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When you’ve got six figures to drop on a luxury item, it can be difficult to choose precisely which extravagance you’d most like to lay the money down for. A small plot of land in the wilderness, or perhaps a used yacht? Allow us to suggest instead Mercedes-AMG’s hulking GLS63, an SUV with seats for seven and a 577-hp twin-turbocharged V-8 to chase away the Sunday scaries. Yes, it looks almost exactly like the 10Best Trucks and SUVs–winning Mercedes-Benz GLS-class on which it is based, but one stomp on the accelerator will drive that other SUV from your mind. The GLS63’s performance comes without sacrifice; its cabin is lined in leather and equipped with amenities ranging from massaging front seats to an optional rear entertainment system. It’s the perfect chariot for turning daily errands into joy rides.
HIGHS
Credibly seats seven, wickedly quick, handles like a much smaller car.
LOWS
Astronomical price, insatiable appetite for fuel, cargo space is limited with third row in use.
VERDICT
For buyers with deep pockets, a big family, and a hankering for a super-speedy SUV, the GLS63 is one of the very few options.
What’s New for 2018?
AMG’s big brute is unchanged for 2018.
What Was New for 2017?
Mercedes renamed the GLS-class for 2017 (it was previously called the GL-class) to better reflect the naming conventions of its sedan lineup. Along with the name change came some exterior revisions, including a widened chrome grille, new LED taillights, and a revised rear bumper. The GLS63’s 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-8 powertrain was a holdover from the GL63 but was updated to add 27 horsepower for a total of 577. Inside, Benz’s updated COMAND system added a touchpad as an alternative to the rotary knob. Other revisions included new ambient lighting and trim colors, a three-spoke steering wheel, and an available Designo nappa leather interior.
Trims and Options We’d Choose
As the absolute top-of-the-line GLS, the 63 comes standard with nearly every option that Mercedes offers in its big SUV. None of the available extras are crucial, but some of them are so affordable (relative to the $126,295 base price, anyway) that we’d have a hard time saying no. The GLS63’s robust offering of standard features includes:
• Adaptive air suspension with selectable drive modes
• Heated, ventilated, and massaging driver and front-passenger seats
• Panoramic sunroof
The list of options is relatively short, but we’d be tempted to add red brake calipers (especially since they’re a no-cost option), the $400 power-operated easy-entry system for the second-row seats, and the $300 AMG Night package, which adds gloss-black trim to the grille, window surrounds, roof rails, and exhaust pipes. Those extras would bring the total cost of our GLS63 to $126,995.
The GLS63’s sole powertrain consists of an AMG-built 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-8, a seven-speed automatic transmission, and a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system. Its quick-thinking automatic and throaty V-8 make a truly enjoyable pair.
What’s New for 2018?
Sometimes no news is good news. In the case of the GLS63, no news means another year to enjoy AMG’s 577-hp twin-turbo V-8. No changes necessary.
2017 Mercedes-AMG GLS63
The seven-speed automatic wrangles the powerful engine with poise, executing smooth shifts and reacting quickly and accurately to inputs from the brake and gas pedals. The transmission’s programming changes slightly depending on which driving mode is selected. In Sport and Sport+ modes, the transmission selects lower gears and holds shifts longer; in Comfort mode, fuel economy is prioritized, and the transmission is more apt to use higher gears. An individual setting allows drivers to program the vehicle according to their preference. In any setting, the GLS63 hustles off the line with an urgency we don’t usually see from utes this size. Its 4.3-second run to 60 mph in our tests compares favorably not only with several of its direct competitors, but also with plenty of sports coupes.
Test Results: Acceleration
VIEW 89 PHOTOS
One of the irresistible, unvarnished joys of driving the GLS, with its thumping V-8, is listening to the howl of the engine at speed and the brapping exhaust note that accompanies downshifts when the car is in one of its sportier drive modes. No better way to prove to the other parents at soccer practice that the GLS63 isn’t your average carpool mobile.
