STYLING | 9 out of 10
Expert Quotes:
The side profile now has a small kink near the C-pillar that makes the rear seem a bit less bulky (the SUV’s actual dimensions have grown ever so slightly).
Automobile
French-stitched leather, and wood trim are standard.
Car and Driver
The 2013 Mercedes-Benz GL is also handsome for a big SUV, and though the styling changes don't break new ground, the attention to detail, including now-inevitable LED lighting trim, helps give it a surprisingly muscular appearance for a vehicle that is expected to be popular with soccer moms.
Edmunds
With a tall, frameless rear window, the model can't help but look monolithic.
Autoblog
While Cadillac encrusts the Escalade in layers of glitz, and Infiniti starts to veer down that path, the Mercedes-Benz GL is happy to stick with tradition. A curve's been added here or there, but the 2013 GL ute is still the traditional piece it was all through the last few years, and that's the right place for it to be.
The Benz ultimate-luxury SUV has softened up its act a bit. It's still subdued, and quite angular, but especially on the front end, the GL's grown more assertive. The grille is more pronounced, and the glass area now tapers upward at the rear. LED lighting laces across both the front and rear ends. It's just as rugged as before, but maybe a degree or two less boxlike. Spotters will be able to tell the GL 350 and GL 450 from the GL 550 from the flared wheel arches, sill plates, and 21-inch wheels. GL550s also get twin exhaust pipes, but so do some of the lesser V-8 models--so be warned.
Inside, the GL reconfigures the look of the prior version into a neater order, while packaging in some new features. Most like the Infiniti, the GL has a matte-finish glow here too that avoids the blingy excesses. There's a standard seven-inch screen on the dash for infotainment, and the knob controller on its console runs those features through the COMAND operating system. Wood trim and leather upholstery warm up the cabin, and a range of optional upgraded trims change out eucalyptus or burl walnut for more exotic touches like olive ash wood and perforated designo leather.
Conclusion
It's an ultimate luxury suv, but the Mercedes-Benz GL Class doesn't go down the blingy, trendy trail carved by some other sport-utes.
