2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS V8 4Matic Mild Hybrid Challenge

2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS V8 4Matic Mild Hybrid Challenge https://youtu.be/WTKd6v253Cw

The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class SUV is large and in charge. Making its debut at the New York Auto Show this week, Mercedes' largest SUV has been completely redesigned. And while it might not seem like too big of a departure from its predecessor at first blush, there's a ton of new luxury and tech features inside. And there's a brand-new engine under the hood.

The new GLS is only a little bit bigger than its forebear: three inches longer and an inch wider. The real gain comes in wheelbase, which is stretched by 2.3 inches for 2020, allowing for more legroom for second- and third-row passengers.

Overall, the 2020 model's design isn't a massive departure from the current SUV -- it looks more like an inflated GLE-Class than anything else. That's not a slight, by the way. The GLS has a handsome, understated design, with standard LED headlights and taillights. The base GLS450 comes with 19-inch wheels as standard, while the new GLS580 rolls on 21s. You can even spec the GLS580 with 23-inch wheels. Twenty-threes!
The onboard 48-volt battery means the 2020 GLS also gets Mercedes' new E-Active Body Control system, which first debuted on the new GLE. This not only helps to improve on-road handling, it can help you get out of sticky (well, sandy) situations off-road. Or, you know, just make the SUV dance.

E-ABC is just one of many technologies baked into the 2020 GLS package. All of Mercedes' latest and greatest stuff is here, including adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, active steering assist, emergency stop assist, lane-change assist, speed limit assist, route-based speed adaptation, blind-spot monitoring, car-to-X communication, a car wash mode and more. If it comes on the new S-Class, you can bet the GLS has it, as well.

More new tech is found inside, where the GLS gets Mercedes' MBUX infotainment system, housed on a pair of 12.3-inch screens. Embedded navigation is standard, as are Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, wireless phone charging and a Wi-Fi hotspot. MBUX ought to work as well here as it does in any other new Mercedes, with augmented reality navigation overlays and natural-speech voice control (which can be a little finicky sometimes).
The fullsize GLS comes with three rows of seats and Mercedes is offering a no-cost-option, six-passenger configuration with second-row captain's chairs. Up front, the GLS' interior design is reminiscent of what we see in the GLE, meaning it ought to be plenty comfortable and nicely appointed. The MBUX Interior Assistant gesture controls are available as an option, as are heated and cooled cup holders, active multicontour seats and that crazy Energizing Comfort system that'll play techno music to keep you alert if you wish.

Following its 2019 New York Auto Show debut, the 2020 GLS-Class will hit Mercedes showrooms "by the end of the year," according to the company's official statement. The current model starts at just over $70,000, and this much-nicer 2020 version ought to command several thousand dollars more than that. We'll have final pricing data and more information in the coming months.