And to us, it looks a bit undercooked.
German luxury marque Mercedes-Benz appear to be on the cusp of launching their BMW X7 competitor, the latest-generation GLS-Class. The biggest, plushest Mercedes family wagon is actually one of the more established contenders in the full-size SUV space, despite it getting brushed aside by familiar players like the Range Rover, as well as upstarts like the BMW X7 and Bentley Bentayga.
The thing about the GLS was that previously, it didn’t differentiate itself enough from the rest of the SUVs from Stuttgart, resulting in the showroom & curb appeal of a bloated GLE. Unfortunately it seems that the new generation will continue the same path, as these leaked images (courtesy of Almuraba) seem to demonstrate.
The new GLS seems to carry a face broadly-similar to what’s been seen with the new GLE, though it’s when you see the profile that you realise you’re looking at a significantly-larger car. When you swing round the rear you’re greeted by a pair of slim taillights (like the rest of the Mercedes SUV range), linked by a chrome strip above and a pair of tailpipes below.
The interior is also a reimagination of the cabin first seen on the GLE. You get the MBUX infotainment system powering a pair of 12.3-inch screens, which are controlled either though the haptic-feedback touchpad in the middle, or the two trackpads on either side of the steering wheel. Expect to find a dizzying array of customisation options for the screen, as well as an extensive interior ambient lighting package, as is customary for modern Mercedes vehicles.
The new GLS will sit on Mercedes-Benz’s newest Modular High Architecture (MHA) which, unsurprisingly, it will share with the GLE. As such there should be significant weight savings to be enjoyed with the latest generation, which should help keep it in line with modern fuel consumption & emissions standards. To that end, expect to find the majority of engine options comprising of inline-6 and V8 engines, while 4-cylinder motors could appear in plug-in hybrid variants, which would be introduced later.
Despite the dour outlook on diesel, the GLS should offer diesel options throughout its life, given the suitability of a low-stress high-torque diesel mill with the large-SUV package. What’s also pretty much a given is the employment of the 4.0-litre biturbo V8 mill in a GLS560 perhaps, and likely in the Mercedes-Maybach version of the GLS (which has already been confirmed).
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