We have been reporting on the arrival of the next generation Mercedes-Benz GLS for ages and honestly, we still can’t tell you exactly when it will debut. Our money is on it making its first official appearance at the Los Angeles auto show in November, so let’s see. In the meantime, it has again been spotted testing Stateside.
The GLS, which will rival machines such as the Range Rover and the still-testing BMW X7, looks large enough to fill its family hauling purpose. Nevertheless, the heavy cladding and tons of camouflage on the prototype shouldn’t trick anyone into believing that the full-size SUV will be anything other than a stylish proposal.
Underneath the skin is Mercedes’s new MHA platform, which is set to bring improvements on multiple fronts. For one thing, the architecture achieves noticeable weight saving, while its intelligent packaging means that the passengers using the third row of seats should enjoy proper accommodation.
As we have previously reported, the platform will also allow the new model to deliver hybrid powertrains, while new inline-six motors are set to become the norm. Of course, there will also be Mercedes-AMG and non-Affalterbach V8 powerplants, with the first set to be offered in two output versions, as with the rest of the automaker’s "63" models.
The rumour mill also talks of the new GLS getting a similar Mercedes-Maybach treatment as that offered for the S-Class. The resulting machine will be a competitor for the Range Rover SV Autobiography LWB and the Bentley Bentayga. – BD Motor News
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