The Mercedes-Benz GLS, formerly Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, is a

full-size Full-size car—also known as large car—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than mid-size cars. It is the largest size class for cars. In the United Kingdom, this class is referred to as ...

luxury crossover SUV produced by

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...

since 2006. In each of its generations it is a three-row, seven-passenger vehicle positioned above the GLE (formerly Mercedes-Benz M-Class before 2016). The GLS is considered the flagship of the marque's SUV lineup, although the

body-on-frame Body-on-frame is a traditional motor vehicle construction method whereby a separate coachwork, body or coach is mounted on a strong and relatively rigid vehicle frame or chassis that carries the powertrain (the engine and drivetrain) and to wh ...

G-Class (originally intended for military off-roading but also offered in luxurious trims) is more expensive and has been in production longer. The GLS shares the same

unibody A vehicle frame, also historically known as its ''chassis'', is the main supporting structure of a motor vehicle to which all other components are attached, comparable to the skeleton of an organism. Until the 1930s, virtually every car had ...

architecture with the GLE. Most GLS vehicles are assembled at the Mercedes plant in Alabama, except for a small number of early 2007 production vehicles which were manufactured in Germany. The first generation model (X164) was manufactured between 2006 and 2012 and was replaced in 2013 by the new generation GL-Class (X166). From 2016 with the release of the facelifted second generation model, the GL-Class was renamed to GLS as per the revised nomenclature adopted by Mercedes. Under this scheme, SUVs use the base name "GL", followed by the model's placement in Mercedes-Benz hierarchy. The "G" is for ''geländewagen'' (German for ''

off-road vehicle An off-road vehicle (ORV), also known as an off-highway vehicle (OHV), overland vehicle or adventure vehicle, is a type of transportation specifically engineered to navigate unpaved roads and surfaces. These include trails, forest roads, and ...

'') and alludes the long-running G-Class. This is followed by the letter "L" that acts as a linkage with the letter "S", the SUV equivalent to the S-Class, marketing the GLS as the corresponding SUV to the S-Class full-size sedan. __TOC__

First generation (X164; 2006)

The X164 GL-Class debuted at the 2006 North American International Auto Show. It was released around the same time as the similarly sized Audi Q7, and was the first full-size, 7-seater SUV produced by a German automaker. The range of engines consist of V8 petrol engines, and

turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...

V6 and V8 diesel engines. All models are available only in all-wheel drive (4MATIC) configuration.

Second generation (X166; 2013)

The X166 GL-Class went on sale in September 2012. Models feature efficiency improvements via the addition of an engine start stop system,

drive by wire Drive by wire or DbW in the automotive industry is the technology that uses electronics or electro-mechanical systems in place of mechanical linkages to control driving functions. The concept is similar to fly-by-wire in the aviation industry. D ...

steering, and new

petrol and diesel engines. The second generation model also introduced a high performance GL63 AMG variant, powered by the hand-built M157 engine. Following a 2016 facelift it was renamed the GLS, to correspond with the new Mercedes-Benz naming scheme. The model update also featured minor exterior and interior design changes and performance improvements.

Third generation (X167; 2019)

The third generation model debuted at the 2019 New York International Auto Show. The engine options at the launch are 3.0-litre turbo inline six (GLS 450 4MATIC) and 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 (GLS 580 4MATIC & AMG GLS 63), both petrol with EQ Boost electric motors, and 2.9-litre twin-turbo diesel inline six in two different outputs (GLS 350 d 4MATIC and GLS 450 d 4MATIC). A first SUV version of Mercedes-Maybach, Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 4MATIC model was released in late 2019. The wheelbase is 2.3 inches longer and nearly an inch wider. It uses the same architecture as the latest GLE with MBUX and dual 12.3-inch screens as well as E-Active Body Control and car-to-X communication. The exterior has also been redesigned with sleeker headlamps and taillamps.

Sales

References

External links

* {{Mercedes-Benz timeline 2020 to date GLS-Class All-wheel-drive vehicles Cars introduced in 2006 Flagship vehicles Full-size sport utility vehicles Luxury sport utility vehicles Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States