The Mercedes Gl, the ‘poshest’ SUV of its day. When it was new, it had a starting price of around £70000 and with inflation these days, that could be easily over £100000 with options. With a price tag exceeding the Land Rover Range Rover, how does it actually compare?
I may have been in multiple Mercedes in my life especially in my early life but this is my first time actually driving a Mercedes Benz. The reason i get to review this one is because the Land Rover Discovery broke down so its replacement has arrived in the form of the Mercedes Benz GL450 (Petrol).
First impressions are, This is a bigggg car no lie. The car is far longer than a Range Rover or Land Cruiser. The bonnet is really high too and the Mercedes Logo on the front could eat an A-class. The interior is vast and even behind the third row is a vast amout of space. I thought the Mini Cooper had become big but next to a Gl, it will still look like Mr. Beans car.
Now what i was not expecting was the feel. It doesn’t have that typical Mercedes Benz old person feel. It feels more like a Land Rover than i expected. The general vibe is one of a Land Rover Discovery type car. It’s like it was designed by Mercedes with a Land Rover template to start.
Lets start with the interior. Compared to the Discovery, the materials are the similar. Determining the better interior is like grapefruit vs orange. The one advantage the Discovery had is the driving position which felt like you’re a captain of a ship. The Gl feels ‘sportier’ than that. The GL is more complicated to use because it has more options for ‘things’. The Discovery didn’t even have a sport mode for the ride and all that but with this, you can adjust what you need in multiple different levels. Even the seats have buttons that i still cannot figure out.
The car has a sunroof in the back like a Discovery although this one doesn’t have the optional front sunroof. That doesn’t really matter though because this car has toys like a James Bond movie car. I cant even believe that such stuff existed at the time. Distronic plus is something you don’t even see on cars in 2023 yet the GL has it. Then theres the light up parking sensors and optional back up camera on some. Of-course the boot is power operated but the surprising thing is that even the seats in the boot are! thats Crazy!
The car of-course comes with my favourite feature on any vehicle which is air suspension. Blog readers know how much i love it despite its hiccups. The car looks ridiculously high in the highest setting. It honestly looks like some sort of truck. Now the funny thing is it drives no where near like a truck.
The car feels like a much smaller car than it is considering its one of the biggest cars iv’e driven. This car is far bigger than a Q7 or Touareg. It handles better than pretty much all the Land Rovers on the road despite its size. It’s honestly very weird because when you look at it, you’d imagine the drive would be completely different. It drives like a long Porsche Cayenne. It’s just so refined but it doesn’t feel as heavy as it looks In-fact, it isn’t because the car this replaces weighs 200kg more despite being a smaller car. I think because it lacks a ladder frame so it doesn’t have that truck like feel and instead feels like an overly lifted sedan.
This Gl450 is equipped with the off-road package which makes it an amazing off-roader. The car is equipped with air suspension for over 12” of ground clearance, and it also has 2 locking differentials and traction control. it also has hill descent control and a low range transfer case so this car can tackle most roads if equipped with the right tires. People turn heads when it’s in full battle mode. It looks weird almost because it lifts to a ridiculous height, crazy!
This car is dangerously quiet on the road. The engine only whispers till you accelerate harder and to be honest, you cant hear an engine if you drive the car in regular conditions. You will not hear other cars on the road unless they beep at you. It’s exactly like wearing AirPods Max with noise cancelling on, Mad! Speaking of AirPods, The sound quality is fantastic. It has rich bass and good treble. The sound system in conventional cars is alright but when you listen to this, you dread driving anything else with an awkward sound system. The system sounds similar to that in an Audi Q7, very excellent.
Having determined this and purring away with the engine, you will start to realise that the roads are suddenly smoother. On the on-road ride quality is impeccable, absolutely top notch, Crazy! On the highway it rides even better than most cars including the Gl and GLS model that came directly after it. I’d say it feels like a plane but that will be doing it an injustice because, the Gl rides far better than a plane. I think on the road, it drives even better than the Land Rover Discovery and some Range Rovers. In comfort mode, This car’s ride is honestly indescribably smooth, i’d love to be driven in it but theres no one to drive me sadly. In comfort, you better have coffee if you’re tired because you can easily fall asleep. Good thing the Gl has a 5-star safety rating although I wish it had the drowsiness sensor that the S-class and CL of that year had.
