Don't just haul the kids to soccer practice do it with style and luxury with the Mercedes GLS 580 but I was brought to baseball practice in a Pontiac bonnaville and I loved it wouldn't have it any other way 20 years ago luxury automakers were known for their Sumptuous sedans high-end SUVs were a curiosity now they're the tail that Wags the dog
Mercedes has 13 to choose from now when all the variants are considered it's down to six sedans and one wagon the GLS 580 here is positioned towards the top of the lineup there's the more capable G wagon or mybach if you want to spend more money or eqs for buyers going all electric as expected this is not priced like an economy vehicle the GLS starts at around $113,000 this this one equi the way a Mercedes really should be goes for just
Under 127 Grand now at that price you really should cross shop so you'd be looking at BMW X7 Cadillac Escalade Land Rover Range Rover Lexus LX and if you're Scrooge McDuck and wanting to save a little money maybe Volvo XC90 GLS has three rows it seats six or seven depending on bench Captain's chairs in row to Major options on this one include a $1,750 White Diamond paint job 1,00 for the acoustic Comfort package I'd go for
The 1,800 Buck Pinnacle trim package not for the heated and cooled cup holders it's the excellent head-up display very nice after hearing the impressive burm 3D surround system I'd have to spend $4,500 for that maybe skip the upgraded Napa leather that's 1370 bucks on a cold sloppy day Martin Campbell and I were playing with the MB system hey Mercedes how may I help you turn on the heated steering wheel I'm sorry this vehicle does not
Have steering wheel heating it does it's standard for some reason mbux woman was being koi If This Were a GLS 450 it would run with a turb charged 3 l inline 6-cylinder the 580 gets its substantial oomph from a 4 L twin turbo V8 both powertrains are mild hybrids by the way there's 510 horsepower and 538 PB feet of torque on tap startup is muted the engine note is like Rolling Thunder in the [Music]
Distance The Familiar Mercedes transmission stock controls a --speed gear boox the driver has full control if they want manual shifts are crisp and direct there are extra gauges available formatic fully variable all-wheel drive is standard so is airomatic adaptive suspension 7.9 in of ground clearance can be hiked even higher among the drive modes is an off-road setting that has all the information necessary for tackling tough
Terrain or dirt roads leading to the summerhouse I've said this before and I'm going to say it again all-wheel drive is not just for snow it's also good for conditions like this it's wet and sloppy there's loads of leaves on the ground this gives you extra traction remember doesn't help you stop but it does help you go if I were trying to hit 60 M an hour in dry conditions the 580 would probably do that in just under 5 seconds and
Would do it in a velvety smooth manner to think this weighs just over 5,800 lb chances are S-Class sedan owners won't be pulling air streams and boats GLS owners can no fuss no mus Max Towing is 7700 lb or 3,493 kilos yes this is hybrid but it's a mild hybrid and there is a turbocharged V8 underneath the hood the EPA rates the fuel economy average at 16 m per gallon so not exactly Frugal while GLS buyers can
Afford the specified premium fuel lowering a family's carbon footprint this is not the 6-cylinder 450 averages 21 MPG easier on the wallet and conscientious minds or there's the eqs EV for emissions free luxury in the normal drive mode steering is light but still accurate the GLS is supremely comfortable um and this doesn't even have the optional $6,500 eactive body control system that has cameras that read the road ahead and tell the
Adaptive dampers what's about to happen um really can't imagine this being any more comfortable than it is it counteracts lean pitch and do and even compensates for the tilt of the road and leans into Corners uh pretty cool stuff the list of standard active electronic safety Tech or Adas is long automatic emergency braking blind spot warning adaptive high beams active steering assist and an excellent Lane keeping assist plus aention assist
Monitors some 70 parameters of a driver's activity and suggests that drowsy ones pull over for a Starbucks break all this should keep wealthy families out of Harm's Way this being a mild hybrid the automatic engine stop start system is exceptionally well done you almost don't even feel or hear it shutting down and yeah you can turn it off but really why would you because on Startup nearly
Imperceptible also isn't silence what people want in luxury vehicles making the all electric eqs something to consider it's in the same price bracket this is equipped with the $1,100 acoustical Comfort package which adds laminated glass and extra sound deadening in the chassis and it's very quiet yeah I really am whispering and I'm not hiking the volume it's that
Good do do I even need to discuss the interior quality in vehicles like this Escalade X7 and Lincoln Navigator the materials and craftsmanship are going to be high that's a given trim looks like it adds 100 lb to the vehicle one GLS standout is Led ambient lighting even during daytime hours it pops without being distracting yes the Hue and brightness can be adjusted a cool touch raise the cabin temperature and the lighting confirms it these are the kind
Of details found in here the surround view camera system works well for off-roading and Nordstrom parking garages heat and venting are standard in chairs that offer all day comfort and support adaptive seats have adjustable bolsters dial in more or less aggressiveness and there's a massage setting all standard the bright crisp dual 12.3in screens are probably better than any computer display you own and there's top-notch response Mercedes
Calls their interface mbx and it's one of my favorites now like all of them buyers should spend time after a test drive to explore the layout and such they could be complicated you need to get used to them it can be operated here and here if you don't like fingerprints a solid number of hard buttons and switches too many people will just stick to Android auto and apple carplay there's wireless charging too mbux has great natural voice commands some of the
Best in the automotive business and yes it does require a data plan but anyone that can afford a GLS can swing the subscription um this looks like it could haul Furniture so let's throw it a curveball hey Mercedes how can I help are there any antique stores nearby thinking here is what I found where do you want to go oh Mr Johnson's antiques that sounds
