The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Strong-to-fantastic acceleration
- Beautifully trimmed cabin
- So many versions
- AMG doesn’t drive like an SUV
- Maybach’s sybaritic luxury
Dislikes
- It’s expensive
- Maybach isn’t everyone’s taste
- Lousy fuel economy
- Some inexpensive-looking interior trim
Buying tip
features & specs
The 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class looks a little different, but it’s still the same, big, family-pleasing luxo-ute.
What kind of vehicle is the 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class? What does it compare to?
The GLS-Class is Mercedes’ biggest SUV, with seats for up to seven and a longer body than the boxy G-Class brute. Opulent in Maybach trim, incredibly swift in AMG spec, it’s a rival for vehicles such as the Cadillac Escalade, BMW X7, even the Bentley Bentayga. The EQS SUV is the full battery electric take on MB’s largest vehicle, and is reviewed separately.
Is the 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class a good SUV?
A capable and capacious SUV, the 2024 GLS-Class posts a 7.2 out of 10 on the TCC scale for its breathtaking performance, sumptuous comfort, and family roominess. But it’s not efficient and it’s not cheap. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class?
With the return of V-8 engines to last year’s GLS lineup, the 2024 changes come primarily in an updated exterior and interior, meant to tide over the big three-row crossover SUV until it’s effectively replaced by the battery-electric EQS SUV. No firm date for the GLS’ retirement has been announced, though.
Benz has blended in bigger front-end air intakes with a gloss-black frame on the standard versions of the GLS, which receive a fresh four-slat grille. The rest of its softly contoured two-box body remains largely the same, and distinguished by AMG editions that stick with monochrome exteriors and wheels up to 23 inches large, and rich Maybach models branded everywhere from the larger air intakes to the puddle lamps.
Inside, the GLS’ central screen now accepts touch inputs, and offers three distinct displays—one with minimal information, one that looks like a conventional set of dials, and one that rings its gauges in red. An Off-Road mode turns the touchscreen into a virtual display of the ground below the front end, thanks to the minor miracle of inexpensive HD cameras.
Every GLS uses a 48-volt mild-hybrid system nestled between the engine and the 9-speed automatic, plus all-wheel drive that can shuttle all the torque to one axle or the other for greater traction.
The base GLS 450 sports a 375-hp 3.0-liter inline-6 with 369 lb-ft of torque and a 0-60 mph time of 5.8 seconds. The GLS 580 adds nearly 300 pounds to 5,754 pounds swaps in a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 rated at 510 hp and 538 lb-ft. It hits 60 mph in 4.7 seconds, and is improbably quick for a vehicle this size with a thrumming V-8 instead of a whirring electric motor system. The Maybach GLS pushes the same engine to 550 hp. The Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 tops the lineup with its outrageous 603-hp twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8, and a 0-60 mph sprint of just 4.1 seconds.
AMG versions are considerably stiffer in the knees—thanks to standard adaptive damping and an air suspension, as well as active roll stabilization that counteracts cornering forces with offsetting suspension stiffness. The GLS 580 best balances the steep and steeper pricing with spry handling, swift acceleration, and all the luxury bona fides.
The GLS-Class SUV soars inside, where its S-Class-style interior seats families and totes luggage better than any other Mercedes vehicle sold in the U.S. Synthetic leather comes standard, but leather wraps around seats in other editions. On some models, a six-seat interior swaps the middle-row bench for captain’s chairs. The Maybach seats five, or four with the captain’s chairs.
How much does the 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class cost?
The 2024 GLS 450 costs $88,150, including a $1,150 destination fee, while the GLS 580 stickers at $113,150. On the infotainment front, two 12.3-inch displays cozy up under one pane of glass, dominating the dash and controlling navigation or ceding control to Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. Benz upsells a kit of advanced driver-assist technology that adds adaptive cruise control and automatic lane changes to the standard set of features, which includes automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitors, and a driver-attention monitor.
The AMG GLS 63 dials it up to $147,000 and adds standard heated and cooled front seats, panoramic sunroof, adaptive headlights, and Burmester surround-sound audio. The Maybach GLS nears $177,000.
Where is the 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class made?
In Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS Class Styling
The 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS marries the bold and the beautiful.
Is the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class a good-looking car?
