Mercedes-Benz GLS review

Prices start at a whopping £110,800 for the AMG Line Premium Plus with a diesel engine – the entry-level model – which gets pretty much everything you could ever want or need in your big Mercedes SUV. Stuff like the full-fat MBUX infotainment system, LED headlights, the posh Burmester stereo, heated seats in the front and back, heated armrests up front, temperature-controlled cupholders and a whopping-great panoramic sunroof.

There’s also something that Merc calls ‘Magic Vision Control’, which heats the cleaning fluid that’s sprayed out of the wipers and onto the windscreen, while also taking into account the outside temperature and vehicle speed. Apparently, this reduces wiper water consumption by up to 50 per cent.

Anyway, step up the range and you’re into the £120,800 Business Class trim. Excellent name. This adds 23in wheels (yikes) and things like a heated steering wheel, electrically operated sun blinds, wireless phone charging in the back and further screens for rear seat passengers. In each case you’ll pay an extra £3,380 to get into the straight-six petrol.

Then comes the first big step up to the AMG GLS 63 4Matic+ Night Edition. That’ll set you back £158,400 and then a whole lot more in fuel. Merc claims 21.1mpg on average. The AMG gets its own Active Ride Control+ system and a limited slip diff on the rear, plus 23in forged wheels, special brakes, an AMG-spec grille and those all-important quad tailpipes. Should sound good too with the proper performance exhaust. Inside there’s lots of carbon fibre and fancy Nappa leather.

With pretty much everything included in the different trim levels, you can’t actually spend that much on options when speccing a GLS. You can spend a huge amount of money on a Maybach version though, with the V8-engined behemoth starting at £182,950 in the UK and running on all the way to £213,250 for the Maybach GLS 600 4Matic First Class Night Series. Catchy.

As for costs to actually run a GLS – it won’t be cheap. Your first year’s tax, for example, will be eye-watering, while Mercedes claims 33.7mpg for the 450d in entry level trim. That actually isn’t so bad for such a big car, but we saw an average of 30.7mpg on a long run in the UK and watched that figure drop dramatically in town.