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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.
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.
Airmatic air suspension is standard on both GL variants. It has three offroad height settings giving 227, 277 and at full height a massive 307mm of ground clearance. Standard ride height gives 197mm while at high speed the suspension drops 15mm to 182mm above the deck. At full height the GL has 33, 23, 27-degrees approach, ramp and departure angles and wading depth is quoted at 600mm.
Airmatic also has adjustable dampening with standard, comfort and sport settings. For Australian roads the sport setting is very firm and not always comfortable. In comfort setting it allows the big Benz to sway and roll on tight curves and roundabouts yet despite this it still hangs onto the road well when pushed hard. The GL isn't a vehicle that will reward the driver on tight, twisting mountain roads.
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Road manners
For our Fraser Island drive we spent most of the time with the suspension in the offroad-2 setting. As we've found before when driving MLs offroad the air struts clunk over bumps as if topping out. This is worse the higher you set the suspension and very disconcerting on trail-work. The offroad-3 height setting can realistically only be used for getting over an obstacle before dropping it back down again as it as good as removes all suspension travel for a rock solid ride. Overall, the offroad ride in the GL is not great and is bettered by some of its competition. It would become a real annoyance for longer trail drives.
Standard wheels and tyres on a five-seat GL320 are 265/60R18. Equip the vehicle with the third row option and the 320 gets larger, ventilated rear brake discs necessitating 19-inch alloys wearing 275/55R19 rubber. All GL 500s are fitted with the 19s. While generally wheel rims as large as 19 inch wear low profile tyres, the huge 275 width of the Michelins on the GL mean that the 55 aspect tyres still have a reasonable sidewall height, which is good for offroad use. The spare is a temporary use space-saver but there is a rear wheel carrier option coming soon.
The engine is the GL320CDI is the 3.0L common-rail turbodiesel we're familiar with from the ML320 and Jeep vehicles, and it still produces 165kW at 3800rpm and 510Nm between 1600 and 2800 rpm. The petrol V8 however is a new 5.5L four-valves-per-cylinder DOHC unit and not the old three-valver from the ML500. The new V8 is already found in other MB passenger cars and will find its way into ML at a later stage. In the GL500 it puts out 285kW at 6000rpm and 530Nm between 2800 and 4800rpm.
Both engines are backed by the seven-speed automatic that has its Park - Neutral - Drive - Reverse shift activated by a wand on the steering column and shifting between the forward ratios by buttons behind the steering wheel. There is no shift lever in the usual console position.
There's no doubting that the CDI engine is still one of, if not the best turbodiesel found in 4WDs today. It uses all the latest technologies to be powerful, quiet and frugal. But it's made to work in the big GL and doesn't have the performance feel that we've come to know from it in lighter applications.
Keeping the GL320's approximately 2400kg mass on the move has the seven-speed auto slipping seamlessly through its ratios more regularly than usual and acceleration isn't as quick. Offroad, any power inadequacies aren't noticeable as the torque at low speed is more than sufficient for steep climbs and ploughing through soft sand.
There is a V8 turbodiesel GL430CDI available overseas but this is not being offered in Australia due to an ADR requirement that would require more expense to rectify than the sales volume justifies.
The petrol V8 feels much more relaxed and at home in the GL giving better onroad performance and matching the diesel offroad. Of course it isn't as frugal consuming a claimed 13.9L/100km to the CDI's claimed 9.7. On this drive, which included a lot of sand driving, the GLs used an indicated 18.2L/100km and 13.8 for the V8 and diesel respectively.
Exclusive offroading
Being such a big vehicle, the GL won't be for everyone and as such Mercedes Benz Australia is only looking to sell around 30 to 35 a month. Its dynamics are dictated by its size and mass and this will turn off some drivers. The big three-pointed star on the front will attract buyers looking to make a statement about their motoring choice. While an R-Class might be better suited to them, the seven seat GL will be popular with well-heeled soccer mums who don't mind the size and are not concerned about criticisms of the use of such vehicles for this task.
If you don't want or need the extra seats then stick to a M-Class. If you only want the seats and not the ability then go R-Class. But if you want the best of both worlds then the GL is for you.
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.
