Mercedes-Benz GL-Class 500 5dr Car Review - February 2012

The GL's 5.5 litre V8 engine delivers an impressive 382bhp and propels the car from 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 149mph. If you take in to account the weight and size of the GL, the top speed and acceleration speeds are incredible.

This is a big car. No that’s an understatement, it’s a huge car, making it quite difficult to drive on UK roads, especially around town. The car does come with parking sensors, so despite its size, parking shouldn’t be too difficult, however finding a space big enough might be tricky. Despite the fact the GL takes up most of the road, its size and weight don’t stop it making decent progress. It has great levels of grip due to the four wheel drive, great driver feedback through the steering wheel and good body control. The standard electronically controlled air suspension means that the ride is comfortable and there is very little road noise.

It’s obvious from the moment you look at the GL that it means business, and the large two-bar chrome grille with dinner plate-sized Mercedes-Benz logo dominates the front end. There are also trendy LED daytime running lights inset into the bumper.

The interior of the GL is very luxurious and there is no shortage of electrically assisted controls. Swathes of chrome and leather make for a classy design. The upholstered bars that attach the armrest to the dashboard look neat and very stylish and the well ordered dashboard looks very sleek. The controls are nicely laid out on the dashboard and are easy to read when driving during the day and at night. A foot-operated park brake and column-mounted gear selector both free up extra space on the large console between the front seats.

You get loads of standard equipment including electronic air suspension, electric and heated mirrors, electric tailgate, parking sensors front and rear, front fog lights, rain sensor and roof rails, panoramic roof, electric windows, heated front seats, climate control, 19-inch alloy wheels, Bluetooth hands-free connectivity, sat-nav, leather upholstery and xenon headlights.

The car looks huge from the outside, and it doesn’t disappoint when it comes to space inside. The three rows all have a great amount of both leg and head room. Access to the seats at the very back is a bit tricky due to the way the middle seats fold down. With all the chairs in use the boot is a bit on the small side holding only 300 litres. But when you fold the seats down you get a huge 2300 litres which is enough to equal that of a small van. The seats are very comfy and come with unlimited adjustments thanks to electric controls. The GL is capable of towing 3,500kg.

Mercedes' reputation for quality is unrivalled. The GL is well built and quality materials have been used throughout.

The GL hasn't been crash tested by EuroNCAP as of yet, however the car's size means that it should get the full five stars. You also get an impressive amount of safety equipment included as standard: driver, passenger, side and head airbags (rear side airbags are resigned to the options list), electronic stability programme, traction control, four-wheel-drive and trailer stability assist, and Isofix child seat safety fasteners for the rear seats. A pre-safe system that anticipates a crash is also fitted, and there's the option of a blind spot assist system, as well as tyre pressure monitors.

You can’t buy a car of this size and expect it to be cheap to run. CO2 emissions are a whopping 317g/km putting it in tax band M, and it returns 20.8mpg. Insurance is sure to be quite expensive too with the GL 500 in the top group 50.

The purchase price of £72,525 sounds unreasonably high but it is actually relatively competitive - the V8 Range Rover costs 14 grand more and doesn't seat seven people. However, while the GL should depreciate slowly, the Rangey should hold on to even more of its value.