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Mercedes-Benz GLS Spied: Why this GL Facelift Should Have an All-New Interior

We are now about to exit what has clearly been the week of the Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe. Stuttgart's BMW X6 rival may have been all over the Internet, but the first impressions are not all A-grade and this is mainly due to the not-quite-there cabin design. We are now here to focus on the GL Facelift, which will be called GLS according to Mercedes' new naming scheme and the questions about the interior are the ones that matter the most.
Mercedes-Benz GLS Spyshots 14 photos
Photo: Carpix
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With the GLE Coupe, the German carmaker chose to perform plastic surgery on the old design (the thing is based on the ML) instead of taking a big step and inserting the dashboard and center console introduced by the S-Class. Sure, this is basically the coupe version of the yet unreleased ML facelift, not an all-new model, but you still get a lesser interior than in the.... V-Class, for instance.

Like we said, the GLS designation may be all-new, but we are dealing with a mid-cycle revamp for the GL instead, so the Germans could be temped to just re-touch the old cabin, adding a larger display, for example.

Nonetheless, the rumor mill sees the recently-introduced Mercedes-Maybach sub-brand including the GL alongside the S-Class, which should point to a more serious cabin transformation. While it might seem like a good idea to compare the expected Mercedes-Maybach GLS to the upcoming Bentley SUV, the two will actually play in different leagues, in terms of both assets and pricing.

Returning to the standard GLS, When the Range Rover and the all-new Audi Q7 come with super-premium cabins, the massive interior work would be the obvious choice for Mercedes.

The exterior changes

While it's too early to talk about the cabin, the spied prototype makes it clear that the exterior changes will be focus on the front end. The front fascia, grille, headlights, as well as the hood will be revised.

Moving to the rear, only the taillight graphics, the apron and the tailpipes will spell "refresh".

Engine-wise, Mercedes has already made the important step of introducing the all-new GL400, which packs 333 PS and 354 lb-ft (480 Nm) of torque, but so far this is only available in Europe. Other than that, we're not expecting important changes under the hood.

While the GLS will bow in 2016, don't expect to see it at the Detroit Motor Show.
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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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