Mercedes skips the boxy world-conquering shape of the Land Rover, Land Cruiser, and its own G Wagon for a more urbane—or suburbane—take. The handsome exterior of the GLS earns a point while the benchmark-setting interior earns two, to an 8. The Maybach jumps from the elegant to the ostentatious in two-tone trim.
The history of Mercedes building airplane engines still takes flight in the refreshed GLS design. Four horizontal slats plane through the grille, and are underscored by lower air intakes shaped like bi-wings. Roof rails counter 21- to 23-inch wheels with available twin five-spoke designs that bolster the aviation theme. AMG editions still get monochrome paint schemes, unique wheel designs, and red brake calipers. The Mercedes-Maybach GLS flaunts two-tone paint that screams for attention as loudly as two-tone loafers, optional 23-inch wheels with Maybach plates, and a welter of logos: the air intakes brandish arrays of mini-Maybach logos, Maybach puddle lamps light the ground at each door, and one does the same at each side mirror. If a Maybach logo has somehow gone missing, chances are it’s to be found here.
Inside, two 12.3-inch screens sit under a single pane of glass but the circular turbine vents are retired for a series of rectangles. A band of climate controls limits reliance on the touchscreen, and large grab handles flank the sizable center console and its touchpad and drive mode functions. Aluminum trim, wood panels, knurled switches, and available carbon fiber uphold the Mercedes pedigree for luxury.
2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS Class Performance
The 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class marries comfort and power throughout its family.
The GLS can be had in four ways, and no matter the variant, this big SUV’s blend of breathtaking power, linebacker-like handling, and supreme comfort earns it a 7 here for the base GLS 450. If rated separately, the twin-turbo V-8 in the GLS 580, AMG GLS 63, and Maybach GLS 600 would earn at least another point for this big boy’s blistering acceleration.
Is the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class 4WD?
All GLS models come with an all-wheel drive system that can send all of the torque to the rear axle for performance sprints or the front axle for efficient highway cruising. The variability between the axles helps control tire slip for greater traction, and in dry conditions more grip for better handling. Every GLS also has an air suspension that raises or lowers the SUV’s ride height to match how or where it’s being driven. The mild-hybrid system enables an available electronic body control system that adjusts the spring rates and damping at each wheel to make it soak up road scars as if it were floating, or to tighten up each corner for more spirited driving. This dynamic of cruising comfort and buttoned-down cornering stands out in the GLS.
An off-road mode shows pitch and roll meters in the display and activates the surround-view camera system for a virtual view of what’s under or around the front wheels. The GLS 580 offers an off-road package with a steel skid plate as well as 1.2 inches more ground clearance.
The big Benz can tow up to 7,716 pounds.
How fast is the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class?
The base GLS 450 runs on a 3.0-liter inline-6 that makes 375 hp and 369 lb-ft, and a 48-volt mild-hybrid system that boosts output by 20 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque as needed, and helps propel the SUV to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds.
Every GLS uses the mild-hybrid system to handle the heavy electric load partly created by the dynamic suspension components. Behind the wheel, it helps all that torque get directly to the wheels from a stop to thrust the GLS forward. While cruising, paddle shifters ease finding the optimal gear for passing moves, but the drive modes do it as well.
Most of our time has been spent in the GLS 580 and its lovely twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 rated at 510 hp and 538 lb-ft. The mild-hybrid adds 21 hp and 184 lb-ft, and helps get this big back to bust out to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds. The V-8 power is intoxicating.
The Maybach GLS pushes the same engine to 550 hp but the 0-60 mph sprint remains the same even though the loaded Maybach tips 6,000 pounds (the GLS 580 weighs about 5,750 pounds). Autobahn intenders take note: Top speed increases from 130 mph to 155 mph.
The Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 carries over with its outrageous 603-hp twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 and a 0-60 mph sprint of just 4.1 seconds. Not long ago, that threshold was reserved for supercars, not seven-seat family haulers. It rides firmer than the GLS 450 and 580, but the active roll stabilization and dynamic suspension keeps it uncannily planted.
2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS Class Comfort & Quality
The 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class is the S-Class of SUVs.
Mercedes indulges owners and occupants of the GLS in the same peerless way it does in the S-Class. The roominess is almost as impressive as the keen attention to detail. It earns a perfect 10 for its wonderful combination of space and appointments.
