Mercedes-Benz GL-Class Range : SUPERSIZE ME

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For those who want a really large 4x4, Mercedes can offer something to suit in the bluff shape of the GL-Class. Jonathan Crouch reportsâ€¦

The Mercedes-Benz GL-Class is nothing if not big. That means this super-luxury 4x4 can boast luxurious accommodation for up to seven people, with high levels of comfort and hushed progress on open road or muddy track. Running and purchase costs are predictably high but if a giant SUV is what you're after, they don't come much better executed than this.

Unlike many prestige-badged rivals, Mercedes has real credibility when it comes to 4x4s. Their G-Wagen was for years, the thinking farmer's alternative to a Range Rover or a Toyota Land Cruiser, so when the brand brings us a serious, large SUV like this GL-Class model, it's worth sitting up and taking notice. And this GL is certainly large - over 5 metres in length. It's one of those vehicles for the kind of buyer who likes to super-size everything and doesn't mind paying for it, so you won't be surprised to learn that its main target market is Stateside. Over here, it's a more badge-conscious alternative to Toyota's Land Cruiser V8, the only other super-luxury £50,000-plus Range Rover-class SUV to offer buyers the option of seven seats. American-built in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, it runs down production lines alongside the 5-seater M-Class luxury SUV and the more car-like R-Class, models that share many of its underpinnings. This apparently is F1 driver Lewis Hamilton's company car, but presumably he has one because he wants something completely opposite to the kind of thing he'd drive in his day job. The GL-Class fits that brief perfectly. As to be fair you'd expect, given its sheer bulk and two and a half tonne weight. To try and help matters, Mercedes has specified its Airmatic air suspension system as standard on all UK models, enabling height to be varied through three stages and 110mm. There's also an Adaptive Damper System (ADS) offering a choice of Automatic, Comfort or Sport models.

"Want a huge 7-seat super-luxury SUV that can climb the lower slopes of Snowdon, then stop by Sainsburys on the way to an evening at the Ritz? Here it isâ€¦."

If you're on a secondary road and running late for the school play or something (the only eventuality in which we can imagine anyone wanting to throw a GL-Class around), you'll need to select Sport mode as it's the only one that really keeps bodyroll in check. Given that ride comfort suffers, you won't want to use it any other time. In other words, this isn't as tight as a Porsche Cayenne or even an Audi Q7 to drive and it's certainly not a BMW X5. But then, all of these are essentially cars with a bit of off-road ability. The GL, in contrast, is a proper SUV which for most buyers, will function quite happily as a luxury car, its 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic transmission slurring silkily through the gears. Refinement's impressive and the 3.0 and 4.0-litre V6 and V8 diesel engines that most will choose are smooth and torquey, though this entry-level GL320CDI inevitably struggles a little with all that weight. Off road, there's no chunky ladder-frame chassis of the kind you find in older, more mud-focused SUVs (that really would make it tank-like to drive) but given the confines of its lightweight monocoque body, the GL really is pretty impressive. The 4Matic permanent four-wheel drive system splits torque 50:50 front to rear - and you can really feel the extra grip on road as well as off it as you power through tight corners. And there's a proper low-range, two-speed transfer case with a limited slip differential which can be locked for really serious going. In these conditions, the standard Off Road Pro system can increase the ride height by 307mm, giving the car an impressive wading depth of 600mm. Axle articulation is superb and even without the differentials locked, the electronics distribute power so that if necessary, you can drive along with two wheels airborne. Plus there's Downhill Speed Regulation (DSR), Mercedes' version of Hill Descent Control, to get you to the bottom of greasy slopes. The large glass area doesn't just make the GL-Class surprisingly easy to manoeuvre, it also gives it a light and airy feeling inside where seven adults can get comfortable, even if they've been consigned to the third row of seats. Though unfortunately, because the biggest part of the 60/40 split middle row doesn't tumble forward, Mercedes' `Easy Entry' system only allows you to gain entry to these from one side. Still, these are otherwise cleverly designed. For a start, they're comfortable over long journeys even for large adults, which is pretty unique for third row seating. Secondly, it's simple to get them up and down, a back-breaking job I normally hate in 7-seater cars. Here, they're electrically operated, so you don't have to clamber in and out of the boot to pull them up or fold them flat - just push the buttons inside each of the back doors or inside the electric tailgate. They do fold completely flat too, which when you've folded the second row too opens up a vast 2,300 litre loading area which must be bigger than some London studio flats. Of course, when you're carrying six or seven people, luggage space is minimal - only 300 litres. Still, at least there's plenty of oddments space and clever storage touches for those on board, with shopping-bag hooks in the boot and a load bay cover that can be fixed behind either the middle or rear row of seats. Here in the second row, the armrest features a cupholder and its own compartment. This is a particularly nice place to be, especially if as I have here, you've gone for the optional rear-seat entertainment system, with its pair of colour monitors built into the back of the front head restraints. There's also a four-way backrest adjustment so that you can recline on longer trips. Prices sit mainly in the £50,000 to £65,000 bracket, around £12,000 more than a comparable five-seater Mercedes M-Class. At first glance, a GL-Class budget pitches in at £3,000 or £4,000 less than a Range Rover until you note that the GL420CDI variant you'd need to match the British car's TDV8 power is actually, at nearly £65,000, a few thousand more. I'd buy this entry-level GL320CDI model and leave myself a bit for some well-chosen extras. Most customers choose diesel - either the 224bhp V6 GL320CDI or the 306bhp V8 GL420CDI but there's also a 388bhp V8 petrol GL500 version to satisfy those for whom too many Tiger tokens are never enough. Rivals to the GL-Class aren't too plentiful. A Toyota Land Cruiser V8 has a poweroutput and a price somewhere between the two GL diesels but the badgework will put off many, which is a pity as it's the only other 7-seater super-luxury SUV around. The 7-seat Audi Q7 is really a Mercedes M-Class rival from the class below, but you can easily pay GL-Class money for a fancier one. Otherwise, you're looking at five-seat models like the Range Rover or upper versions of the Porsche Cayenne. If you don't need an SUV but would like the same kind of 7-seater and need 4x4 grip for towing or just sheer traction, then Mercedes' long wheelbase all-wheel drive R-Class might be a better bet - at a saving of around £12,000. The huge 100-litre fuel tank gives the feeling that this car is more frugal than it actually is. The 29.1mpg combined figure of this GL320CDI sounds all right but in practice with, say, a GL420CDI model, you'll regularly return not much more than 20mpg. Emissions vary between 257 and 307g/km for the diesels: don't ask about the GL500 petrol. Insurance groupings range between 19 and 20 but at least, given this car's relative rarity, residual values are strong. If you're a wealthy American considering a GL-Class against obvious US rivals like Cadillac's Escalade or a Lincoln Navigator, then buying this Mercedes must seem like a no-brainer. This side of the Atlantic, it's also a pretty simply choice but you've got to be in the unusual position of wanting a huge 7-seat super-luxury SUV that can climb the lower slopes of Snowdon, then stop by Sainsburys on the way to an evening at the Ritz. If a car that can do all that is somewhere on your wish list, then you won't be disappointed with this one.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Mercedes GL-Class range
PRICES: £53,495-£67,485 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 19-20
CO2 EMISSIONS: 257-317g/km
PERFORMANCE: [GL500] 0-60mph 6.5s / Max Speed 140mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [GL420 CDI] (urban) 18.1mpg / (extra urban) 30.7mpg / (combined) 24.4mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side and curtain airbags / ABS / ESP
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height mm 5088/1920/1840