GL 450 CDI

STORY

The GL-Class was Mercedes-Benz's answer to the large American luxury SUVs. It was launched in 2006 (X164) as a three-row, seven-seat sibling of the M-Class, built alongside it at the Tuscaloosa, Alabama plant. It rode on the same unibody platform, with permanent 4MATIC all-wheel drive and optional air suspension. It combined real off-road ability with limousine comfort. Engines ran from the economical GL 320 CDI diesels to the V8 GL 500. The second generation (X166, 2012) had sharper styling and technology, and the range was topped by the GL 63 AMG with a 5.5-litre biturbo V8. In 2015 Mercedes brought the model into its new naming system and renamed it GLS, 'the S-Class of SUVs', as it is today. The GL matters because it made Mercedes a serious player in the flagship SUV segment against the Range Rover and later the BMW X7.