MERCEDES BENZ GL-Klasse Models/Series Timeline, Specifications & Photos

The biggest SUV from the German car-maker was the equivalent of the S-Class for the SUV market. It's up to seven seats and the high level of comfort made it a good alternative for the brand's flagship.

The first generation of the GL was launched in 2006 and it was based on the ML-Class platform. It was mainly built for the North-American market. In Europe, its sales were very low, especially after the world economic crisis stroke in 2008. In its last full production year, it managed to sell a mere 2508 units on the European continent, while in the US the worst year was in 2009 with 15.012 units.

The second generation started in 2012 with a complete revamp for the exterior look. It featured the new frontal fascia, sculptured doors, and V-shaped turn-signals on the door-mirrors. Even so, the sales didn't come even close to the U.S. market. Its big size made it hard to use it inside European cities.

Inside, the 2-3-2 seating arrangement provided more room than its predecessor, offering more elbow, shoulder, and headroom for all three rows of seats. The dashboard was covered in ARTICO man-made leather. Inside the instrument cluster, a new 4.8” TFT display offered information from the on-board computer, the COMMAND infotainment unit, or from the navigation system.

In the European market, the 3.0-liter diesel engine was the most favored version, while for the U.S. market the gasoline units were on top of its customer's list. Like the S-Class, the GL was available exclusively with a 7-speed automatic gearbox (7G-Tronic).

Mercedes-Benz refreshed the GL range in late 2009, improving the car's comfortable ride and introducing an upgraded turbo-diesel engine.

The world financial crisis was not over yet when the German carmaker introduced a refreshed version for its luxurious SUV, the GL. Unlike its main U.S. competitors, it featured a unibody construction instead of the body-on-frame system used by Cadillac for the Escalade or by Lincoln for the Navigator. On top of that, the GL provided a turbo-diesel engine that ensured a 600 mile (965 km) range on a tank.

With a refreshed design and triangular headlights, the GL provided a commanding view of the road. Its chiseled front fenders and flared wheel-arches created the image of a go-anywhere vehicle, and that was very close to reality. Mercedes-Benz built the GL with a short front overhang and a raised rear one to go through trails and tracks without tearing its bodywork. Moreover, the carmaker offered an off-road package that added metallic underbody shields, while the standard version sported plastic covers underneath the bodywork.

Inside, the German carmaker installed a seven-seat interior in a 2-3-2 configuration. At the front, the dashboard featured an instrument cluster with two large dials for the speedometer and tachometer and an LCD between them. The fuel and coolant temperature gauges were placed in the main dials. With a set of two comfortable and wide seats at the front and a bench for three in the middle row, and two seats in the trunk area, the GL proved that a luxury vehicle could be helpful as a people carrier. Its trunk could hold up to 2,356 liters (83.3 cu-ft).

Under the hood, besides the two gasoline V-8 engines, the carmaker introduced a 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V-6, which used AdBlue to lower the emissions. That made it legal in 50 states across the U.S.

Mercedes-Benz introduced the luxurious seven-seater GL at the 2006 North American International Motor Show and took the crown as the brand's flagship SUV.

The German carmaker looked with praying eyes at the American seven-seat off-roaders for years before deciding to take the decision to compete with them on their home ground. Moreover, it produced it in Alabama to deliver it faster and avoid expensive import taxes. Although the car was not cheap and was considered the SUV version of the S-Class flagship model produced by the three-pointed-star brand.

Unlike the Cadillac Escalade, which was a body-on-frame build, the GL featured a unibody construction, thus making the vehicle lighter. Its front fascia resembled its smaller sibling, the ML-Class, already made in Tuscaloosa. With its two-slats grille and the tall lower bumper, the carmaker tried to hide the vehicle's height. On its sides, the vehicle sported longer windows for the doors and, in addition, a third long glass panel between the rear doors and the D-pillars.

The interior was a mix between the ML-Class and the S-Class in terms of luxury and equipment. Its leather-wrapped cabin was adorned with wood grains on the center stack, door cards, and center console. There was room for three passengers in the middle row and two more on the third one. These two formed a completely flat loading area and an impressive 83.3 cu-ft (2,359 liters) of space when folded down.

Under the hood, the carmaker installed a choice of two V8 gasoline engines paired with a seven-speed automatic gearbox. For specific markets, though, the carmaker added a few turbo-diesel options, which were much more fuel-efficient. Power went in all corners as standard on the entire range, and the all-wheel independent air suspension ensured one of the most comfortable rides in the segment.