The 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLS is a large 3-row luxury SUV offered in four main trim levels: GLS 450 and Maybach GLS 600. The GLS ranks among the most powerful and most expensive premium SUVs available today when equipped in the top trim trims.
Rivals to the GLS range include the BMW X7, Bentley Bentayga, Audi Q8, Porsche Cayenne, and Land Rover Range Rover.
All-wheel drive is standard on every GLS, and horsepower is provided by a range of turbocharged inline-6 and V8 engines, all of which are coupled to a 9-speed automatic. The entry-level GLS 480 might be the least expensive version, though its 362-hp turbocharged 6-cylinder is more than up to the task of getting this SUV down the road.
According to Mercedes, the GLS 480 needs only 5.9 seconds to accelerate from zero to 60 mph.
The GLS is much more than a way to streak down the road with up to seven people on board, of course. Given this is Mercedes’ top-of-the-line SUV, the GLS range comes with a long lineup of standard comfort, tech, and safety features. A model such as the Maybach 600 has nearly unprecedented levels of luxury trimmings, which is expected given this SUV’s towering price of more than $160,000.
Let’s see what each trim level of the 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLS has to offer.
2022 Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 (starting at $77,850)
The 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 4Matic is still fresh from a redesign for the 2020 model year, so changes are limited to minor color and trim reshuffling. There is seating for up to seven people onboard the GLS, except for the 4-5-passenger iterations offered by the opulent Maybach trim.
The driver is greeted by a wide swath of Mercedes’ latest touch-screen technology. A 12.3-inch digital gauge display is positioned directly alongside an identically sized 12.3-inch infotainment screen. This system provides some stunning graphics and is quick to respond to inputs, though navigating the layers of menus and options does take practice.
This system comes standard with wireless device charging and is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There’s a total of 8 USB outlets scattered throughout the cabin, which should limit any potential in-car bickering over who needs access to a recharge.
Dual captain’s chairs in the second row are available, and the third-row seats are usable by average-size adults, something that’s not always a given in every 3-row SUV, no matter if it wears a luxury label or not.
Keeping occupants cool and comfortable, synthetic leather seating is standard, as are heated and ventilated front seats, quad-zone climate control, and a sunroof. Stand-alone cabin upgrades include a heated steering wheel, real leather seating surfaces, heated second and third-row seats, soft-close doors, 5-zone climate control, a wood and leather steering wheel, and a variety of wood and metallic trims for the dashboard and door panels.
Safety is also considered, with a wide roster of active safety items included in every version of the GLS. Standard features include automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, driver drowsiness monitoring, safe exit warning, surround-view camera, parallel-parking assistance, and crosswind mitigation system.
More safety items are grouped into the Driver Assistance Package PLUS, which costs approximately $1,900. This includes more than a dozen added safety features, including active steering assist, active lane change assist, and active blind-spot assist, to name just a few.
A Class IV trailer hitch is also optional if you plan on putting your GLS to work. When properly equipped, the GLS has a maximum towing capacity of 7,700 pounds.
At the time of writing, Mercedes-Benz had not formally announced exact pricing on its 2022 models. The figures here are based on the outgoing 2021 model year, minus the destination fee.
Using the starting price of the 2022 GLS 450 plus a destination fee of $1,050, a luxury SUV shopper financing for 60 months at a 3% interest rate with no money down at signing will pay about $1,418 monthly. See 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 models for sale
2022 Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 includes:
- Power – A 362-hp inline-6 provides more than enough power for most luxury SUV shoppers.
- Safety – Every version of the GLS comes with a long lineup of standard active safety features.
- Space– All three rows of seating are usable by adults. A GLS can even be optioned with heated seats in the second and third row, too.
2022 Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 (starting at $160,500)
The 2022 Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 takes SUV luxury to dizzying heights and comes with nearly every available feature offered on the run-of-the-mill GLS models. This includes wireless device charging for the second row, heated and cooled second-row seating, a panoramic sunroof, heated and cooled cupholders, heated armrests, 26-speaker Burmester surround-sound audio system, and more.
The Maybach GLS 600 is also visually distinguished by an exterior featuring its own front grille design, along with copious amounts of metal mesh worked into the front of this imposing SUV.
Under the hood is a version of the same twin-turbo V8, though its 550 horsepower is tuned to be more genteel than the racier AMG model.
The Maybach GLS 600 is also the only version that jettisons the third-row seating and has a second row with room for two or three people, depending on the chosen configuration.
What’s life like at this stratum of the luxury SUV world? Options in the Maybach GLS 600 include silver champagne flute holders, a built-in refrigerator, and folding tables for second-row occupants. The only thing missing are wings and flight clearance to turn this into your own private jet with a Mercedes badge on the hood.
With its hefty entry fee of $160,500, plus a $1,050 destination fee, a Maybach GLS 600 financed for 60 months at 3% interest and with zero down at signing will cost about $2,903 per month. See 2022 Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 models for sale
2022 Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 includes:
- Private-jet-like cabin – The second-row becomes a pleasure palace complete with an optional refrigerator and champagne flute holders.
- Power – The twin-turbo V8 is engineered to be extremely powerful, though not as racy as the AMG variant.
- Loaded – We’re talking about comfort features, not the bank account of the Maybach GLS 600 owner. Everything you can add to a regular GLS is included here.
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