Mercedes-Benz have put the long – hardly secret – news to rest with the reveal of the all-new GLS-Class: their flagship luxury SUV.
The new GLS comes in line with the nomenclature revamp that the entire range of Mercedes SUVs and crossovers are going through, and replaces the GL. The engine options are a slew of revised motors. The new 350 d V6 turbo-diesel now gets 258 PS and 616 Nm of torque, the 400 gets the BiTurbo petrol V6 with 333 PS and 480 Nm, the new 550 – in the US, 500 elsewhere – gets the 4.7-litre BiTurbo V8 petrol now with 455 PS and 700 Nm, as in the S-Class, while the top-of the performance-heap AMG model, the GLS 63, gets bumped-up to the 585-PS BiTurbo V8 petrol engine.
All versions, save for the AMG, get the 9G-Tronic nine-speed automatic, with the option of a low-range transfer case and centre-locking differential. The AMG gets the trademark 7SS AMG SpeedShift seven-speed twin-clutch automatic. AIRMATIC air suspension is available and affords a ground clearance of 306 mm at maximum lift.
The GLS also gets a plethora of electronic aids including Active Curve System for minimised body-roll and improved cornering, adaptive LED lighting, COMAND multimedia, PRE-SAFE and new Dynamic Select drive modes, including a dedicated Off-Road mode.
There will be more variants down the line, including hybrid alternatives, with the trim aspect being taken care of with the introduction of the AMG Line variants that will have big, swanky wheels and sporty body mods, while being more light-hearted on the inside.
The new GLS-Class will be priced similar to the GL. Prices in Germany will start from €62,850 (Rs 47 lakh) for the GLE 350 d 4MATIC, while the AMG GLS 63 costs €113,500 (Rs 85 lakh).
Story: Jim Gorde
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