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Vehicle Tests > Mass Transit
Mass Transit
Issue: January 2007
Words by Mathieu Raudonikis Photos by Split Image
First drive - Mercedes Benz GL Class
• 7-seat luxury
• Diesel or petrol
• On and offroad performance
Mass Transit
Mercedes Benz has created a true seven-seat luxury offroader in its new GL-Class.
Mercedes Benz is keen to promote its new GL Class SUV as a serious offroader and as such chose to conduct its press drive at a well-known 4WD destination - Queensland's Fraser Island. It wouldn't have mattered where they drove it, the GL would have been noticed. The GL is an imposing vehicle. Its size and stature give it a presence no matter where it's driven, on or offroad.
Like the current Range Rover the GL is styled in such a way that it exudes power and exclusivity leaving no doubt that it is a vehicle to be reckoned with. At a little over 5m in lengthy (5088mm) and nearly 2m wide (1920mm) the GL takes more than its share of real estate. From the strong front end with its bulging bonnet, to the boxy rear end housing a cavernous cargo area, the GL has a purposeful appearance.
Size matters
Aesthetics aside, the GL Class is big for a reason. It can be optioned as a true seven-seater, which makes it almost a unique vehicle in the current market; a luxury SUV with true offroad ability and seven real seats. The Audi Q7 and forthcoming 2007 BMW X5 offer seating for seven but both are limited offroad by a lack of low-range gearing. Cayenne, Touareg, Range Rover and even Benz's own ML Class offer luxury offroad ability but none of them can accommodate seven. The only other vehicle that can offer this is the Land Rover Discovery 3 but it doesn't match the Benz in luxury, its engines can't offer the same performance and at less than $100K it fits into a different price bracket to the GL.
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The GL is offered in two models in Australia to give petrol and diesel options. The GL320CDI opens the range at $103,900 and the GL500 caps it at $146,900. Those prices are for five-seat vehicles. The third row adds between $2900 and $4400 depending on model and seat trim. Like most European vehicles, the seating option joins a long list of items that can add considerably to the price of the base vehicle. If you were looking at a GL over a ML purely for the extra seating option there is a $16,400 premium for a GL320CDI seven seat over a ML320CDI.
The GL's third row seat is one of the best in the biz, possibly only bettered by Discovery 3 in terms of accommodation, but certainly enough to accommodate the author's 184cm frame. It's definitely the easiest to use with electric operation activated from switches both in front and behind the seat. The second row splits 70:30 and rolls forward to allow easy access to the third row. All seats fold flat to give massive cargo capacity.
More than its mass
The GL-Class is more than a bigger ML with an extra row of seats. As expected the GL is well specified with a full complement of luxury and safety features but a notable inclusion is that the Offroad Pro Engineering package, an $8500 option on ML320 or $2900 on ML500, is standard fit on both GL models. This adds 2.93:1 low range gearing, extra height adjustment in the standard air suspension, locking differentials and extra underbody protection to the vehicle.
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Words by Mathieu Raudonikis Photos by Split Image
First drive - Mercedes Benz GL Class
• 7-seat luxury
• Diesel or petrol
• On and offroad performance
Mass Transit
Mercedes Benz has created a true seven-seat luxury offroader in its new GL-Class.
Mercedes Benz is keen to promote its new GL Class SUV as a serious offroader and as such chose to conduct its press drive at a well-known 4WD destination - Queensland's Fraser Island. It wouldn't have mattered where they drove it, the GL would have been noticed. The GL is an imposing vehicle. Its size and stature give it a presence no matter where it's driven, on or offroad.
Like the current Range Rover the GL is styled in such a way that it exudes power and exclusivity leaving no doubt that it is a vehicle to be reckoned with. At a little over 5m in lengthy (5088mm) and nearly 2m wide (1920mm) the GL takes more than its share of real estate. From the strong front end with its bulging bonnet, to the boxy rear end housing a cavernous cargo area, the GL has a purposeful appearance.
Size matters
Aesthetics aside, the GL Class is big for a reason. It can be optioned as a true seven-seater, which makes it almost a unique vehicle in the current market; a luxury SUV with true offroad ability and seven real seats. The Audi Q7 and forthcoming 2007 BMW X5 offer seating for seven but both are limited offroad by a lack of low-range gearing. Cayenne, Touareg, Range Rover and even Benz's own ML Class offer luxury offroad ability but none of them can accommodate seven. The only other vehicle that can offer this is the Land Rover Discovery 3 but it doesn't match the Benz in luxury, its engines can't offer the same performance and at less than $100K it fits into a different price bracket to the GL.
read on below advertisement
The GL is offered in two models in Australia to give petrol and diesel options. The GL320CDI opens the range at $103,900 and the GL500 caps it at $146,900. Those prices are for five-seat vehicles. The third row adds between $2900 and $4400 depending on model and seat trim. Like most European vehicles, the seating option joins a long list of items that can add considerably to the price of the base vehicle. If you were looking at a GL over a ML purely for the extra seating option there is a $16,400 premium for a GL320CDI seven seat over a ML320CDI.
The GL's third row seat is one of the best in the biz, possibly only bettered by Discovery 3 in terms of accommodation, but certainly enough to accommodate the author's 184cm frame. It's definitely the easiest to use with electric operation activated from switches both in front and behind the seat. The second row splits 70:30 and rolls forward to allow easy access to the third row. All seats fold flat to give massive cargo capacity.
More than its mass
The GL-Class is more than a bigger ML with an extra row of seats. As expected the GL is well specified with a full complement of luxury and safety features but a notable inclusion is that the Offroad Pro Engineering package, an $8500 option on ML320 or $2900 on ML500, is standard fit on both GL models. This adds 2.93:1 low range gearing, extra height adjustment in the standard air suspension, locking differentials and extra underbody protection to the vehicle.
next page »
