Does it have the prestige of a Mercedes badge or an interior as nice as that of a Mercedes? No it doesn't, but it has just enough luxury to make you comfortable in your sprint across the Sahara that the GLS would never dare attempt, anything more would just get in the way and be hard to service with the limited skills of third world repair shops. Imagine what a G-Wagen would be like if about $40k worth of quilted leather and cutting-edge electronics were removed, but it was still very nice and even more durable, and that's what a Land Cruiser is. To non-Australians anyway, the Australian one for some reason costs more than anyone else's but lacks a third row and has the interior of a Kia Rio. I don't understand why Toyota even offers it in the USA though, they sell fewer Land Cruisers annually than Lotus sells cars and there's no market for that to change, people who offroad recreationally aren't rich enough and people who buy luxury cars rarely offroad, this isn't Dubai or Australia. There's also the pathological obsession with badges we have, other countries are actually able to read the model name without the assistance of a prestigious badge, but here, no luxury car can wear a lesser badge, lest people think it's inferior because it wasn't "engineered from the start to be a luxury car," and any prestigious badge that finds its way onto a lesser car is ruined. BMW sells $20k compacts in Europe, Lexuses are badged as Toyotas in Japan, and a Brabus Nissan Patrol holds as much prestige as a Lamborghini in Dubai. But here, nobody would buy an $80k Toyota, or even a $50k Toyota, even if it were dunked in a gold bath and signed by the queen of England herself, because it would have a Toyota badge. And everyone turns their head for a Mercedes CLA, which is a poorly made Camry with cheaper plastics and about the same price, because it has a Mercedes badge.

[@unknownunknowns]

Sean Kurth I think in the US, MB, just like other manufacturers, are just trying to appeal to the market. The trend seems to be that SUVs are becoming crossovers because owners don't drive them off road enough and they want safety and practicality (though, the minivan is generally more that way). However, maybe, say, ten percent of the time, they do, so MB is trying to make this GLS, the best of both worlds. Just look at the Ford Explorer. It started out as a body on frame (BOF) chassis. Now, it's a unibody. The BOF Ford Expedition is disappearing and will be replaced with a unibody next year. The advantages of BOF is the simplicity and durability because it has a live solid rear axle while a unibody has a rear independent suspension which need its bushing to be replaced eventually. So, if you're driving off road all the time, the Land Cruiser would fit that purpose because the frame would not bend overtime like a unibody, and if you're driving on the asphalt mostly with driving off road occasionally, the GLS would be it due to a comfortable ride. And since the GLS is a unibody, that can explain why the costs associated with it are higher. I think to address the unibody durability issues, MB decided to add air suspension so it will soak up the bumps less harshly because the vibrations it absorbs would bend it overtime, so that's also where the added costs come from. In all, being the best of both worlds costs more.

[@aryapradhanad186]

Sean Kurth Don't forget the GLS also has center diff lock and low range, and so as the Land Cruiser. They're both capable traversing mud, driving through sand dunes in the right tires, even the 2017 Audi Q7 is capable to drive across Namibia's sand dunes, heat and harsh conditions again with the right tires.

[@Amal-hq1jv]

Stefan Unson man.... you're good and well knowledgeble, thanxs for your points

[@Walter-hg2nr]

Mahin Ahmed this is 100grand

[@joelcrow]

You guys had one of the most beautiful versions also…that brown stitched interior with the striped walnut steering wheel…wow!! The best twin-five-spoke wheel ever made by MB as well. Nice!!

[@Scotford_Maconochie]

For a top of the line Mercedes, the interior looks antiquated

[@sulebello6285]

you are okay keep it up

[@figarofigaritz889]

The screen in the middle of the dashboard looks unattractive & intrusive.

[@armansandhu5807]

Why

[@mervinprone]

Looks like a minivan

[@meepcheep314]

a GLS 450

[@manojts8208]

super review sir

[@meepcheep314]

My mom has a GLS

[@SantanKGhey1234]

Aww, that's Cute...

[@thesoundofthesuburbs]

The GLS350d never made it.

[@devilsshadow5452]

In Europa

[@Advocate23able]

He actually says the 350d is for the frugal minded. Lanes.....

[@TheLastJayL]

This is a bad looking suv overall. I would rather have an Escalade.

[@maaaaaarccc2348]

Mr Leslie Bad looking? What are you, blind?

[@kaleemakhtar1765]

This is one of the best suv . I have 350 diesel. What a drive and comfort.

[@meepcheep314]

bruh, my mother owns the GLS 450 and it is the best Mercedes-Benz SUV you will ever ride in

[@meepcheep314]

Same dude. My parents own a GLS 450!@@kaleemakhtar1765

[@justrandomthings319]

What are you smoking? I don't want it.