14 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 24 APRIL 2 019
HIGHLANDER GETS HYBRID UPGRADE
The fourth-generation Toyota Highlander receives
the same hybrid powertrain as the RAV4 as well
as bold new looks and uprated infotainment. The
large, three-row SUV, which isn’t set for the UK,
is built on Toyota’s TNGA global platform.
NISSAN MARKS GT-R’S HALF-CENTURY
Nissan’s retro-inspired GT-R 50th Anniversary
edition features new turbochargers that the
maker says improves low-rpm response and
ef fi ci e n c y, m o r e a g g r e s s i ve d ow n s h i f t s th a n k s
to a revised ’box and tweaked suspension.
T
he new, third-generation
Mercedes-Benz GLS has
been re-engineered in an
a t te m p t to g i ve i t a n e d g e
ove r r i va l s su c h a s th e B M W X 7
and Range Rover.
Along with the standardm o d e l , u nve i l e d a t th e N ew
York motor show, the new
seven-seater is planned
to spawn a luxurious
Maybach-badged variant
aimed directly at the Bentley
Bentayga in the upper echelons
of the SUV market.
Styled similarly to the
GLE alongside which it is
produced at Mercedes-Benz’s
Tuscaloosa plant in theUS, the new GLS adopts an
evolutionary appearance that
is less boxy than the second-
generation model it replaces.
A series of new aerodynamic
refinements is claimed to
provide the new model with
a drag co-efficient of 0.
and what Mercedes-Benz
design boss Gorden Wagener
describes as “dramatically
reduced wind noise at speed”.
This compares with theprevious GLS’s 0.35.
At 5207mm in length
a n d 1 9 5 6 m m i n w i d th , th e
2019-model-year GLS is
77mm longer and 22mm
wider than its predecessor.
This makes it a considerable
277mm longer than the GLE
and 56mm longer (yet 44mm
narrower) than the X7.
The GLS is based on
Mercedes-Benz’s Modular HighArchitecture platform, as used
by the latest GLE. The MHA
platform is heavily related to
the Modular Rear Architecture
platform that underpins
the C-Class, E-Class and
S-Class. However, it receives a
number of unique engineering
measures to gain the necessary
high ground clearance.
The interior of the GLS,
like the exterior, has been
thoroughly redesigned. As
with the new GLE, it adopts two
12.3in digital displays for the
instruments and infotainment
system, a multi-function
steering wheel with touchpads
within the upper spokes and
a touchpad within the centre
console that replaces the
rotary dial of the outgoing GLS.
The infotainment system
adopts Mercedes-Benz’s new
MBUX interface that supports
touchscreen control as well
Merc GLS sets up X7 showdown
Exterior and interior overhaul for Benz’s longer, leaner next-generation flagship SUV
High-tech cabin
features two 12.3indigital displays
OFFICIAL PICTURES
NEW YORK MOTOR SHOW