2024 Mercedes-AMG GLS63 Full Size SUV Is A Posh Family Truck

2024 Mercedes-AMG GLS63 Full Size SUV Is A Posh Family Truck


  • The 2024 Mercedes-AMG GLS63 4Matic is a convertible seven-seat SUV, serving up 603 hp courtesy of a 4.0-liter biturbo V8 paired with a 48-volt hybrid setup.
  • The GLS63 is a luxury cruiser with impressive technology inside and certainly feels better on the highway than it does in the city, although it’s flexible enough in suburban settings.
  • With a starting price of $146,900, the 2024 GLS63 4Matic (optioned $155,200 as seen in these photos) is a complete and luxurious land yacht, ready for long interstate vacation blasts, especially if fuel economy is a concern.

The Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class has been around long enough to make a claim for its luxury driving style. The GLS-Class started when the Range Rover was its only European competitor, almost 20 years ago, and over the years the formula hasn’t changed much, although the GLS-Class has now been improved to some extent. and the redesigned G-Class.

But the boxy and one-time Spartan G-Class remains a different offering, not really aimed at long-distance trips with six or seven people.

That’s the focus of the GLS-Class still, though you’ll often see it on shorter journeys, such as on the way to drop off a private school.

But even among the various versions of the GLS-Class there are different levels of performance and luxury. At the bottom of the range we have the diesel version, not available stateside but certainly popular enough in Europe.

And at the top end we have the Mercedes-AMG GLS63 4Matic, which can easily be optioned for twice the cost of the base version in Europe.

The GLS63 remains a niche and unique offering at a time when hybrids and EVs are approaching this elite segment. And its biturbo V8 certainly reminds us of the time when AMG was a sound changer in the 1990s when, together with Brabus, it was stuffing the biggest V8 it could find in everything made by Mercedes-Benz.

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The cabin of the GLS63 is very comfortable, with an intuitive infotainment layout that doesn’t overwhelm or distract.

As for the GLS63, it’s “just” a 4.0-liter V8 these days, but aided by turbocharging and a 48-volt hybrid setup, it produces 603 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque.

But it currently doesn’t have a direct competitor among EVs, and won’t have one for a while. Even Mercedes’ EQS SUV is a unique machine, aimed at a different use and a different buyer, who won’t be taking six more passengers on a road trip anytime soon.

The GLS63 will do just that, with a bass sound and range that the EQS SUV can’t match.

But is the GLS63 worth the hefty price premium over the base GLS-Class, or is it worth it the other two Well-chosen SUVs from Mercedes?

We had a chance to test the 2024 GLS63 4Matic for several hundred miles on city roads and rural areas alike, and were impressed with its ability to resist fatigue on long trips, even after hours of driving. on large 23-inch wheels.

That’s more thanks to the seats and the height-adjustable suspension instead of the biturbo V8 below, but the V8 certainly allows one to take advantage of the excess when cruising at high speeds, making this a great way to eat up hundreds of miles in a day when It delivers 18 mpg on the highway (if you take it easy on the gas).

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With seven seats, the GLS63 offers plenty of power for long weekend drives, especially if fuel economy isn’t a concern.

Big wheels in this day and age seem necessary in this price range, but we’re not sure they do the ride any favors on a typical American urban road. We didn’t hear any metal explosions driving over a suburban road that hadn’t seen a patch since the Clinton administration, but there wasn’t much rubber placed on those 23-inch rims.

Unlike other cars in its class, the Sport and Sport+ modes change the performance in a noticeable way, without resorting to making the exhaust louder and the gears shift more aggressively.

For quiet highway cruising, the 603-hp GLS63 has more than enough power on tap even in Comfort mode, but it becomes a more focused machine in Sport Mode, feeling like a smaller and lighter SUV.

When pressed to mimic a sports sedan, the GLS63 can hide its considerable weight, but despite a 3.6-second sprint from 0 to 60 mph it can’t quite hide it. all of them his in the corner. So, this remains the largest 44-gun frigate that can be impressive with straight-line acceleration, plus braking, but it’s not compact enough to be asked to do more.

Sport+ mode does its best to enhance its feel, but it’s worth remembering that you’re in a heavy car with three rows of seats.

The interior of the GLS63 is just this side of baroque, unlike BMW’s more abstract, angular theme found in its X7 mega-yacht, but it suits the AMG model well, with ergonomic seats and suede surfaces quickly making sense. in the car and. this kind of price tag.

We haven’t seen anything that comes close to the GLS-Class’ level of luxury, comfort, space or refinement.

The plastic steering column shifter, which looked flimsy when it debuted, has become standard across the range recently—with Mercedes choosing not to break something that isn’t broken—with a drive mode dial attached to the steering wheel, complete with its own small display screen. , also known over time.

Twin 12.3-inch screens in the cabin have become commonplace in the top models offered by Mercedes, but the automaker has also kept physical buttons under the air vents, so not everything is hidden in a complicated menu. The touchpad on the center console doubles as a control for the infotainment screen, and is flanked by more buttons to quickly call up the map or radio controls.

The Mercedes voice assistant is capable of taking instructions for changing the radio channel and adjusting the interior temperature, although more complex instructions about the route are not currently available.

On the trim front, Mercedes hasn’t followed other automakers down the Piano Black route, which keeps the interior from looking greasy, with premium metallic switches and buttons helping to keep everything fingerprint-free. It’s an interior that those familiar with 1990s Benzes can appreciate.

The middle-row seats, meanwhile, are very similar to first-class airline seats, especially when reclined, while also leaving little legroom for rear-row passengers.

The third row of seats is generous, as far as these things go, but it takes a few seconds for the second row of seats to slide forward to allow ingress and egress.

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The third row of seats is completely real and can be used, unlike in some SUVs just below this.

Affalterbach’s car is probably one of the last cars of its generation, just before everything went electric, with some kind of big battery and a comparable (if not higher) six-figure price tag.

The era is already upon us, in some ways, but so far we haven’t seen anything approaching the GLS-Class’ level of luxury, space, passenger comfort, range, or refinement, with Mercedes itself designing the EQS electric SUV to offer a very different experience.

There’s no substitute for shifting, as the old saying goes, and the GLS63 proves to be a more user-friendly and complete machine than a similarly priced Range Rover at the moment.

The GLS63 throws everything with the kitchen sink while offering everyday utility, as amazing as it sounds for something with a biturbo V8 with 603 hp on tap, and a starting price of $146,900.

The closest alternative, if you’re in the mood to save money and buy an A-Class tender with cash to spare, is the non-AMG Mercedes GLS, which starts at $88,150 these days.

Most likely, if you are looking at cars like this, you can probably affordable either, with the AMG model providing that extra oomph without looking overly cool or using complicated designs to attract traffic.

If you had this amount to spend, would you rather have two GLE-Class SUVs or one of these? Let us know in the comments below.

Headshot by Jay Ramey

Jay Ramey grew up around the incredible European cars, and instead of looking for something reliable and comfortable for his personal use he has been drawn to the more interesting side of the reliability spectrum. Despite being obsessed with French cars for the past decade, he has somehow managed to avoid owning a Citroën, judging them too ordinary, and is currently looking at cars from the former Czechoslovakia. Jay has been with Autoweek since 2013.