Mercedes-Benz GLS-class
Car and Driver
Tested: two thousand seventeen Mercedes-Benz GLS450 4MATIC
2017 Mercedes-Benz GLS450 4MATIC
- Aug 2016
- By ALEXANDER STOKLOSA
- Photography By MICHAEL SIMARI
Normally, stating that a fresh or updated car is just like its predecessor kind of saps the life out of its “newness.” Take the two thousand seventeen Mercedes-Benz GLS450, for example. Its close kinship with last year’s GL450 may not be arousing, but it is a good thing, as that model represented the ideal intersection of price, spectacle, and fuel economy in the four-model GL-class lineup. For 2017, that family stays the same aside from a minor name switch to GLS-class and subtle cosmetic updates inwards and out.
Sharing its 362-hp Three.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 with the pre-refresh, S-less GL450, the GLS450 again slots into the lineup above the diesel-powered GLS350d and below the high-powered, high-priced, eight-cylinder GLS550 and GLS63 AMG variants. Make that way, way below the V-8-powered GLS550 and GLS63 AMG, which commence at $94,775 and $125,025. They play in a different arena than the $Sixty-nine,625 GLS450.
The GLS450 comes in $1650 over a GLS350d, and for that extra scrape you get one hundred seven more horsepower at the expense of a few mpg. (The EPA, however, has yet to certify the ’17 GLS350d—likely the result of a federal investigation into possible emissions-test irregularities—making the GLS450 look like an even better proposition.) We have yet to test the 2017-model GLS350d or GLS550, but against the (slightly less powerful, pre-refresh) GL350 diesel and the GL550, the GLS450 compares favorably. The GL350 BlueTec reached sixty mph in 7.Five seconds and returned twenty two mpg, while the GL550 accelerated to sixty mph in Five.Four seconds but delivered a dismal fourteen mpg. Aside from their fresh nine-speed automatic transmission collective with the GLS450, the ’17 GLS350d and GLS550 aren’t expected to perform much differently. For its part, the fresh GLS450 smoked to sixty mph in Five.7 seconds—just a tick behind the 550—while its observed eighteen mpg was much closer to the diesel than to the V-8. Those in slightly less of a hurry could argue a strong case for the diesel, as well.
The GLS450’s fresh transmission is dubbed 9G-Tronic. Its very first seven gears sport shorter ratios than all seven speeds in the old transmission. Compared with a two thousand fifteen GL450 we tested last year, the GLS450’s spicier gearing enabled it to reach sixty mph 0.Two 2nd quicker and post snappier 30-to-50-mph and 50-to-70-mph passing times. Some credit for this specific GLS450’s extra zip could be attributed to its lack of optional extras, which made it weigh two hundred seven pounds less than that two thousand fifteen GL450.
A straighter line can be drawn inbetween the fresh transmission and the GLS450’s enhanced fuel economy. The two extra gears, both of which are taller than seventh gear in the old transmission, are responsible for nudging the GLS450’s EPA highway fuel-economy estimate northward by one mpg, to twenty two mpg. (The city estimate remains seventeen mpg.) We eyed a thicker improvement, as the eighteen mpg our GLS450 notched over a few hundred miles topped the two thousand fifteen version by two mpg. Better still, the 9G-Tronic’s tall gearing keeps engine revs low at highway speeds, and it behaves almost flawlessly in the default Convenience mode, save for a tendency to select too high a gear when downshifting unless the throttle is truly booted. There is a Sport mode, but it’s slightly too anxious, waking up the transmission as however one of those jitter-inducing energy drinks often found at minimarts were poured into the electronics. Lower gears are feverishly held, even at a constant cruise, and very first gear is used when accelerating from a stop (2nd is used in Convenience mode in the interest of smoothness). If you absolutely have to make it to soccer practice on time, use this setting.
The only other fresh feature vying for attention is a touchpad controller for the updated COMAND infotainment display. The touchpad, which operates via finger swipes and taps like a smartphone’s screen, works as well here as it does in other Benz products. But mostly it presents yet another choice for manipulating the COMAND menus in addition to a knob, steering-wheel controls, and voice instructions.
The Dynamic Story
All else being pretty much equal to the GL450, it’s little wonder that this model’s core competencies carry over. The interior seats up to seven in convenience, and albeit adults will fit in the third row, those chairs will seem most accommodating to children or teenagers. Air springs are standard, and while this suspension abates the SUV’s initial responses—there is some assets roll in corners—it also makes any road surface feel as if it’s made of memory foam. And despite the bod lean, the GLS posted 0.79 g of cornering grip on our skidpad, which is above average for something 72.8 inches tall and weighing almost five thousand four hundred pounds.
The rest of the big Benz’s dynamic qualities are to be expected, with the steering tracking well on the highway but otherwise being numb and with slow, vague responses to driver inputs. The brakes earn similar marks; the pedal feels reassuring after you pass through a brief squishy zone at the top of its travel, but the GLS450’s 186-foot stop from seventy mph is merely okay for this class. Indeed, tho’, the only dynamics that matter are the GLS450’s highway manners. We took it on a half-day excursion from Ann Arbor to the west side of Michigan and back, and the most grueling part of the journey was the sunburn we got at the beach. Pack the GLS450 with people, cargo (up to ninety four cubic feet with the second- and third-row seats folded), or both and you can schlep them far and broad in soft-riding quietude.
It’s particularly telling that this fairly sparsely optioned GLS450 seemed so luxurious and relieving to drive. Outside of a few individual bits such as a trailer hitch ($575), temperature-controlled cupholders ($180), illuminated running boards ($670), a heated steering wheel ($250), and power-flipping second-row seats ($400), our test car’s largest addition was the $3830 Premium package that brought SiriusXM satellite radio, Apple CarPlay, a proximity key, lane-keeping assist, ambient interior lighting, and a power passenger seat. A $1290 Parking Assist package (a self-parking system and a surround-view camera) and the rather droll combination of Iridium Silver paint ($720) and dark Anthracite Poplar wood trim ($160) that scarcely stood out in the all-black MB-Tex pseudo-leather cabin brought the total to $78,550.
Almost $80,000 is slightly richer than a base, four-wheel-drive Cadillac Escalade—a equipment that’s closer to the GLS450 in size and general SUV-ness than the more carlike Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90. The body-on-frame Escalade also happens to be slower, worse to drive, less fuel-efficient, and less roomy for people and cargo, which sets up an chance for the GLS450. In our current editorial rankings, the GLS-class (the entire family) trails the Audi and the Volvo, mostly because those tall wagons are more athletic and exquisitely appointed across the breadth of their ranges, but neither can tow more than five thousand pounds or fit adults in their third-row seats. If you need a practical and well-rounded luxury SUV, the GLS450’s 7500-pound tow rating and capability to actually fit seven humans in its boxy assets mark it as not only the sweet spot in the GLS lineup, but in its class.
Highs and Lows
Highs:
Fresh transmission`s smoothness, family-friendly packaging, cushy rail.