Mercedes-Benz GL-Class: First Look

Motoring Channel Staff - 9/12/2005

The spiritual successor to the 4x4 G-Class mudslinger, known by its fans as the Gelaendewagen, has emerged in Stuttgart, bringing customers a larger and more capable 4x4 than the M-Class.

More than 5.0 metres long and almost 2.0 metres wide the new GL-Class is spectacularly large, and Mercedes explains that its brand-new 7-seater premium off-roader offers excellent handling both on and off-road while pampering occupants in German luxury style with its extremely spacious accommodation.

Mercedes-Benz will launch the new GL-Class in Australia in late 2006, in the fourth quarter according to reports, however no pricing or engine specs have been disclosed at this stage.

The GL-Class sets another milestone with the Pre-Safe system that primes key features (airbags, seat belts etc.) milliseconds before a potential accident to reduce injury, first seen on Mercedes flagship S-Class limousine.

Therefore the GL-Class offers a comprehensive safety concept without peer, a first in this market segment.

With obvious visual links to its smaller sibling, the M-Class, the new American-built GL-Class has a poised, assured presence on the road, which Mercedes believes will help it to take a stranglehold on the competitive large luxury SUV market segment.

Mercedes uses the terms 'power' and 'exclusivity' when describing its new 4x4. The powerful, wedge-shaped features and striking details give the impression the luxury off-roader is surging forward even when stationary, while the spacious body (length 5088mm, width 1920mm, height 1840mm) is attractively proportioned for something so large.

Mercedes has revealed that the new 2006 GL-Class will be powered by 6- and 8-cylinder engines; the range starts with the 165kW (224hp) V6 diesel engine in the GL 320 CDI.

The range of diesel models includes the new-generation high-performance V8 diesel in the GL 420 CDI, which now has an output of 225kW (306hp) and maximum torque of 700Nm. Both diesel-powered versions undercut the EU 4 limits and feature maintenance-free diesel particulate filters.

In addition to the newly developed 5.5-litre, 285kW (388hp) engine in the GL 500, launched earlier in the new S-Class, the second unit in this ultra-modern V8 family of engines is celebrating its world premiere in the GL-Class. In the GL 450 the 4.6-litre engine develops 250kW (340hp) and again, both engines fulfil the stringent EU 4 limits.

It is understood that all GL-Class engine variants will be paired with the standard-fit 7G-Tronic 7-speed automatic transmission with Direct Select functionality, ensuring good performance together with the fuel economy benefits of having a seventh gear for low-rev cruising.

Another important factor in the vehicles fuel efficiency is the comparatively low gross vehicle weight thanks to the unitised body and the smooth aerodynamics (Cd 0.37).

Mercedes will be marketing the new GL-Class with an eye towards its impressive levels of safety, as it makes full use of the advantages of its unitised body, combining optimum strength with intelligent lightweight steel design.

Mercedes claims that the result is excellent passive safety that is far superior to comparable models with a ladder-type frames, and when combined with the front and rear deformation zones, the high-strength occupant cell forms an efficient base for the occupant protection systems that include:

- Adaptive, two-stage airbags for the driver and front passenger
- Sidebags in the front, and in the middle row of seats as an option
- Windowbags across all three rows of seats from the A to the D-pillar
- Neck-Pro crash-responsive head restraints for the driver and front passenger as an option
- 3-point seat belts on all seven seats
- Seat-belt tensioners and adaptive belt-force limiters for the driver and front passenger, seat-belt tensioners and single-stage belt-force limiters on the outer seats in the middle row

With the optionally available Pre-Safe preventive occupant protection system, a world first for a vehicle of this type and size, Mercedes-Benz has raised safety to an even higher level. The system's most striking feature: passive and active safety systems are networked with each other.

Mercedes explains that the Pre-Safe system utilises the sensors in the dynamic handling control systems such as ABS, BAS (Brake Assist) and ESP and optimises the protective function of the passive safety components in potential accident situations. The GL-Class also takes the often neglected issue of pedestrian protection to a new level. The front section includes precisely defined ample crumple space between the body and the major assemblies underneath. In conjunction with impact zones that are designed to yield, this design provides a high degree of protection both for pedestrians and cyclists.

The GL-Class meets all the requirements of a state-of-the-art, luxury SUV, yet the hallmark Mercedes off-roader genes, such as superlative robustness, ruggedness and long-term durability, have not been compromised. It is not for nothing that the model designation echoes the legendary precursor of all Mercedes-Benz offroad vehicles – the G-Class. The evergreen off-roader is now entering its 26th year of production and will continue to be marketed alongside the more modernistic GL-Class.

The permanent four-wheel drive system Mercedes dubs 4MATIC provides the GL-Class with superior handling whatever the conditions. Together with the standard-fit AirMatic air suspension, the precise speed-sensitive power steering and the ADS Adaptive Damper System (also fitted as standard), the imposing GL-Class handles impressively.

Handling when pulling a trailer is no less impressive thanks to the ESP component TSA (Trailer Stability Assist). TSA defuses critical driving situations involving a trailer before they become dangerous by precisely applying the brakes, while AirMatic provides fully automatic level adjustment.

Special offroad features such as Downhill Speed Regulation (DSR), hill-start assist and offroad ABS assist the GL-Class driver off road. The Offroad Pro engineering package, standard on all ECE models, means the GL-Class can also handle the most extreme offroad terrain. This includes a two-speed transfer case with a low range ratio and 100 percent differential locks for the transfer case and the rear axle. The modified AirMatic air suspension, designed specifically for the more demanding conditions, increases the ground clearance to a maximum of 307 millimetres where required, and raises the fording depth to an impressive 600 millimetres.

As with all good Mercedes cars, the interior will be one the GL-Class's most remarkable aspects, with its top-quality materials providing passengers with a comfortable, supple, luxury ambience for up to seven passengers. Standard-fit convenience and comfort appointments include ARTICO man-made leather upholstery combinations, electrically adjustable front seats and a fixed rear glass roof above the third row of seats.

Mercedes has confirmed (if you need fewer seats) the rear individual seats can be stowed electrically at the push of a button, either individually or in tandem to provide a completely flat load surface. In the 5-seater version, luggage compartment capacity is 1240 litres – an impressive benchmark value in the class.

The world premiere of the new Mercedes-Benz GL-Class will take place at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit in January 2006. U.S. customers will be the first to savour the delights of the new trendsetter in the spring, while European customers will have to wait until September 2006 for a taste of the hulking off-roader, and Australian customers can expect it arrive Down Under in the fourth quarter of 2006.