Mercedes GLS 350d review, test drive

What’s it like to drive?

The GLS will be available in 350 d guise which means it comes with Merc’s lovely 3.0-litre, V6 diesel engine. Power and torque figures (258hp and 620Nm) remain unchanged from before, but the engine now comes mated to Mercedes’ new nine-speed 9G-Tronic gearbox in place of the GL’s older 7G-Tronic unit. The shorter initial ratios have helped improve performance by a bit. The GLS’ 8.2 second 0-100kph time makes it 0.7 seconds quicker than the GL to the ton. It’s also quicker than the older version in kickdown acceleration from 20-80kph and 40-100kph. But if you get into the numbers, you’ll find a Q7 is faster just about everywhere.

Not that you’ll ever feel a lack of power. There’s strong pulling power at all speeds and performance is impressive for what is a 2.4-tonne SUV. You always have the option to switch to Sport mode or set the engine to Sport in the ‘Individual’ driving mode to get the most of the engine. Wish the gearbox allowed more aggressive manual downshifts via the paddles though. Anyway, quick as the GLS can be, it actually feels at its best when you adopt a relaxed driving style, especially with the engine-gearbox set to Comfort. The electronics keep the transmission in the highest possible ratio and correspondingly, engine at the lowest revs. What this equates to is minimal engine noise and a relaxing driving experience.

The GLS also rides reasonably well. The stock 20-inch tyres make light work of big potholes and the suspension goes about its business quietly. But there’s no getting around the air suspension’s firmness at low speeds. You can feel surface imperfections more than you would even in Merc’s smaller GLE. Comfort does work well for city use but at faster speeds you’d find the GLS far better tied down with the suspension in Sport mode. Sport also adds a bit more weight to the steering, but don’t expect the hulking GLS to change character at the touch of a button, or more aptly, the turn of the Dynamic Select dial. It’s a big, huge SUV that wants to be driven like a big, huge SUV. If you want a sharp handling seven- seater, this ain’t it. For average driving in town, you’d be happy enough in Comfort mode where the steering too is light and surprisingly easy to twirl. 

Slippery mode primes the electronics and other systems for scenarios such as ice while Off-road raises the ride height. There’s hill descent control too.