Interesting let's go let's go um I'm really more of an Ikea guy oh and Ikea comes up please repeat there's also car tox communication built in even if that Tech isn't implemented on a wide basis storage spaces are fine this is a large SUV and one might expect to be able to stash a toddler in one of these but no all the Cubbies are about average row two can be a bench or Captain's chairs a no cost option these seats are as
Comfortable as the fronts and they're heated there's Dual Zone climate in this section another in the row behind Pockets here and here cup holders too though one is kind of small no built-in Shades at this price phones can be charged there's even a small slot for them to stash away the standard glass roof lets in plenty of light kids can Scamper between the cushions or wait 10 seconds or so while this happens child seats strapped here can be left in
Which improves usability unbuckling those would be a big hassle GLS doesn't ride overly High unless the air suspension is raised so getting into the way back should be doable for just about anyone heading to steerage is it stretch out spacious back here no like nearly every three row SUV and so you know I'm 5 foot 9 and the inseam of my Levis is 32 in I have plenty of headro with the mid row set about Midway my knee clears the seat back by a fraction of an inch
So it's okay feet go underneath the seats and down the middle so it's okay back here and one thing normally the third row is very very low and your knees are up in your face not so much here it's kind of raised up a little little bit oh and there are cup holders a little bit of storage plus more USB ports than people will know what to do with back here the 2024 GLS gets a mild facelift current owners might notice others not
So much the grill is more in your face now both the 450 and 580 get a bump in power so right feet might detect that the rounded River Rock design makes the GLS seem smaller than it is it doesn't look imposing like SUVs looking at you Escalade at 205 in the Mercedes is 7 in shorter than the Cadillac so girth isn't off the charts Choice might come down to garage ability and I'll point out to weary parents that soft closed doors are
Standard have a lot of kids and plan on road tripping a lot you might want to invest in a rooftop box because three row SUVs when all the seats are filled seldom have a lot of cargo space these packs of softness and absorbency are about the same size as carry-on suitcases three fill the 17 1 12 cubic feet space allow me to give you the full tour a security shade stashes nicely the air suspension can be lowered back here for easier loading and since the floor
Is raised higher than a minivans power to drop and raise is helpful especially for petite moms there's now an average of 46 cubic feet of cargo space it depends on where the mid row is set no need to go around to the back doors to lower row two this is what you get when you spend over a hundred grand on an SUV okay it's all a little Pokey Max cargo space is nearly 85 cubes and the floor is effectively flat now assuming that the GLS will often run with only
Four aboard or five with the bench the Mercedes can haul a lot of groceries and school science projects or TP that's 16 packs a solid score time to wrap this up with red light greenl green lights driving Dynamics are exactly what they should be powerful and controlled a three row S-Class the crafted cabin with standard massaging seats is an oasis to frazzled parents I can see butter comparing itself to the smoothness of this powertrain it's that good the size
Of the GL is big enough for passengers and cargo without an excessive exterior footprint yellow lights the mbux interface is excellent like all of them there will be a learning curve the powered second and third rows of seating will be appreciated by some tolerated by the impatient luxury features are why people buy vehicles like GLS complexity is off the charts for those that worry about fixing stuff red lights like like nearly all three row SUVs there's little
Storage behind the back row 580 starts expensive and Rises as luxury options are added duh it's a Mercedes but the big gripe is fuel economy that's a crime against wallets purses and mother nature others in class aren't much better but as my mom used to say if Danny Swanson rode his bike off a cliff does that make it a good idea he never did that but I think you get my drift all of the usability and practicality of this Mercedes can be had in a Chevy
Suburban or a GMC Yukon but we live in a world where it seems like telegraphing our success is very important and the GLS certainly does that plus really it is supremely comfortable and refined um but I will say this I priced out a Chevy Suburban High Country similarly equipped to this one and it costs 97,000 something to think about and it didn't have heated and cooled cup holders as interesting as those might be this Mercedes-Benz has much more to offer I
Understand why upwardly mobile families would want to arrive in one of these sedans have taken a backseat to SUVs maybe because this has two of them it makes the opulence of the GLS even more appealing I do my best to test vehicles at a high level Car and Driver Motor Trend and the like they have more resources driven is an independent Channel I'm one guy there are two of us if you count Martin Campbell we're a small But Mighty team that try to offer
Thorough insights like remember when I talked about all-wheel drive and how it's not good at stopping yeah we check those things out always drive to conditions we want you around next week hope you got something out of my look at the 2024 mercedesbenz GLS 584 mtic before I go uh the mercedesbenz logo for those of you who don't know it actually means something initially it stood for where its engines were used in the land
And the Sea and the air um I grew up in northern Minnesota and wasn't exposed to Mercedes 80s until I was a teenager and I initially thought well it's just a weird PE sign but I was pretty sheltered I wised up thanks for watching Remember to subscribe to this Channel and click notifications and if you have a question leave it in the comments or find me on social media and if you want to support this channel I am not going to stop you gas was very expensive in this vehicle
You can do it using YouTube super thanks or venmo and I appreciate it that's driven I'm Tom vulk
