Used 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLS

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class full-size SUV blends luxury appointments with space, grace, and pace, plus the ability to nullify rough terrain. The S in the name is no coincidence. The company’s S-Class is a top-flight sedan — bristling with tech, plushness, craftsmanship, ability, fine materials, and astonishing attention to detail. The GLS-Class matches those qualities while adding SUV elements and up to three rows of seating.

This is undoubtedly a brilliant machine with a breadth and depth of talents. It’s also deeply comfortable and has a great stereo as standard. For the well-off family taking regular trips to the mountains or the lakeside home, a GLS could be just the thing.

Now in its third generation, this iteration of GLS-Class debuted for the 2020 model year, so the tech is still state-of-the-art.

For a big vehicle, the 2022 GLS-Class feels nicely manageable behind the wheel. A standard air suspension complements the smooth inline-6 engine in the GLS 450. Put the drive mode selector into Comfort, and that archetypal Mercedes-Benz luxury ride eases in. Changing it to Sport on canyon roads brings its own brand of fun.

Add E-Active Body Control (see our Favorite Features) and/or a bigger engine, and matters get even better. With E-Active Body Control as standard, the ride quality of the Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 is extraordinary. This vehicle could drive over the nastiest concrete washboard freeway surfaces, and its occupants might feel they were gliding over freshly laid tarmac.

Not many people will steer away from roads and head into an unpaved wilderness with their expensive luxury full-size SUV. But if they did, the GLS-Class can still handle it.

Espresso Brown/Black leather upholstery is a new option this year. And although the standard upholstery in the GLS 450 is simulated leather, it’s still pretty good.

Calling the rest of the interior “pretty good” would be an understatement. After all, this is meant to be a luxury vehicle on a par with the legendary S-Class flagship sedan, but able to go off-road at the same time. So the cabin is similarly shiny, plush, and full of convenience features.

It comes standard as a 7-seater, with sufficient space for adults in all three rows. But buyers can choose — at no extra cost — a pair of captain’s chairs for the second row, reducing the occupant count to six.

Unless it’s the Maybach version, which ditches the third row to maximize 2nd-row legroom and installs chairs that are even more cosseting, with the option to make this full-size SUV a 4-seater.

The dashboard is predominantly a twin-screen/one-unit arrangement. They both measure 12.3 inches on the diagonal, with the left screen providing driver information and the right performing duty as the infotainment touchscreen.

In a regular, non-Maybach GLS, cargo space goes from 17.4 to 84.7 cubic feet. The Maybach GLS 600 has around 19 cubic feet, although it also offers the option of a custom-made luggage set for this area. If Maybach owners need to bring more stuff along, they could always employ another driver and a second vehicle.

The regular GLS 450 sports that generic Mercedes-Benz SUV look. Let’s assume it works for all the people who buy these versions. Cirrus Silver is a new paint color for 2022.

The Maybach GLS 600 offers 2-tone exterior color schemes while filling the wheel arches with exclusive and massive 22-inch alloys. It also has its own front-end treatment of chromed mesh-covered air inlets and a badge-free grille. That famed 3-pointed star stands proud on the hood, front and center.

MULTI-CONTOUR ACTIVE SEATS
Active, in this instance, means massaging. These seats are available for the first and second rows. The multi-contour aspect brings a high degree of adjustability to achieve the ideal position. The standard seats are absolutely fine, but these are wonderful for long journeys. Or just for indulgence’s sake, which is no bad thing.

E-ACTIVE BODY CONTROL
This is the future of adaptive suspensions. Well, actually the present for several high-class machines. This hydro-pneumatic setup manages to keep the body completely flat through quick corners, soak up the most heinous bumps in the road — a camera scans what’s just ahead, and the suspension adjusts itself accordingly — and helps enormously with traction in sand or over rocks.

Heated/ventilated front seats, quad-zone automatic climate control, 20-inch alloy wheels, and an enhanced alarm system with parking damage detection all become newly standard in the 2022 GLS 450.

There’s a lot of other standard kit in this model, like hands-free tailgate operation, keyless entry/ignition, dual 12.3-inch displays, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration, 64-color ambient lighting, and a 115-volt domestic-style outlet.

However, let’s look at some of the more interesting things — like an adaptive air suspension, self-parking feature with a 360-degree camera setup, Burmester surround-sound system, wireless charging, nine USB ports, plus an infotainment system that responds to natural voice commands and can act like an onboard concierge.

A Driver Assistance Plus package is now offered for the GLS 450 (see the Safety Technology section below for more details), costing about $2k. Powered rear side window shades also become a new individual option for the GLS 450.

Across the range, it’s easy to spend more on a new GLS. There are bigger engines, bigger wheels, an upgraded Burmester audio system, more gadgetry (the Magic Vision wipers have water jets in their blades; the navigation system is offered with augmented reality), gesture control, fine leather upholstery, soft-closing doors, heated 2nd-row and 3rd-row seats, heated steering wheel, heated armrests, cabin air fragrance system, head-up display, massaging front seats, and executive 2nd-row seating that can include heated/ventilated/massaging seats.

A lot of these features are already standard in the Maybach GLS 600, which also has a sliding panoramic sunroof and power-retractable running boards. The options for this particular model include folding tables, 3-tone Nappa leather upholstery, chiller compartment, and champagne flutes.

All engines in the 2022 GLS range benefit from a mild hybrid system — known as EQ Boost — that brings a smooth engine stop/restart function, enables a “coasting” function, runs some ancillaries like the water pump, and can power the adaptive air suspension (where it’s fitted). It also provides a brief bump in output of up to 21 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque.

A 9-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive (that’s the 4Matic part) are also part of every 2022 GLS-Class drivetrain.

The 2022 GLS 450 4Matic has a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6 (not a V). Output is 362 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. A twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 in the 2022 Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 4Matic generates 550 horsepower and 538 lb-ft of torque.

Premium gasoline is required throughout the range.

3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6 + EQ Boost (GLS 450)
362 horsepower @ 5,500-6,100 rpm
369 lb-ft of torque @ 1,600-4,500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 18/24 mpg

4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 (Maybach GLS 600)
550 horsepower @ 6,000-6,500 rpm
538 lb-ft of torque @ 2,500-4,500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 15/19 mpg