The interior is an experience of the pinnacle of plushness, quality and luxury. Yes, it’s an AMG, but apart from the badges and carbon-fibre trim elements, there is little which makes it feel as hardcore as it’s meant to be. The soft leather seats and cabin trim truly help you feel cosseted and the amount of room there helps you breathe very easy. The interplay of light and dark elements is pleasing and helps balance the sport and luxury aspect. This is an expensive car, and it feels like one.
The steering wheel and dashboard are the dark bits inside, and rightly so. The wheel and shift-paddles make you wonder if you will ever be able to throw this behemoth into a corner and come out intact. One glance at the AMG badges assures you that you are indeed in good hands. This is a German monster and it won’t indulge in mindless frivolity even if you tried. You have to take it seriously. However, on the up side, there are multiple ways to keep calm when the going gets, well, blocked.
You’re in a large car; you’re using over two metres of the road width; and the horses packed into a displacement the size of a professional chef’s oven in reality would require acres of land just to house, let alone run free. What do you do? Well, the AMG sports seats, for starters, are extremely comfortable and supportive. No matter how many regrettable decisions you’ve made in life, the GL won’t be one of them, and it’s not just the seats that support you there. There are several other creature comforts which make life much easier: the Thermotronic climate control helps you stay cool, while the impeccable Bang & Olufsen multimedia system lets you enjoy hours of music, via DVD, SD card or even the 10-gig built-in hard drive.
Before you forget, this is a proper full-size seven-seater SUV, and, in European terms, that means two adults, four children and a dog or four adults and three children, with a good amount of luggage to boot. In India, however, it’s mostly seven adults with between two to four kids seated on their laps. That said, the second row offers good comfort, and the third row, although plentiful in terms of headroom, does lack the knee-room for a full-size adult. Occupants, though, won’t feel the miles because the AMG model, apart from the premium audio system, also packs rear-seat entertainment with two eight-inch displays and wireless headphones.
On the safety front, you have the regular bundle of active and passive safety aids: ABS, EBD, Brake Assist, Stability Control, Traction Control, Hill Assist, Downhill Speed Regulation and nine airbags are a given. The GL63 also has Night View Assist Plus, which uses the seven-inch COMAND screen. There is also a 360º camera with the Parking Package, that includes Parktronic parking assist – a boon on this 5.2-metre-long car!
Enough with the details, this is an AMG and the big V8 calls for attention. The heart of the monster is a big one – a twin-blown 5.5-litre V8 with 557 PS and 760 Nm of torque – more than enough to handle its 2,580 kg bulk. Having the seven-speed AMG SpeedShift Plus mated to the 4MATIC all-wheel drive system takes agility and handling up several notches.
