The luxurious 2018 Mercedes Benz GLS

What you need to know:

  • The low-range gearbox and centre differential lock intervene if necessary in order to ensure a high degree of drivability in demanding off-road terrain. This is further boosted by the extended functions of the AIRMATIC air suspension with raised ride heights for a ground clearance of up to 306 millimetres and thus a fording depth of up to 600 millimetres.
  • In addition to the ground-breaking powertrain configuration, the retuned AIRMATIC air suspension with enhanced ADS damping characteristics guarantees extremely stable driving. The optional active roll stabilisation ACTIVE CURVE SYSTEM uses active anti-roll bars on the front and rear axle and reduces the roll angle of the body during cornering. Off-road capabilities are also part of the advantages of the active curve system.

The Mercedes Benz GLS is setting standards in the world of the SUV as it confirms its position as the “S-Class among SUVs”. The only full-fledged seven-seater in the European premium SUV segment boasts ample spaciousness and combines luxury with impressive levels of comfort, agile dynamics and also best-in-class safety. Once again the dimensions of the GLS bear witness to its full-size format, and form the best possible basis for providing its seven passengers with a generous amount of space:

The luggage compartment provides a volume of 680 to 2300 litres and as such clearly surpasses the amount of space offered by the vehicle’s competitors. On top of this there is a maximum load compartment length of 2124 mm as well as a payload capacity of up to 815 kilogrammes.
State-of-the-art connectivity and infotainment are optionally provided by the latest generation of comand Online including a 20.3 cm (8-inch) colour Media Display as well as the intuitive touchpad.

Maximum safety
The equipment level of the new GLS in the area of active safety underscores Mercedes-Benz’s high standards when it comes to taking the strain off the driver. Driver assistance systems fitted as standard include collision prevention assist plus, Crosswind Assist and attention assist, for example. Other systems available as standard on the GLS also include: the PRE-SAFE® system, Brake Assist BAS, the electronic all-wheel drive traction system 4ETS, ESP® with Curve Dynamic Assist, cruise control with variable speedtronic speed limiter and the steering assist function steer control.

The optional Driver Assistance package Plus further reduces the driver’s workload while enhancing safety for the passengers, with systems including DISTRONIC PLUS with Stop&Go Pilot, PRE-SAFE® Brake with pedestrian detection, BAS PLUS with Cross-Traffic Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist, Active Lane Keeping Assist and PRE-SAFE® PLUS.

Optimum protection potential is provided by the passive occupant protection systems together with the “electronic crumple zones” of the assistance systems and the intelligent body design. Adaptive, two-stage airbags for driver and front passenger, kneebag for the driver and front passenger (combined thorax/pelvisbags) and windowbags above all three seat rows are also part of the standard specification, among other features.
Night-time vision is improved by the optionally available LED Intelligent Light System.

The engine line-up
All of the engines of the new GLS provide better performance, with reduced consumption values in some cases. The powerful GLS 500 4MATIC with V8 biturbo engine featuring direct injection now generates 455 hp, some 15 kW (20 hp) more than the preceding model, and at a maximum torque of 700 Nm combines outstanding performance with the high level of motoring comfort of these engines. The V6 biturbo engine, also featuring direct injection, is used in the GLS 400 4MATIC. This engine produces an output of 333 hp and 480 Nm of torque, makes do with 8.9 l/100 km and like all models has an ECO start/stop function.

As the effortlessly superior top-of-the-range model in the series, the Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 4MATIC now has over 20 kW (28 hp) more output, at 585 hp, than its predecessor. The peak torque of 760 Nm is now available from just 1750 rpm. Despite a significant increase in performance, the consumption remains unchanged.

Alongside the petrol engines, in the GLS 350 d 4MATIC is the choice of the proven V6 diesel engine rated at 258 hp and with ample torque of 620 Nm.
The low-range gearbox and centre differential lock intervene if necessary in order to ensure a high degree of drivability in demanding off-road terrain. This is further boosted by the extended functions of the AIRMATIC air suspension with raised ride heights for a ground clearance of up to 306 millimetres and thus a fording depth of up to 600 millimetres.

In addition to the ground-breaking powertrain configuration, the retuned AIRMATIC air suspension with enhanced ADS damping characteristics guarantees extremely stable driving. The optional active roll stabilisation ACTIVE CURVE SYSTEM uses active anti-roll bars on the front and rear axle and reduces the roll angle of the body during cornering. Off-road capabilities are also part of the advantages of the active curve system.

Article by Spear Motors