Motor Trend has declared the 2013 SUV's of the year; the
Mercedes-Benz GL. They held a week long test with 10 other SUV's. At the end of
the testing they had three cars in mind that they thought were winners : the
Mercedes GL, Ford Escape, and the Nissan Pathfinder. They knew that other SUV candidates were no match next to the Mercedes GL.
Yes, I know it’s a GL that won, we all know they are not cheap
cars. When they first came out the base price was already $55,675 and now half
a decade later the entry level GL is $63,305. So yes, it is kind of unfair
for the other competitors since the more
you pay the better stuff you get, right? But look at it this way, it is still a
full size seven passenger luxury SUV. The
GL just kills the rest in its class! GL being called best in class is just an
understatement in my opinion.
So the interior of both the GL 450 and GL550 is just
astonishing and leaves the rest of the SUV's in the dust. What is the price that
you are going to have to pay for that amazing interior? How about $4,000?
Mercedes is now starting to offer a non-glossy wood (open pore wood) interior. The wood
is like nothing you have ever seen, it looks like it was just freshly cut from
a tree and put straight into the GL.
Mercedes has adopted the new 360 degree camera which had a
lot of people talking about and loved very much. The electric seats in the
middle row were a little slow but still convenient to have electric seats in
the back.
Now with the driving and handling, Motor Trend was very impressed on
how it took on the things they threw at the GL. Even though it weighs 5,774
pounds, it can handle on the road and still get decent gas mileage. Motor Trend
calls it “An absolutely amazing piece of machinery” and “ An ueber-smooth ride,
even in sport mode”
The 2012 Mercedes-Benz GL does have everything you need in a
SUV. So what were the criteria the the SUV's had to meet in order to be named the winner by Motor Trend? Performance of intended function, design advancement,
engineering excellence, efficiency, safety, and value. Mercedes met an astonishing five out of the
six criteria. The one criteria Mercedes didn't meet was value, but it just depends on the way you
look at it; Mercedes is way ahead in the GL then the other competitors.
info credited to motortrend
