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Introduction
The 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL 450 is the auto maker's first full-size sport utility
vehicle. This all-new GL-Class of SUVs features three rows of seating and can
seat up to seven passengers.
Large and luxurious, the GL is built in the United States alongside the M-Class
mid-size SUV and the R-Class touring wagon. The GL is designed to appeal to
Mercedes-Benz sedan owners who want the off-road, four-wheel-drive,
seven-passenger and 7500-pound towing capabilities that come with a full-size
SUV along with the luxury and safety features they have in their other Mercedes
vehicles.
While their names sound similar, don't confuse the new GL-Class with the
venerable G-Class or Gelandewagen. The GL shares nothing in common with the
utiliarian G-Class, which will remain part of the Mercedes model lineup.
Initially available in one form, the Mercedes-Benz GL 450 is large and capable
off road yet feels surprisingly car-like on the road. That car-like feeling
comes in part because this is the first full-size SUV built around a unibody
architecture instead of traditional body-on-frame construction. Mercedes says
the GL is strong enough to tow a 30-foot boat, a trailer carrying three horses,
or a good-sized Airstream travel trailer.
Model Lineup
The GL-Class launches with a single model. The 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL 450 comes
with a 335-hp V8 engine similar to the one in the new S-Class sedan. Additional
models will be coming, starting early in calendar year 2007 with the GL 320
CDI, which comes with a diesel engine. Later, the GL will be available with
Mercedes' breakthrough BlueTec diesel powertrain.
The Mercedes-Benz GL 450 ($54,900) comes with a 4.6-liter V8 engine,
seven-speed automatic transmission, the 4MATIC four-wheel drive system, and the
Airmatic air suspension system. It comes with seating for seven and with a
third row that powers up or down at the touch of a button.
Options include Distronic radar-controlled cruise control; a rear-seat
entertainment system with two screens; Keyless Go, which allows the car to be
started as long as the key is inside the vehicle; Parktronic, which uses sonar
to detect obstacles near the vehicle; a power rear tailgate; Harman/Kardon
Logic 7 surround sound system; and DVD navigation.
Safety features that come standard include eight airbags, including side
airbags for all four outboard first and second-row seating positions as well as
side curtain airbags that protect occupants in all three rows. It comes with
active front head restraints, LATCH tethers for child safety seats, and
three-point safety belts for all seating positions; make sure everyone in the
vehicle always wears those seat belts because they're your first line of
defense in a crash. Active safety features (to help you avoid a crash) include
an Electronic Stability Program, anti-lock brakes with Brake Assist Plus, and
four-wheel electronic traction control. Optional safety features include
Parktronic and a rear-view camera, each of which can help alert the driver
obstacles or people, including children, behind the vehicle.
Walkaround
The GL carries the styling cues seen in newest generation of Mercedes' mid-size
M-Class (ML), but applies them to a larger package and adds some strong,
perhaps even masculine touches. For example, both in front and at the rear, a
metal skid plate (designed to protect underlying mechanical parts from damage
when driving off pavement) is a prominent feature that underscores the GL's
image of strength.
The GL's face looks much like that of the ML, except for the use of round fog
lamps instead of oval-shaped accessory lights. Like the ML, the hood features
what Mercedes calls a pair of power domes.
Seen in profile, the GL's nicely raked windshield and large, 18-inch wheels
(with 19- and even 20-inch wheels available) and bulging wheel arches help
balance what is basically a tall and long vehicle. But even being tall and
long, the GL doesn't look as bulky as, say, General Motor's full-size SUVs, the
Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon, and even with the squared-off rear edge of its
D-pillar, the GL doesn't look as boxy as DaimlerChrysler's other full-size,
three-row SUV, the Jeep Commander.
Viewed from the rear, the GL presents a formidable obstacle. It's tall and
wide, with a large rear hatch opening, large tail lamps and all of it sitting
above a substantial skid plate bracketed on either side by large, rectangular
exhaust pipes.
Compared to the ML, the GL is nearly a foot longer and also an inch wider in
track (the axle width including wheels), though it is less than half an inch
wider overall and not quite an inch taller.
Despite their similar styling, the Mercedes SUVs share only their front doors;
otherwise, each has unique sheetmetal.
As large as the GL may appear, it's 2 inches shorter than the R-Class touring
wagon, which also has three rows of seating, though with room for only six
occupants.
