Review
The GL Class has been designed with the American market very much in mind - it's huge even by the standards of big off-roaders. As such, it's likely to appeal to deep-pocketed buyers looking for seven-seat practicality and the cachet of the three-pointed star, but it's certainly not suited to anyone anxious to keep a low profile.
Aesthetically, the GL looks like a scaled up, squared-off version of the ML. It's not visually displeasing, but it lacks the design cohesion of its (slightly) smaller sister. Similarly, the GL's cabin is filled with lots of switchgear common to the ML. Front and mid-row occupants enjoy plenty of space and the quality of the interior fittings is generally high, although (as with the ML) the plastics on the centre console feel cheap for a car in this segment.
Bump-smoothing air suspension and respectably powerful engines make the on-road experience a painless one - although you never lose a sense of the GL's gargantuan scale from the driver's seat. High-speed refinement is good, and the GL is also adept at dealing with rougher road (or off-road) surfaces.
Only three engines will be coming to the UK, reflecting the GL's minority interest status. Of these, only the two diesels come close to making any kind of sense. The basic 320 CDI V6 makes respectable progress, while the range-topping 420 CDI V8 gives the two-and-a-half ton GL some impressive rapidity. We can't see any purpose in the oilfield gargling GL 500 petrol V8 at all.