GL 500

STORY

The GL-Class was Mercedes-Benz's answer to the full-size American luxury SUV, launched in 2006 (X164) as a three-row, seven-seat sibling to the M-Class, built alongside it at the Tuscaloosa, Alabama plant. Riding on the same unibody platform with permanent 4MATIC all-wheel drive and available air suspension, it paired genuine off-road ability with limousine comfort, offered from frugal GL 320 CDI diesels up to the V8 GL 500. The second generation (X166, 2012) sharpened the styling and technology and crowned the range with the 5.5-litre biturbo V8 GL 63 AMG. In 2015 Mercedes folded the model into its new naming structure, renaming it GLS as 'the S-Class of SUVs,' which continues today. The GL is significant as the car that established Mercedes as a credible player in the flagship SUV segment against the Range Rover and later the BMW X7.