The GL is built using unibody construction rather than the body-on-frame design
that full-size pickups and SUVs traditionally use. Mercedes notes that because
of this architecture, the GL-Class weighs in at anywhere from 300 pounds to 600
pounds lighter than its full-size competitors. To make sure the GL class is
strong enough, 60 percent of the vehicle structure is made from special
high-strength steel.
Interior Features
While the GL may look sleeker than its competitors, Mercedes brags that the
2007 GL 450 offers both best-in-class interior room as well as ease of entry
and exit.
With all seats in their upright position, there's still 14 cubic feet of
storage between the third-row seatbacks and the closed rear hatch door. A power
folding feature for the third row is standard equipment on the GL with controls
near the rear hatch and next to the right-side second-row passenger's seat.
Power down those third-row seats, and cargo capacity expands to 43.8 cubic
feet. Fold down the 60/40-split second row seats and the GL provides as much as
83.3 cubic feet for cargo. There's also room under the cargo floor for a
full-size spare tire.
Standard equipment includes eight-way power front seats, 14 air conditioning
outlet vents, eight cup holders, air vents, and reading lamps.
The interior layout is familiar to Mercedes drivers, with either faux or real
leather trim for the seats (Mercedes notes that not all luxury car buyers want
real leather seating surfaces), wood trim and metal rings around gauges, air
vents, and cup holders.
The second-row seats provide ample legroom. When occupied by only two people,
the back of the center section can be folded down as an armrest and storage
tray.
We climbed into the third row and found room for two adults to ride back there,
each in a separate seat. The room is enhanced by foot wells for your feet so
you don't sit with your knees at chest level, and even the third-row seats are
thickly padded to provide comfort. Fears of claustrophobia back there evaporate
quickly thanks to the standard sunroof that extends over the third row.
The GL can be equipped with a 440-watt, 11-speaker harmon/kardon Logic 7 sound
system, with Sirius Satellite Radio and with a DVD video entertainment system
with screens mounted in the rear of both front-seat headrests and with a 6CD
changer.
Driving Impressions
Driving the 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL 450 doesn't feel at all like driving the
typical full-size sport utility vehicle. While this is a substantially sized
vehicle, it is not truck-like. The Mercedes has a much more car-like dynamic.
The 335-hp V8 engine can propel the GL 450 from a standing start to 60 miles
per hour in a car-like 7.4 seconds. This powerplant, with four valves per
cylinder, is part of a brand new family of V8 engines from Mercedes-Benz.
A standard, seven-speed automatic transmission helps keep the engine operating
in the sweet part of a power band that provides maximum torque from 2700 rpm
all the way up to 5000. Mercedes notes that the GL is the only full-size SUV
offering such a seven-speed gearbox.
The 4MATIC four-wheel-drive system features front, center and rear
differentials. The sure-footed 4MATIC system is designed to maintain mobility
even when only wheel has traction. In normal driving, the system distributes
power equally to front and rear wheels. The system includes DSR, a sort of
cruise control for regulating downhill speed, and Hill-Start Assist, which
keeps the GL from rolling backward when launched after being stopped on uphill
slope. 4MATIC also adjusts anti-lock brake controls to provide quicker stops on
slippery and unpaved surfaces when off-roading.
Airmatic is an air suspension system that uses air bladders instead of coil
springs to adjust ride height by as much as three inches as well as ride
firmness and body control parameters, so the driver can select from comfort and
more aggressively sporty settings. The system automatically lowers the vehicle
to enhance handling and aerodynamic efficiency at speeds of 77 mph or higher.
Those serious about venturing far from pavement can opt for a special off-road
package that includes special wheels and tires, a two-speed transfer case,
locking center and rear differentials, adaptive dampening and with ground
clearance height-adjustment options of as much as 12.4 inches, compared to the
standard 7.9 inches of clearance.
We did our driving on freeways in and out of San Francisco's airport and on
roads through Napa Valley wine country. Steering feedback was consistent,
brakes (14-inches in diameter on the front wheels and 13 inches on the rear)
were responsive and consistently predictable and the GL 450 offered nice
balanced dynamic capabilities when hustled through the curves on the narrow,
hilly roads that wind through the vine-covered hillsides.
Summary
The full-size Mercedes-Benz GL 450 is larger than the mid-size ML and offers a
much more family-friendly package than the G-Class. The GL provides more
car-like dynamics than the traditional, full-size, body-on-frame SUVs from
other automakers, yet can tow big trailers.
New Car Test Drive contributor Larry Edsall filed this report from California's
Napa Valley.
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