2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS Engine & Performance

The new Mercedes GLS comes with two six cylinder engine options. One is the GLS400d that gets a 3.0 litre straight six diesel engine that develops 330 hp and 700 Nm of torque and the GLS450 that comes with a 3.0 straight six turbo petrol engine putting out 367 hp and 500 Nm of torque. This engine comes with a 48v mild hybrid system that gives an EQ boost (electric boost) of 22 hp and 250 Nm under flat out acceleration. And the GLS450 is the one you see in these pictures. Straight up, the refinement of the engine will leave you dumb founded. Press the Start button and you don’t even come to know that it has switched on. It is incredibly quiet at idle too. And that continues when you get down to driving as well. This thing might be a giant but boy is it quick. Acceleration is super smooth and you do feel the EQ boost coming in when you push the pedal harder. There is no hint of lag at all. The 9 speed automatic has seamless shifts and when you do a kickdown, I love the way the GLS squats down and the bonnet rises before it shoots forward. These kind of engines make you fall in love with petrol power all over again. What I sorely missed though was a Sport mode. That would have made things even more fun. The three drive modes comprise of Eco, Comfort and Off-Road.

2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS Ride & Handling

The ride quality is plush as expected but sharper bumps do make themselves felt at lower speed thanks to those massive wheels. But no complaints otherwise. About the handling, well it’s a big SUV and obviously, there is a lot of body roll. Its better off being driven around corners at a leisurely pace. It fantastic to cruise on the highway though. It’s like you are floating on the tarmac. Very stable and planted. I did drive it through some narrow roads in Vasai when we went there on the shoot. But I was surprised how easy it was to manoeuvre with its light steering making it a breeze. And then because of the size, others give way too.