The Sport Utility Vehicle started gaining popularity in the early 90s and now more and more people have started preferring this kind of vehicle over others, due to the luxury, convenience and class it provides. Are you planning on purchasing an SUV? If so, just hold that thought and take a look at the best SUV 2014, the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class.
Reviewing Mercedes-Benz GL Class – The Best SUV Of 2014
Quick Review
The Mercedes-Benz GL-Class is the largest and most luxurious vehicle of 2014. The vehicle is available for $63,000 and with its spacious interior, wide range of power-trains, and rugged looks has earned its title of the best SUV of 2014. The vehicle comes in four configurations, namely GL350 Blue-TEC 4MATIC, GL450 4MATIC, GL550 4MATIC, and GL63 AMG 4MATIC, each with a higher price tag, more luxurious features, and a larger powerful engine.
Under the Hood
The base model comes equipped with an intercooled turbo diesel V6, 3.0 liter engine that is capable of generating an impressive torque of 406 lb-ft and horsepower of 240. Engine specifications and price of other configurations are listed below:
- GL450 4MATIC – This configuration has a price tag of $64,550 and comes equipped with a 4.6 liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine that has an horsepower of 362 and torque of 455 lb-ft.
- GL550 4MATIC – The GL550 is available for$88,600 and has an even larger engine that generates 429 horsepower and 516 lb-ft torque.
- GL63 AMG 4MATIC – This configuration has the highest price tag of all luxury SUVs and is available for $118,160 and comes equipped with a 5.5 liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine that delivers 516 lb-ft torque and 550 horsepower.
All configurations have a 7G-Tronic Plus 7-Speed Automatic transmission. The drive is smooth, quiet and confidence-inspiring. All models have been engineered to be comfortable rather than sporty, but the vehicle comes with a ‘sports’ mode option that firms up the steering wheel for sharp turns, making cornering incredibly easy.
Of course the turbocharged V6 and V8 engines deliver better performance, nevertheless even the Blue-TEC doesn’t fail to impress and generates quite enough horsepower and torque to go travel off-roads. The Mercedes-Benz GL-Class is in fact most appreciated for its ability to deal with slippery surfaces, due to its good traction with the road and exceptionally good engine performance.
Exterior
While some vehicle brands run the roads with extra chrome, the best rated SUV 2014 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class remains comfortable with its good old tough SUV styling. There are a few noticeable curves here and there, but the vehicle still remains as impressive as it was before. The front end is a little different than its predecessors and gives a more ‘mean machine’ kind of a look.
There’s LED lighting at the rear and front, and the grille of the vehicle is more prominent. The curves do make the vehicle look less boxy than its previous models. Nevertheless, the vehicle still pulls off its successful rugged look. The only noticeable difference between all four configurations is that each model flares its own set of larger rims and tires.
Interior
In terms of interior styling, there’s nothing much you can say other than simply luxurious and comfortable. The 2014 model of the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class is entirely reconfigured from the interior and has a rather neater look as compared to previous models. All configurations have a matte-finish glow and there’s a standard seven-inch screen on the dash for infotainment.
The upholstery isn’t hand stitched, but is made out of the highest quality of leather allowing the cabin to warm up. Other configurations come with more exotic touches of perforated design leather and olive ash wood, along with wood trims.
Comfort and Quality
When compared to the previous models of the GL-Class, the 2014 model is slightly larger and is more space-efficient. It is the perfect family vehicle and can seat up to 8 passengers easily, due to its larger and easier to climb third row. The front seats are also very excellent, comfort and quality wise, and are perfect for long road trips. All configurations have split 50/50 seats in their third-row that have power-fold ability.
Safety
The 2014 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class is a safety-tech beast, giving the brand much more to add to its reputation for safety and their best SUV’s 2014. Safety features of all configurations include night vision, 360-degrees camera that adapts its display accordingly in parking ways to eliminate blind spots, auto-parking, cross traffic-alerts, front knee bags, side curtain bags, stability control, traction control, collision prevention assist.
The camera is used along with all safety systems to detect a drowsy or fatigued driver and all models also have a crosswind stabilization feature that works with the stability control to assist with braking and cutting down steering effort while corning. The crash test ratings of NHTSA and IIHS aren’t here yet, because no one would like crashing such a high price vehicle. Nevertheless, the GL-Class was able to earn the status of the Top Safety Pick from IIHS.
Features
Since the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class is a large luxury vehicle, you can expect a long list of elegant features:
Standard
The standard features include heated front seats, seven inch HD screen, 6-disc CD/DVD changer, rearview camera, power-folding third-row seats, sunroof, power tailgate, dual-climate control, Bluetooth Audio Streaming, tilt/telescopic steering, auto-dimming mirrors, satellite radio and navigation.
Optional
Extra features that come for an additional price are in the form of packages and stand-alone options. The package that includes soft-close doors, a premium kardon sound system is for $6000. Other packages that include heated wood and leather steering wheels are just a few hundred dollars more. Additional stand-alone options include 6-mode drive selector, 3-zone climate control, night-vision assist system, and 2-speed transfer case.
All in all, the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class is in our view the best SUV 2014. Not to mention it is surely one luxurious, comfortable, high-tech SUV that will definitely blow your mind away when you travel in it
