2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 Review: The S-Class of SUVs Returns to the Ring

Auto123 reviews the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 luxury SUV.

Such is the Mercedes-Benz nomenclature that some bits make sense, other less so.

Take the GLS 450 4MATIC, for example. The “450” in the name suggests the existence of a 4.5L six- or eight-cylinder engine. But the actual 450 actually gets a 3.0L 362 hp turbocharged straight-six. Go figure.

The “S” in “GLS”, however, makes more sense: like the S-Class in the Mercedes car lineup, the GLS sits atop the Benz crossover world; I say “crossover” because if I’d said “SUV” I would hear about it from readers coming at me with “what about the G-Class?” comments. That’s a body-on-frame truck more akin to SUVs, while the GLS is more sedan-like in its unibody build. So, like the GLE, the GLC, the GLB and the GLA, the GLS uses a sedan sibling as a jumping-off point.

Indeed, when I attended the launch of the GL predecessor a number of years ago, it was touted as “the S-Class of SUVs” by Mercedes itself. Which means there are big expectations for the GLS. After all: the S-Class continues to be the benchmark for full-size sedans-cum-limousines, so while it’s technically the smaller vehicle, the GLS still has some pretty big shoes to fill.

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