You’d think that this would impede on driving pleasure but luckily driving it is amazing because it drives well! You just couldn’t care less about anyone else on the road when your’e driving a GL. The car is completely isolated from the road, and its bigger than the other cars on the road too so it feels like a confidence boost. The car makes you drive in a relaxed manner. The steering is so heavy and the throttle is long so it takes effort to make a mistake, I’ve never driven a car that i’ve been less worried about driving than this one. Theres just some comfort to it that is intangible. Some people are a fan of small cars and all that but believe me, when you drive a GL or a Cayenne you will question yourself because you get Sedan Luxury with truck confidence and presence. Iv’e also noticed that people give this car way too. Unlike something like a Range Rover Sport, this one people will stop.
Now lets talk about the engine….. The V8 engine is the only way to have this car really. It has a more than sufficient amount of power for SUV needs. I don’t think the Gl 320/350 would be sufficient unless it’s a chauffeur vehicle. The 4.7l V8 engine in the GL450 is just right because its low stressed so it suits the vibe of the car better. This car drives in an un-rushed manner however if you do push the throttle it will take off but with your wallet too.
You notice i hadn’t even highlighted the speed yet it’s faster than the Range Rover L322 and Porsche Cayenne’s I reviewed. A Land Cruiser stands no chance and the GL500 is even quicker still. This car will sit comfortably at low rpm even at over 100mph and you won’t even hear the engine. The car is fast but theres almost no point driving it quickly because there is little reward for it. It is literally like a plane taking off with a wonderful exhaust note. A V6 can never sound like this! This car is best enjoyed cruising on the highway.
So far its all positive but i do have some concerns and things i’m not so sure about considering that iv’e driven multiple rivals at this point. First is that this car even for me is a-bit difficult to use, you can’t just get in and go like you can in a Range Rover or Land Cruiser. Theres so many buttons that do so many things and changing the settings and all that can take time. It’s like a Samsung compared to an iPhone. You almost have to read the manual to get it right, Even the A/C controls have enough buttons to send a rocket to space. This one has the optional off-road pack which makes it even more professional. Its like driving a jet on the road. If the battery goes off and the settings reset, you will have to sit down for a while to sort it.
Then the reliability concerns. It’s a good thing that this one is a petrol because, the diesel one in this case is the one i’d not recommend. This car is also not driven much so problems are unlikely but if you had to commute with it, It will be no different from a Land Rover Discovery because Air-matic suspension does not have a golden reputation but luckily all 4 were replaced on this car in the past few months.
Slotting this car is also very difficult because, compared to its rivals, its both better and worse. On the Road it’s far better than a Range Rover for sure, Off-road it isn’t as good as a Land Rover Discovery because of the damping. The interior is on the same level as a Discovery but not as nice as a full size Range Rover. It can do the exact same things as a Discovery but with Range Rover like features. Its not as stylish as a Q7 but its more purposeful than a Q7. Its not as sporty as a Porsche Cayenne but then its bigger than a Cayenne. The G wagen is not really suited for the same purpose. Arguably however, it does have one of the best compromises and overall packages compared to all the rivals.
Overall, I think the GL is still a king because over these few days, i’ve realised that the GL has the power to change your entire personality. You become a more laid back and relaxed person in general. It tailors you and before you know it, you end up driving like a saint yet Its the complete opposite in a BMW. This car is a problem for me because I’m a Land Rover guy but objectively speaking, the GL is slightly superior to a Range Rover of that year and that is painful to write. Which one I love more however is tricky, my heart still leans towards the Range but the GL is an amazing car. It’s gotten me into Mercedes Benz!
Check out my review of the Range Rover L322 for an Idea of the competition.
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