MERCEDES-BENZ GL63 AMG Review

Mercedes' GL is like your favorite capital city five-star hotel. It welcomes you and treats you with all you can wish for in this type of vehicle. OK, we admit, there's no swimming pool.

This accommodation ability is the best part of the car. We're dealing with a "whole is larger than the sum of its parts" situation here. As for the bits and pieces, these include things such as the practicality, dependability and reliability. Even the interesting styling has a part to play here.

Oh and there are plenty of reasons to go for the GL63 AMG. You really don't feel like you're losing anything for the added driving sensations. You can have a good time behind the wheel, while your wife and children won't suspect a thing. Now that's something you want when you're out there looking for an SUV with seating for seven.

Alas, the aforementioned number is also what makes up the worst part of the Mercedes GL, be it AMG or not. This is a full-size proposal, so its target is limited compared to the ML, for instance.

The price isn't exactly helpful either. In the US, the Mercedes GL63 AMG's starting price sits at $119,085. In spite of its hefty pricing, the Mercedes GL's perfect fit for its job brings it an eight in the value-for-money department. This financial side also places the GL63 AMG it in between the Range Rover Supercharged and the Brit's Autobiography (even more luxurious) version.

And here we are, returning to the inevitable comparison between the two. Things are not all that complicated really. If your list of priorities is topped by criterion such as practicality and driving feel, go for the GL63 AMG. In case image and interior prestige is what floats your boat, choose the Range Rover.

As you may have noticed, we've been comparing the GL63 AMG to the G63 AMG throughout the test drive. Here, things are even simpler than above. The GL couldn't have replaced the G-Class as Mercedes initially planned, as the two couldn't be more different. The Gelandewagen has its aura that makes it unique, but you should know that the G63 AMG isn't all that far off in terms of actual excitement.

At the moment, the Mercedes GL is the vehicle we'd have in the segment. Nonetheless, this doesn't mean stress-free night sleep for the Mercedes. America and Europe each have a bullet coming. Guess we'll just have to wait and see what the 2015 Cadillac Escalade and the second-gen Audi Q7 have to bring.