MERCEDES-BENZ GLS
More polished, more techy and much more expensive
Mild-hybrid assistance is like asking a desk fan to assist an ocean liner
Don’t be fooled by the use of the word ‘hybrid’ in connection with the entire engine line-up for the revised GLS. This huge, luxurious seven-seat SUV does indeed now have mild hybrids all round, but it’s like asking a desk fan to assist an ocean liner. CO2 emissions remain high, and we averaged economy in the high 20s in mixed driving from the 450d.
We’re not complaining. In the context of alternatives such as the BMW X7 and Range Rover that consumption is par for the course, although the Range Rover is available as a PHEV, tested in this issue, and if it’s clean running you’re after then you could always go for Merc’s EQS SUV. But taken on its own terms, the GLS is better luxury family transport than its electric cousin. And the recent changes are mostly – but not entirely – for the better.
Rather than copy the BMW X7 and ditch loads of physical controls, the interior looks much the same as before, save for some new trim and an updated infotainment system that remains good to look at and easy to use. The fly in that ointment is the new steering wheel with its myriad touch-sensitive icons and sliders. They’re just too easy to trigger accidentally. Catching the volume by mistake is annoying, triggering the cruise control in the same way is worrying.
Adults in rows one and two have ample space, and there’s enough room for two adults in row three if you wind the central bench forward a bit. Boot space is useful with all seven seats in place, outstanding with five, and van-like with just two.
In the cabin, at armrest level and above everything feels solidly constructed, and there’s a good mix of leather, wood trim and squishy plastics. Below this, you’ll find surprisingly hard and scratchy materials used on the lower door cards. Petty? Maybe, but I’d expect better in a six-figure SUV.
While plenty of markets get a broader range of options, we get a choice of two 3.0-litre six-cylinder engines, one petrol and one diesel. This 362bhp oil-burner hits 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds and feels pleasingly muscular from not much past idle. Refinement isn’t quite as good as the X7 and Range Roger, with noise levels that bring to mind a V6 Ford Ranger, but the sound isn’t entirely unpleasant, and the stop/start works with imperceptible s
