Present Mercedes GLS It’s only about three years old, but time flies, especially for Merc’s flagship full-size SUV. The new-for-2024 GLS remains the same in many ways as the previous car, except for a larger grille, luxurious new interior trim options and – gasp – a steering wheel with touch controls only.
At a time when Volkswagen finally succumbed to public opinion and cleared up its troubles Capacitive Sensors key from the Golf’s steering wheel, and Hyundai was strong against driving like that in its vehicles, it’s odd that Mercedes would double down even in its flagship SUV. The feel of lightweight buttons and weighted knobs between your fingers is like 30 percent the appeal of Merc’s S-Class offerings, isn’t it? Glossy black plastic just seems so plebeiONE.
I can’t talk about the ease of touch of the wheel works, although I can say that at least it looks good in pictures. The GLS gets new leather and wood trim options with this upgrade, including the MANUFAKTUR Piano Lacquer Flowing Lines (see below) that were previously only possible on the Maybach version of the GLS. And no, I didn’t clean my keyboard with caps lock – “MANUFAKTUR” was actually how Mercedes spell it out.
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Speaking of which, it’s not just the standard GLS that’s getting the love for 2024. The refresh extends to the AMG and Maybach versions as well, which have also received new, bigger grilles for an added degree of differentiation. The slats go vertical for both editions, though the Maybach adds many more of them.
Materials and trim aside, the new AMG GLS should carry its some 6,000 pounds of mass a little better, thanks to updated suspension logic. Here’s how Merc put it in the press release:
The AMG ACTIVE RIDE CONTROL active roll stabilization system works with two electro-mechanical actuators at the front and rear axle. The system reduces body roll when cornering, and allows more precise tuning of load change behavior and precision when cornering. It also increases driving comfort when driving in a straight line as one-sided road imperfections are balanced out.
As part of the facelift, the roll stabilization and air suspension also benefit from a software update and a new setup. These measures increase the spread between dynamic handling and comfort. Fine-tuning of the software for the configuration of ESP, electronically controlled rear-axle locking differential, AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive and the suspension control system delivers a dynamic and superior driving experience.
The GLS 63’s 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 party piece remains front and center, producing 603 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque with hybrid assist. Meanwhile, power has actually been increased on the ordinary-by-comparison GLS 450 and 580. The GLS 450’s 3.0-liter inline-four now offers 375 hp — a 13-hp bump from the pre-facelift model’s 362. Likewise, the 4.0-liter V8 thumping in the GLS 580 brings 510 hp, compared to the 483 hp it used to make.
Pricing on all versions of the Tuscaloosa-build The GLS may be closer to launch, which Mercedes has promised for the end of this year. For reference, tHis current GLS 450 starts at $81,800.
