The street wisdom concerning Range Rovers, for example, is that most owners’ idea of “off-road” is to park with two wheels on the sidewalk in Knightsbridge.
There was an element of truth in that when these same owners turned up to the Badminton Horse Trials in the UK and got themselves stuck in three inches of glutinous mud that a Morris Minor could negotiate.
This muddy embarrassment, however, was the fault of the driver not the very able car. Local farmers, for whom they were a standard work tool, loved them and frequently stuffed a couple of muddy sheep in the back for company on the way to market. Designed for the job, they were very practical vehicles and luxury came second to ability.
The point is, the rugged four-wheel vehicle has seen the market shift from rural to urban SUV markets, yet manufacturers followed the golden rule; you got the gold, you make the rule.
Hence the emergence of the rather splendid 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL range. Sure, it is off road capable — but not entirely. It was never designed to be and the market trend dictated the move. The GL-Class is a great luxury SUV for carrying your family around in style, but there are better choices if you want a serious off-roader.
It was neither truck-based nor designed as an off roader and is the biggest of Mercedes SUV range. A full seven-seater with lots of cargo room, it is a crossover vehicle that attempts to combine the best of both styles. The result is a very good tough SUV that gives excellent touring and long distance performance and enough for a short sojourn in the more amenable parts of the desert without damaging anything on the car and more importantly in it. Serious dune bashing? Perhaps not, but it was never intended for that.
In the manner of Mercedes it is very solidly built and gives a sense of complete safety and total control of the situation as you drive. Level of luxury depends on the trim option you choose. That surprisingly starts with cloth-covered seats and works upward. Any way you cut it, the GL-Class is a great family transporter for those who have no wish to sacrifice luxury for utility.
At the entry level it offers relatively few standard features for the money and it uses the fiddly COMAND audio/climate/navigation interface that is far from intuitive. In several days I never got to play a disc, despite following all the on-screen instructions. Life could be simpler.
The GL does come with Mercedes’ 4Matic all-wheel drive system, so commuting in Saudi conditions is ultra safe, even among the infamous fine sand drifts that occasionally sidle across main roads. Off road the drive took note of the all sand tracks and delivered the same feeling of precision and awareness.
Standard equipment includes powered and heated front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control and a power-folding third-row seat.
The GL450 test car is powered by a 4.7-liter V8 delivering 335 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque. Certainly powerful enough for any urban situation and touring, it has enough instant torque to accelerate the 5436kg curb weight vehicle out of most interesting traffic situations it might encounter. Neck snapping acceleration though it does not do.
The GL550 that features a 5.5-liter V8, which produces 382 hp and 391 lb-ft of torque, is distinctly smarter off the mark.
Power in all the GL-Class models feed through a deliciously smooth seven-speed automatic transmission with manual shift control. One wonders about the slightly anachronistic paddles. They are oddly a touch “sportif” in a car that is so decidedly not. Perhaps they are there to justify the “S” in SUV. All the GL class also comes with an air-adjustable suspension and full-time all-wheel drive.
Mercedes have become masters in delivering high quality and thus raised expectation of their customers such that they expect excellence to be delivered as standard. The GL450 does that in the company’s usual efficient way and the driving experience is excellent, but not exceptional. It does what it is designed to do very well indeed and at a high level of comfort and style.
In all, the GL450 is a car for the urban and occasional rustic excursion and a dream for long distance. It has a distinct road presence and delivers a drive experience of confidence, comfort and safety.
