The next generation of the Mercedes GLS will be launched next year on a new platform, with new engines and a Maybach version. New prototypes of the future large SUV have now been filmed testing by Automedia.
As you can see from the video below, the new GLS is obviously embroidered with the most recent form of Mercedes’ design language and seems to grow in length. In terms of design, the Mercedes GLS seems to bet on a less powerful appearance.
http://automedia-online.com/Spy-Videos/Mercedes_GLS_AM7550.MP4
The new body is more stretched due to its lowered roof line. The front end should be similar to the new GLE. Of course, the car benefits from semi-autonomous tech that Mercedes-Benz has rolled out already on the S and E-Class.
The new MHA (Modular High Architecture) platform, which is reserved for the large SUV and crossover Mercedes models, provides the substructure for the new Mercedes GLS. With this new architecture the GLS loses significant weight with the model change. Of course it gains a lot of features, while the new packaging gives the occupants even more space.
MHA also creates new options on the drive side. The new inline-six-cylinder engines will come in diesel flavor with up to 340 hp and as gasoline with up to 460 hp, but will also spawn hybrid variants. The hybrid drive, which is known from the S 560 e, combines a 367 hp and 500 Nm three-liter V6 turbo engine with a 90 kW and 440 Nm electric motor. In addition, there is a 9-speed automatic gearbox, which integrates the converter, the clutch and the E-engine. In the S 560 e, this drive train provides a purely electrical range of around 50 kilometers. At the upper end of the range will again be AMG versions, which in this model generation rely on the tried and tested four-liter V8 biturbo and deliver up to 612 hp.
Once on the market in 2019, the GLS will rival not only a new generation Range Rover, but also a new rival from its own country, the BMW X7. As a new version of the GLS series, the new generation will also be presented in a particularly luxurious Maybach version – analogous to the Mercedes S-Class Maybach.