Tow Ratings Compared
With a towing capacity of 7500 pounds, the GLS63 may not be a champion in its class, but it will still provide plenty of power to comfortably pull most loads.
Look, we don’t actually expect a three-row SUV with a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-8 to sip its fuel. But that doesn’t mean we have to celebrate the GLS63’s uninspiring EPA ratings.
What’s New for 2018?
The GLS63’s powertrain is unchanged this year, but its EPA fuel-economy ratings have been revised upward by 1 mpg in the highway and combined categories.
Fuel Economy Ratings Compared
2017 Mercedes-AMG GLS63
Fuel economy is one of relatively few areas—not surprisingly—in which the GLS63 does not excel. EPA rated at just 13 mpg in the city, 17 on the highway, and 14 combined, the GLS falls near the bottom of its class. That’s not to say that any vehicle in this set is particularly efficient—excepting the plug-in hybrid Volvo XC90, which has an unfair advantage and can’t quite match its competitors for performance—and the GLS is at least more efficient than its sibling, Mercedes’ rolling übercube, the G63. Drivers who want a vehicle of this type will simply have to reconcile themselves to a high monthly fuel bill.
Fuel Economy Ratings Compared
VIEW 89 PHOTOS
We’ve devised our own fuel-economy test in an attempt to replicate how most people drive on the highway. Our procedure entails a 200-mile out-and-back loop on Michigan’s I-94 highway. We maintain a GPS-verified 75 mph and use the cruise control as much as possible to mimic the way many drivers behave during long trips.
We managed 18 mpg during our highway test of the GLS63, a full 3 mpg better than we managed in the G63 but at least 2 mpg behind every other competitor listed here. Conveniently, the GLS’s large fuel tank means that it can travel nearly 500 highway miles between fill-ups, so it’s still an amicable road-trip partner.
Test Results: Highway Fuel Economy
Test Results: Highway Range
When you’ve got six figures to drop on a luxury item, it can be difficult to choose precisely which extravagance you’d most like to lay the money down for. A small plot of land in the wilderness, or perhaps a used yacht? Allow us to suggest instead Mercedes-AMG’s hulking GLS63, an SUV with seats for seven and a 577-hp twin-turbocharged V-8 to chase away the Sunday scaries. Yes, it looks almost exactly like the 10Best Trucks and SUVs–winning Mercedes-Benz GLS-class on which it is based, but one stomp on the accelerator will drive that other SUV from your mind. The GLS63’s performance comes without sacrifice; its cabin is lined in leather and equipped with amenities ranging from massaging front seats to an optional rear entertainment system. It’s the perfect chariot for turning daily errands into joy rides.
HIGHS
Credibly seats seven, wickedly quick, handles like a much smaller car.
LOWS
Astronomical price, insatiable appetite for fuel, cargo space is limited with third row in use.
VERDICT
For buyers with deep pockets, a big family, and a hankering for a super-speedy SUV, the GLS63 is one of the very few options.
What’s New for 2018?
AMG’s big brute is unchanged for 2018.
What Was New for 2017?
Mercedes renamed the GLS-class for 2017 (it was previously called the GL-class) to better reflect the naming conventions of its sedan lineup. Along with the name change came some exterior revisions, including a widened chrome grille, new LED taillights, and a revised rear bumper. The GLS63’s 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-8 powertrain was a holdover from the GL63 but was updated to add 27 horsepower for a total of 577. Inside, Benz’s updated COMAND system added a touchpad as an alternative to the rotary knob. Other revisions included new ambient lighting and trim colors, a three-spoke steering wheel, and an available Designo nappa leather interior.
