As far as crossovers go, your choices don’t get any bigger than the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class. It’s a true full-size family hauler with room for seven adults and whatever they want to bring along. Opt for the BlueTEC with its turbo-diesel V6 and you also get exceptional efficiency for something so grand in scale.
What's New for 2014
Buyers have two new options to consider: a split-view dash display and heated and cooled cupholders.
Choosing Your Mercedes-Benz GL350 BlueTEC
Like every GL-Cass, the BlueTEC boasts standard all-wheel drive, luxurious interior appointments and 94 cubic feet of cargo space. The BlueTEC wins the mileage sweepstakes with its turbo-diesel 3-liter V6, which delivers 22 mpg in combined city and highway driving. Horsepower is relatively modest at 240, but you a get a very healthy 455 pound-feet of torque. All models carry a self-leveling air suspension and seven-speed automatic transmission.
Befitting its comfort and luxury mission, the BlueTEC comes loaded with goodies: a sunroof, wood interior trim, a power-folding third row, heated power front seats in premium vinyl or leather, Bluetooth phone and audio, HD radio, power rear quarter windows, LED exterior lighting, a power liftgate and a review camera. A panoramic sunroof and heated second-row seats are available as standalone options.
Most remaining features are bundled into packages:
- Premium: Adds power-folding and auto-dimming side mirrors, illuminated front door sills, heated and cooled cupholders, additional power functions plus memory for the driver seat, ambient interior lighting, a power telescoping steering wheel, voice controls, navigation, satellite radio and 10 gigs of audio storage.
- Lighting: Equips the BlueTEC with full LED headlights and automatic high-beam control.
- Parking Assist: Includes a surround-view camera, front and rear parking sensors, and an automated parallel parking system.
- Lane Tracking: Adds active blind-spot and lane-keeping assists.
- Driver Assistance: In addition to the above, you get adaptive cruise control with steering assist, cross-traffic assist, pedestrian detection and a collision mitigation system.
Choose Your Mercedes-Benz GL350 BlueTEC >>
As you might expect, the GL350 BlueTEC isn’t as quick as your average luxury crossover, but its fuel efficiency is downright stellar for such a large and capable vehicle. We’re willing to bet that most buyers will be perfectly happy with the tradeoff.