2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS touches down in North America

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the GLS-Class facelift that will first go on sale in the USA in mid-September and only reach Europe in late October this year.

The design changes are minimal. The flagship SUV sports a new radiator grille whose pattern depends on your chosen trim level, a revised front bumper and modified taillight patterns, but that’s about all.

For the interior, buyers can now choose from a wider variety of fit-and-finish options. The infotainment system has been updated and now supports three main UI display modes, as well as a special mode called Off-Road. Engaging the latter provides you with useful real-time data such as the compass, wheel turn angles, roll angle, and more. There is also the ‘transparent hood’ option.

Opting for a pack called Offroad nets you additional bottom guards and an extra 30 mm (1.2 inches) of ground clearance. Driver assists on board make towing trailers easier than ever, the company claims.

The drive is on all four wheels in all configurations. All engines, including diesels, are now hybridized thanks to a small-time electric starter adding its own 20 PS (20 hp / 15 kW) and 200 Nm (148 lb-ft) of torque to the initial acceleration for all base models. For the high-end GLS 580 spec, the electric add-on ramps up the output to 22 PS (22 hp / 17 kW) and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft).

The entry-level petrol six-pot makes 381 PS (376 hp / 280 kW) and 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) of torque. The base diesel delivers 269 PS (265 hp / 198 kW) and 650 Nm (479 lb-ft). Choosing the more expensive diesel version gets you 367 PS (362 hp / 270 kW) and 750 Nm (553 lb-ft).

The GLS 580 now extracts a solid 517 PS (510 hp / 380 kW) from its four-liter twin-turbo V8 along with 730 Nm (538 lb-ft) of torque, a considerable improvement over the previous generation. This enables it to reach 97 km/h (60 mph) from standstill in 4.9 seconds, down from 5.3 seconds. The top speed is still capped at the usual 250 km/h (155 mph), but the base diesel spec cannot accelerate any higher than 238 km/h (148 mph).

Finally, the range-topping Mercedes-Maybach GLS utilizes the same tech as the GLS 580, but bolstered to 557 PS (550 hp / 410 kW). Its sprint time is the best in the lineup at 4.2 seconds, and the same as the AMG version. The new AMG version is superior in terms of raw performance with 612 PS (603 hp / 450 kW) and 850 Nm (627 lb-ft) and has a top speed of 280 km/h (174 mph) by default.

The production will take place in Tuscaloosa, Alabama for the U.S. market.