Trims and Options We’d Choose
As the absolute top-of-the-line GLS, the 63 comes standard with nearly every option that Mercedes offers in its big SUV. None of the available extras are crucial, but some of them are so affordable (relative to the $126,295 base price, anyway) that we’d have a hard time saying no. The GLS63’s robust offering of standard features includes:
• Adaptive air suspension with selectable drive modes
• Heated, ventilated, and massaging driver and front-passenger seats
• Panoramic sunroof
The list of options is relatively short, but we’d be tempted to add red brake calipers (especially since they’re a no-cost option), the $400 power-operated easy-entry system for the second-row seats, and the $300 AMG Night package, which adds gloss-black trim to the grille, window surrounds, roof rails, and exhaust pipes. Those extras would bring the total cost of our GLS63 to $126,995.
The GLS63’s sole powertrain consists of an AMG-built 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-8, a seven-speed automatic transmission, and a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system. Its quick-thinking automatic and throaty V-8 make a truly enjoyable pair.
What’s New for 2018?
Sometimes no news is good news. In the case of the GLS63, no news means another year to enjoy AMG’s 577-hp twin-turbo V-8. No changes necessary.
2017 Mercedes-AMG GLS63
The seven-speed automatic wrangles the powerful engine with poise, executing smooth shifts and reacting quickly and accurately to inputs from the brake and gas pedals. The transmission’s programming changes slightly depending on which driving mode is selected. In Sport and Sport+ modes, the transmission selects lower gears and holds shifts longer; in Comfort mode, fuel economy is prioritized, and the transmission is more apt to use higher gears. An individual setting allows drivers to program the vehicle according to their preference. In any setting, the GLS63 hustles off the line with an urgency we don’t usually see from utes this size. Its 4.3-second run to 60 mph in our tests compares favorably not only with several of its direct competitors, but also with plenty of sports coupes.
Test Results: Acceleration
VIEW 89 PHOTOS
One of the irresistible, unvarnished joys of driving the GLS, with its thumping V-8, is listening to the howl of the engine at speed and the brapping exhaust note that accompanies downshifts when the car is in one of its sportier drive modes. No better way to prove to the other parents at soccer practice that the GLS63 isn’t your average carpool mobile.
Tow Ratings Compared
With a towing capacity of 7500 pounds, the GLS63 may not be a champion in its class, but it will still provide plenty of power to comfortably pull most loads.
Look, we don’t actually expect a three-row SUV with a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-8 to sip its fuel. But that doesn’t mean we have to celebrate the GLS63’s uninspiring EPA ratings.
What’s New for 2018?
The GLS63’s powertrain is unchanged this year, but its EPA fuel-economy ratings have been revised upward by 1 mpg in the highway and combined categories.
Fuel Economy Ratings Compared
2017 Mercedes-AMG GLS63
Fuel economy is one of relatively few areas—not surprisingly—in which the GLS63 does not excel. EPA rated at just 13 mpg in the city, 17 on the highway, and 14 combined, the GLS falls near the bottom of its class. That’s not to say that any vehicle in this set is particularly efficient—excepting the plug-in hybrid Volvo XC90, which has an unfair advantage and can’t quite match its competitors for performance—and the GLS is at least more efficient than its sibling, Mercedes’ rolling übercube, the G63. Drivers who want a vehicle of this type will simply have to reconcile themselves to a high monthly fuel bill.
Fuel Economy Ratings Compared
VIEW 89 PHOTOS
We’ve devised our own fuel-economy test in an attempt to replicate how most people drive on the highway. Our procedure entails a 200-mile out-and-back loop on Michigan’s I-94 highway. We maintain a GPS-verified 75 mph and use the cruise control as much as possible to mimic the way many drivers behave during long trips.
We managed 18 mpg during our highway test of the GLS63, a full 3 mpg better than we managed in the G63 but at least 2 mpg behind every other competitor listed here. Conveniently, the GLS’s large fuel tank means that it can travel nearly 500 highway miles between fill-ups, so it’s still an amicable road-trip partner.
Test Results: Highway Fuel Economy
Test Results: Highway Range