2013 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class: What the critics say

Automobile

Mercedes-Benz’s biggest SUV is back. Briefly battered by a Great Recession sales slump, the brand’s seven-seater is once again outselling Benz’s smaller crossover, and the new edition packs in even more power and plushness than the elegant beast it replaces. The base engine, a turbo diesel V-6, boosts highway fuel efficiency to a “downright decent” 26 mpg. But the GL remains “a vehicle you buy first and foremost because it’s really, really nice.” Being sensible doesn’t enter the equation.

Motor Trend

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This base-model GL350 has so many high-tech features that “it can become bewildering if you don’t have time to study the driver’s manual” before setting out. But one can quickly grow accustomed to seat massagers, a three-part panoramic sunroof, and cup holders that can heat or cool. And that list doesn’t include myriad pricey options, like the multi-camera parking and blind-spot-monitoring systems.

The New York Times

Save for the goodies by sticking with the GL350’s V-6 diesel. There are two gas-powered V-8 options in the GL lineup, but the diesel “punches above its weight.” Take it off-road and it’ll push this people hauler up hills that might choke a Jeep Cherokee. The GL350 may be part “ultraluxurious minivan,” but it also possesses “legitimate old-school SUV abilities.”