When you want the very best a brand has to offer you ask for it. Whether it’s the best food, the best clothes or the best cars you look for the quality and the style that makes a difference and find it in the top of the line products. For 2017 Mercedes-Benz offers us the GLS as their flagship SUV, giving us a large people mover than can easily cross the desert or climb mountains to get where it needs to go. This SUV is one that brings in the quality and the build of a great vehicle to give you the right place to enjoy the ride.
The GLS offers up to 7,500 pounds of towing capacity and room for seven people to ride along in a luxury SUV that’s built a bit different from the rest. For 2017 this SUV offers not only a new name by adding the S at the end, but it also brings in a new nine-speed automatic transmission, an optional air suspension, new looks inside and out and the ability to add Designo treatments to the interior and exterior of the vehicle to make it one of the most impressive SUVs on the market.
The drive from behind the wheel of this big beast may cause you to feel a bit overconfident at the wheel. If you choose the Dynamic Select transmission with the off road engineering package you have an Off-Road+ setting that feels as if it can handle the drive no matter what the conditions. This is an SUV that easily handles the comfort needed for on road travel as well as providing you with the off road dynamics you want when you need some low end torque and 4WD at your fingertips to make sure you reach your destination and return.
Four engines make their way to the GLS and give you a variety of power offerings. The first three are all attached to the new nine-speed automatic transmission with the GLS63 AMG using a seven-speed automatic for its shifting. The first engine is a 3.0-liter twin turbocharged diesel V6 for the GLS350 BlueTec which provides you with 255 horsepower and a massive 455 lb.-ft. of torque. Next we have a 3.0-liter twin turbocharged V6 for the GLS450 that offers a strong 362 horsepower and 369 lb.-ft. of torque for the ride along with 17 city/22 hwy mpg of fuel mileage.
Moving up to the larger engines the first one you find under the hood of the GLS550 is the 4.7-liter twin turbocharged V8 which packs 449 horsepower and 516 lb.-ft. of torque while returning you a still respectable 14 city/18 hwy mpg. Finally, the top of the power lineup is a 5.5-liter twin turbocharged V8 which comes at you with 577 horsepower and 561 lb.-ft. of torque and 13 city/17 hwy mpg of fuel mileage.
Starting with the standard features the GLS comes in with cruise control, a power driver’s seat with memory, remote starting, a rearview camera, a power tailgate, power folding mirrors, dual zone climate controls, an audio system with Bluetooth connectivity, the mbrace remote application, five years of complimentary service, crosswind stabilization and a driver alert system to help prevent driver drowsiness.
Moving to the options the features you can add a Driver Assistance Package that brings in blind spot alerts, braking assistance, anti-collision systems, active cruise control, lane keeping assistance, illuminated doorsills, push button starting, a navigation system, curve stability from the Active Curve System, a leather interior that brings in the softness of Nappa leather and a Bang & Olufsen surround sound system.
The GLS350d starts out at a price of $69,000, but this is the price you expect on a vehicle of this class. Moving up to the GLS450 will bring you to a price of nearly $71,500 with the GLS550 coming in at $96,000 to start. The AMG GLS63 is expected to come in around $122,000 and adding options to any of these models can significantly increase the price of the vehicle. This is the Mercedes-Benz you want when you’re looking to have an SUV that’s large and at the top of its class, giving you flagship performance and exceptional features.
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