What kind of vehicle is the 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class? What does it compare to?
The GLS-Class is Mercedes’ biggest SUV, with seats for up to seven and a longer body than the boxy G-Class brute. Opulent in Maybach trim, incredibly swift in AMG spec, it’s a rival for vehicles such as the Cadillac Escalade, BMW X7, even the Bentley Bentayga. The EQS SUV is the full battery electric take on MB’s largest vehicle, and is reviewed separately.
Is the 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class a good SUV?
A capable and capacious SUV, the 2024 GLS-Class posts a 7.2 out of 10 on the TCC scale for its breathtaking performance, sumptuous comfort, and family roominess. But it’s not efficient and it’s not cheap. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What’s new for the 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class?
With the return of V-8 engines to last year’s GLS lineup, the 2024 changes come primarily in an updated exterior and interior, meant to tide over the big three-row crossover SUV until it’s effectively replaced by the battery-electric EQS SUV. No firm date for the GLS’ retirement has been announced, though.
Benz has blended in bigger front-end air intakes with a gloss-black frame on the standard versions of the GLS, which receive a fresh four-slat grille. The rest of its softly contoured two-box body remains largely the same, and distinguished by AMG editions that stick with monochrome exteriors and wheels up to 23 inches large, and rich Maybach models branded everywhere from the larger air intakes to the puddle lamps.
Inside, the GLS’ central screen now accepts touch inputs, and offers three distinct displays—one with minimal information, one that looks like a conventional set of dials, and one that rings its gauges in red. An Off-Road mode turns the touchscreen into a virtual display of the ground below the front end, thanks to the minor miracle of inexpensive HD cameras.
Every GLS uses a 48-volt mild-hybrid system nestled between the engine and the 9-speed automatic, plus all-wheel drive that can shuttle all the torque to one axle or the other for greater traction.
The base GLS 450 sports a 375-hp 3.0-liter inline-6 with 369 lb-ft of torque and a 0-60 mph time of 5.8 seconds. The GLS 580 adds nearly 300 pounds to 5,754 pounds swaps in a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 rated at 510 hp and 538 lb-ft. It hits 60 mph in 4.7 seconds, and is improbably quick for a vehicle this size with a thrumming V-8 instead of a whirring electric motor system. The Maybach GLS pushes the same engine to 550 hp. The Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 tops the lineup with its outrageous 603-hp twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8, and a 0-60 mph sprint of just 4.1 seconds.
AMG versions are considerably stiffer in the knees—thanks to standard adaptive damping and an air suspension, as well as active roll stabilization that counteracts cornering forces with offsetting suspension stiffness. The GLS 580 best balances the steep and steeper pricing with spry handling, swift acceleration, and all the luxury bona fides.
The GLS-Class SUV soars inside, where its S-Class-style interior seats families and totes luggage better than any other Mercedes vehicle sold in the U.S. Synthetic leather comes standard, but leather wraps around seats in other editions. On some models, a six-seat interior swaps the middle-row bench for captain’s chairs. The Maybach seats five, or four with the captain’s chairs.
How much does the 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class cost?
The 2024 GLS 450 costs $88,150, including a $1,150 destination fee, while the GLS 580 stickers at $113,150. On the infotainment front, two 12.3-inch displays cozy up under one pane of glass, dominating the dash and controlling navigation or ceding control to Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. Benz upsells a kit of advanced driver-assist technology that adds adaptive cruise control and automatic lane changes to the standard set of features, which includes automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitors, and a driver-attention monitor.
The AMG GLS 63 dials it up to $147,000 and adds standard heated and cooled front seats, panoramic sunroof, adaptive headlights, and Burmester surround-sound audio. The Maybach GLS nears $177,000.
Where is the 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class made?
In Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
