MERCEDES-BENZ
GL320 BLUETEC & GL450
Every now and then, vehicles are awarded great praise for one easily definable reason: being the best at everything. Consider Mercedes-Benz’s GL-Class so defined. Performing every task better than the competition is difficult enough. Doing so at a price that makes life difficult for Lexus, Land Rover, and Infiniti? Previously believed to be impossible.
Yet here we see a humongous Mercedes SUV that is capable both on-road and off. Space for you and your peeps is scarcely circumnavigatable. Power is plentiful. Fuel econony – it sounds so strange, doesn’t it? – is actually tolerable….. if you choose the diesel GL320. What doesn’t the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class do well?
No, it’s a serious question. The GL is handsome, if not bodacious like the Infiniti FX, another Good 12 Supersize winner. Towing a luxury liner is verging on the conceivable. Impressing the neighbours? Effortless. Living life in the lap of extravagant leather-lined opulance becomes a given. What more ask ye for? One would appreciate the standard feature count to be more representative of a large Mercedes-Benz. Instead, Mercedes-Benz charges you heavily (extra leather = $2,130).That’s part of the reason the GL’s base price can remain under 60 large.
Still, in light of the competition and Mercedes’ own ML-Class, the GL320 BlueTec and GL450 are shockingly impressive vehicles that, at the same time, offer shocking value-for-dollar.
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Engines: 210 horsepower and 398 lb-ft of torque from a turbodiesel 3.0L V6 or 335 horsepower and 339 lb-ft of torque from a 4.6L V8
City Mileage: 13-17 miles per gallon
Base USD Price: $59,075
Cargo Capacity: 83.3 cubic feet behind front row
Towing Capability: 7,500 pounds