The GLS seats seven passengers, but most shoppers will opt for second-row captain’s chairs instead of the mid bench to seat six total. The Maybach options as few as four seats, with comfier rear thrones than the front that massage and recline, the better to be chauffeured.
The GLS 450’s front seats are covered in synthetic leather and come with heated and cooling, as well as massagers on all but the base model; they’re some of the comfiest seats in the business, right there with Lincoln.
With more legroom than the front, the second-row passengers luxuriate in 41.9 inches of legroom and ample headroom. Power sliding seats make it easy to get in the two seats in the wayback, where the 34.6 inches of rear legroom is better than most three-row SUVs, even the full-size American ones.
Behind the power-folding third row sits 17.4 cubic feet of space that extends to 49 cubes to the second row, or 84.7 with both rear rows folded flat. Front-seat riders have comfy, supportive thrones with lots of adjustment. Row two comes either as a bench seat or individual captain’s chairs, again with power adjustment in most versions. The third row is fine for adults of smaller stature and perfect for kids.
The Maybach dials up the luxury with super soft quilted leather, gorgeous wood trim options, and options such as reclining seats, a center console that doubles as a cooler, and aircraft-style folding tray tables.
2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS Class Safety
Mercedes-Benz throws every active safety feature in its lineup at the GLS-Class.
How safe is the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class?
The NHTSA won’t test it and the IIHS hasn’t tested the largest Benz SUV since 2019, opting instead for smaller SUVs in the family. In crashes, the GLS has weight on its side—at least 5,412 pounds of it—so it should withstand crashes well, but Mercedes loads it with standard tech to avoid that scenario.
Automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitors, and a surround-view camera system come standard, but the GLS 580 adds adaptive headlights, active lane control, and adaptive cruise control with evasive steering assist, and a function that automatically changes lanes with the tap of the indicator while cruising on the highway. It could be convenient for a vehicle with such significant blind spots.
2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS Class Features
If the 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 is rich with features, the Maybach is Musk-levels of rich.
For $88,150, the 2024 GLS 450 comes with twin 12.3-inch digital displays including a layered infotainment system that can be operated via voice commands, a touchpad, or as a touchscreen, and it runs on the latest operating system that’s more responsive with a display that’s better organized. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, as well as a wireless smartphone charger, are standard. It has more USB ports (nine) than seats, four-zone climate control, heated and cooled front seats, leather upholstery, Burmester sound, ambient lightning in as many hues as the Vegas strip, and it rolls on 20-inch wheels.
It’s really well equipped for the price, earning a point each for that, its posh options, good infotainment system, and opulent fit and finish, for a 9. It misses a perfect 10 because its 4-year/50,000-mile warranty doesn’t include scheduled maintenance.
Which Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class should I buy?
How much is enough? The 450 covers all the luxury bases, but the 580 adds the V-8 and other performance enhancements, as well as power folding side mirrors, a panoramic glass roof, massaging front seats, heated second-row captain’s chairs, and illuminated running boards. That’s $113,150, but the massaging seats can be optioned on 450 in a $1,750 package, so the price jump is for performance. It costs extra on either model to get Mercedes’ welcoming heated armrests or chilled cup holders, which may sound like excess until you get used to it and it becomes almost necessary.
How much is a fully loaded Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class?
For top performance, the AMG GLS 63 hits $147,000, but for the creme de la creme, the Maybach GLS hits $177,000 but it cancels the third row. Add fancy two-tone paint (we wouldn’t), upgraded leather, a refrigerator, reclining lounge-like rear seats with footrests, three wood options, a rear-seat entertainment system, and the Maybach sails past $200,000.
2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS Class Fuel Economy
The 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class gets either 21 mpg or 16 mpg combined.
Is the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class good on gas?
The mild-hybrid system takes some of the electric load off the engines in the GLS, but the three-row SUV with standard all-wheel drive isn’t efficient at 19 mpg city, 24 highway, 21 combined. The V-8s only perform worse. Even the larger, truck-based Chevy Tahoe earns better marks with its 3.0-liter turbodiesel at 22 mpg combined. The GLS 450 is a 2, barely. The upside is a truck-like 23.8-gallon tank, so refills will allow for some distance.
The GLS 580 rates at 14/20/16 mpg, while the more powerful Maybach GLS 600 and the AMG GLS 63 have the same 16 mpg combined rating but lower highway estimates.