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.
Airmatic air suspension is standard on both GL variants. It has three offroad height settings giving 227, 277 and at full height a massive 307mm of ground clearance. Standard ride height gives 197mm while at high speed the suspension drops 15mm to 182mm above the deck. At full height the GL has 33, 23, 27-degrees approach, ramp and departure angles and wading depth is quoted at 600mm.
Airmatic also has adjustable dampening with standard, comfort and sport settings. For Australian roads the sport setting is very firm and not always comfortable. In comfort setting it allows the big Benz to sway and roll on tight curves and roundabouts yet despite this it still hangs onto the road well when pushed hard. The GL isn't a vehicle that will reward the driver on tight, twisting mountain roads.
read on below advertisement
Road manners
For our Fraser Island drive we spent most of the time with the suspension in the offroad-2 setting. As we've found before when driving MLs offroad the air struts clunk over bumps as if topping out. This is worse the higher you set the suspension and very disconcerting on trail-work. The offroad-3 height setting can realistically only be used for getting over an obstacle before dropping it back down again as it as good as removes all suspension travel for a rock solid ride. Overall, the offroad ride in the GL is not great and is bettered by some of its competition. It would become a real annoyance for longer trail drives.
Standard wheels and tyres on a five-seat GL320 are 265/60R18. Equip the vehicle with the third row option and the 320 gets larger, ventilated rear brake discs necessitating 19-inch alloys wearing 275/55R19 rubber. All GL 500s are fitted with the 19s. While generally wheel rims as large as 19 inch wear low profile tyres, the huge 275 width of the Michelins on the GL mean that the 55 aspect tyres still have a reasonable sidewall height, which is good for offroad use. The spare is a temporary use space-saver but there is a rear wheel carrier option coming soon.
The engine is the GL320CDI is the 3.0L common-rail turbodiesel we're familiar with from the ML320 and Jeep vehicles, and it still produces 165kW at 3800rpm and 510Nm between 1600 and 2800 rpm. The petrol V8 however is a new 5.5L four-valves-per-cylinder DOHC unit and not the old three-valver from the ML500. The new V8 is already found in other MB passenger cars and will find its way into ML at a later stage. In the GL500 it puts out 285kW at 6000rpm and 530Nm between 2800 and 4800rpm.
Both engines are backed by the seven-speed automatic that has its Park - Neutral - Drive - Reverse shift activated by a wand on the steering column and shifting between the forward ratios by buttons behind the steering wheel. There is no shift lever in the usual console position.
There's no doubting that the CDI engine is still one of, if not the best turbodiesel found in 4WDs today. It uses all the latest technologies to be powerful, quiet and frugal. But it's made to work in the big GL and doesn't have the performance feel that we've come to know from it in lighter applications.
Keeping the GL320's approximately 2400kg mass on the move has the seven-speed auto slipping seamlessly through its ratios more regularly than usual and acceleration isn't as quick. Offroad, any power inadequacies aren't noticeable as the torque at low speed is more than sufficient for steep climbs and ploughing through soft sand.
There is a V8 turbodiesel GL430CDI available overseas but this is not being offered in Australia due to an ADR requirement that would require more expense to rectify than the sales volume justifies.
The petrol V8 feels much more relaxed and at home in the GL giving better onroad performance and matching the diesel offroad. Of course it isn't as frugal consuming a claimed 13.9L/100km to the CDI's claimed 9.7. On this drive, which included a lot of sand driving, the GLs used an indicated 18.2L/100km and 13.8 for the V8 and diesel respectively.
Exclusive offroading
Being such a big vehicle, the GL won't be for everyone and as such Mercedes Benz Australia is only looking to sell around 30 to 35 a month. Its dynamics are dictated by its size and mass and this will turn off some drivers. The big three-pointed star on the front will attract buyers looking to make a statement about their motoring choice. While an R-Class might be better suited to them, the seven seat GL will be popular with well-heeled soccer mums who don't mind the size and are not concerned about criticisms of the use of such vehicles for this task.
If you don't want or need the extra seats then stick to a M-Class. If you only want the seats and not the ability then go R-Class. But if you want the best of both worlds then the GL is for you.
