MERCEDES-BENZ GL63 AMG Review

The new, second-generation Mercedes GL has brought quite a lot of changes, but we're interested in a particular one for now - unlike its predecessor, the 2013 GL gets an AMG version. Thus, choosing Affalterbach's remix for our test drive was the obvious way to go.

Throw a glance at the angry Mercedes GL63 AMG above. Let's be honest, the thing looks more like it's about to punch you in the face rather than displaying an underdog attitude. And yet, that's how the GL started out in life. Mercedes conceived the GL as a replacement for their G-Class veteran. Nonetheless, the Gelandewagen wasn't going to give up without a fight, one that it won. Fans protested, going all the way with a human chain around the factory, so the G-Class was kept alive.

This happened back in 2006 when the first generation of the Mercedes GL was introduced. And speaking of its birth, even the main playground of the SUV made it a bit of an underdog. The GL was aimed for the US market, aiming for the full-size, seven-seat segment.

Sure, Mercedes had a three-pointed, shining name in America, but the newcomer still had to compete with established names on the market. The GL put its modified ML underpinnings to good use, managing to make a case for itself. In Europe, the Mercedes GL debuted shortly after the Audi Q7. Despite being introduced at the Detroit Motor Show and built in Alabama, the GL didn't do too badly on the Old Continent either.

Now there's a new one and the aforementioned birth of an AMG version is just one clue for its ambitions. Meanwhile, it's become one of the usual suspects in the US. At the same time, Europeans have overcome some of their natural fear of full-size SUVs, so things are looking promising.

Speaking of looks, the Mercedes-Benz GL does a great job at covering up its dimensions. The GL has always had an original way of interpreting the Mercedes styling and this new one takes things even further.