The Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class offers the most luxurious three-row SUVs you can find in Virginia. With a range of engine choices, a spacious third row, and a high-end cabin, any GLS class model would be a great investment. There are four models available within this Mercedes-Benz Class, and the average Roanoke driver will be interested in one of the middle two versions: the GLS450 and GLS550. The GLS450 and GLS550 run on different powertrains despite being in the same class. They both come standard with a 9-speed automatic and all-wheel drive, but the GLS450 is slightly less powerful than the GLS550. The GLS450 has a 3-liter turbocharged V6 engine that generates 362 horsepower plus 369 pound-feet of torque. The GLS550鈥檚 4.6-liter V8 increases output to 449 horsepower and 516 pound-feet. As expected, since the GLS550 is more powerful, the GLS450 is more efficient. The GLS550 builds on the GLS450 with most of its option packages, meaning that it is packed with many more features. Since the GLS550 builds on the GLS450 with the Premium, Parking Assist, and Lighting Packages plus standalone features, there are dozens of features that are standard on the GLS550 but optional on the GLS450. In addition to those features that are standard on the GLS550 but optional on the GLS450, this higher version of the GLS-Class also has sporty exterior styling and 21-inch alloy wheels. The interior trim is upgraded, the doors are soft close, and there are adaptive suspension dampers. It also offers a stylish Night Package. Whether you are just interested in learning more about what separates the 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLS450 and GLS550 or need help configuring your ideal GLS-Class vehicle for drives around Roanoke, Virginia, visit Berglund Mercedes-Benz. Based on EPA mileage ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle, driving conditions and other factors.
There鈥檚 only one Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The S is the German luxury automaker鈥檚 top sedan, but the GLS is that flagship four-door鈥檚 SUV equivalent. You might have noticed that key word there: new. The GLS-Class was the GL-Class until the 2017 model year. It was one of many vehicles that Mercedes-Benz renamed to simplify its nomenclature system. According to one of its press releases from November 2014, 鈥淭he system centres around the five core model series, A, B, C, E and S, which will continue to be used to provide orientation for our customers. For the 2017 model year, the GLS, available in base GLS450, mid-range GLS550, and fire-breathing AMG GLS63 forms, has undergone several changes aside from that badge on its lift gate. Those include a restyled exterior, redesigned bumpers, and new LED tail lights and wheel designs. Inside, the GLS now features a redesigned instrument panel and center console and a three-spoke steering wheel.
The most notable mechanical change is the addition of the 9G-TRONIC nine-speed automatic transmission (in non-AMG models). We recently got a chance to see and experience all of those changes in the 2017 GLS550 4MATIC that Mercedes-Benz loaned us. Our test vehicle was a study in contrasts. Mercedes-Benz coated it in an optional color from its designo line, Diamond White Metallic. Its purity and brilliance was the background for the various Gloss Black accents of the Night Package, which were found on the front end, mirror caps, roof, side window surrounds, 21-inch wheels, and rear. The more we laid eyes upon the GLS, the more we liked it. Its massive front air intakes made it look aggressive; its sci-fi-esque adaptive LED headlamps made it look as if it could light our way through the darkest nights. The split-spoke wheels were handsome and distinctive AMG-issue rollers. We especially loved seeing the LED tail lights up close.
With their curved inner elements, they seemed as if they belonged on an alien spacecraft that鈥檚 visiting our planet from 1,000 years in the future. Mercedes Benz鈥檚 designo artisans didn鈥檛 stop at the GLS鈥檚 exterior. They furnished the cabin of the SUV with quilted Nappa leather seats and door panel inserts. Those and other surfaces wore a rich, warm earth tone officially known as Espresso Brown. The natural grain wood trim on the upper door panels, steering wheel rim, and dashboard added to that warmth. The only thing we liked more than looking at the interior of the GLS was being in it. The front seats were heated and cooled and offered four types of massage. One cold morning, we decided to visit a friend at their office and bring them a fresh cup of coffee. Thanks to the heated/cooled front cup holders, it stayed nice and hot. The Dynamic Select system allowed us to change the behavior of the engine, steering, and suspension with the turn of a dial.
For our trips down the highway, we often just left the GLS in its default Comfort setting. We weren鈥檛 in a boat, but that didn鈥檛 stop us from feeling as if we were sailing smoothly down the road. Power from the engine was always plentiful; Sport mode鈥檚 sharper throttle response enabled us to access it through the gas pedal even more quickly. No matter which setting we had the GLS in, it moved through the air in near-silence. We were too busy driving the GLS to truly enjoy its second- and third-row seats. However, we did take a little time to sit in them and note how comfortable they were. In the middle, we had plenty of legroom. Getting to the back row was as easy as pushing a button on top of the outboard second-row seats. That made the seat back flip down and the entire seat itself fold forward so we could gracefully enter the back of the GLS, where headroom was surprisingly abundant. Immediately after one deep push of the GLS550鈥檚 gas pedal, we thought, If the mid-level GLS is this quick, the AMG version must be an absolute monster!
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