046 JULY 2019 →TOPGEAR.COM
America. A countr y as big as a continent. A countr y where
people have a warped idea of portions and sizes. A countr y
where a mug of coffee is large enough to keep a small town
awake for a couple of days and a portion of fries can keep a
person fed for a week. Things work very differently in the
US of A as compared to the rest of the world.
The road that I’m driving this spanking new SUV
down in, gives me ample time to think about the car and
the country in which it’s produced. And that’s because
I’m headed to the Bonneville Speedway, which, well, is
situated in the middle of nowhere. And the road to get
there involves me driving on an arrow-straight road for
160 km. 160 km! It’s got nothing around except for salt
flats and rocky mountains. And on that particular day on a
summer morning, it looked nothing short of stunning.
Speaking about stunning things, let me introduce you
to the new Mercedes-Benz GLS. The image of a GLS that
pops up in your mind until you see this is a big, brawny
SUV that’s ready to eat up anything that comes in front of
it. But this time, Merc has gone in for a more sophisticated
look where there are nice curves and creases running
the length of the car. Merc has found that right balance
between being curvy and having great road presence. It’s
all been done so well that it masks the humungous size of
the car, yet makes it noticeable in the sea of SUVs. It isn’t
like the Audi Q 7 that can be mistaken as a large van and
has the right amount of muscle to be distinguished as an
SUV. There’s a distinct modern Merc look in its face and
the same can be said about the tail-lamps. The rear is a bit
simple, but the understated look does work in its favour.‘YOU’D IMAGINE
A GLS TO BE A
BIG, BRAWNY SUV.
UNTIL YOU SEE IT,
THAT IS’
The understated thing, though, gets over with the
exterior styling. Once you step inside, it’s all properly
trendsetting. S-Class trendsetting. You’re greeted by
an extra-large touchscreen in the middle of the dash.
That screen that I’m talking about is almost as big as the
television set you had in your living room a few years
back. And not to mention that it’s operated by touch and
with a geeky-looking control panel that sits on the centre
console. Things are as techy in the back as they are in
the front. You can have your GLS with an entertainment
screen fixed to the back of the driver and the passenger’s
seat. It goes without saying that there’s oodles of space in
the middle row. Merc has ditched the bench and gone in
for captain seats that provide you with all sorts of comf y
things as your couch. The third row, too, is decently
spacious and can fit in two adults. Overall, on the inside,
the GLS is a great place to be in and justifies the ‘S’ in its
name rather well.
In terms of kit, the GLS is brimmed to the top and
brings in almost ever y toy that has been invented in
the world of automobiles. There’s head-up display, a
navigation system that uses AI to make sure you don’t
miss a turn and tonnes of other gadgetry that will keep
the fussiest of the lot happy.
Mercedes hasn’t given the tech only to keep you
comfortable, it’s also offering you tech to keep you
going, no matter what the terrain has to throw at it. It’s
got driving modes, low-range transfer case, adaptive
suspension and things like a centre diff lock that never
existed in a German luxury SUV before. All you have to
do to cross a mountain or wade through a river is press a
couple of buttons and it’ll be all set to take you through.
On the road, the GLS makes you feel as if you’re a
lean athlete and not a heavyweight champ. It’s quick on
its feet and the computers onboard analyse hundreds of
things to keep things tidy and flat. Like the GLE, it’s got
its eyes on the cur ves that are coming up and is capable