2015 Mercedes-Benz GL Class vs. Its Competition

Martin Padgett Editorial Director

While the GL wears a badge worthy of a little more cachet, some of its full-size SUV competitors offer three rows of seats and exceptional power to match their pricetags, too.

The Cadillac Escalade is new this year, with a completely restyled exterior and a thoroughly modern cabin.

While it offers plenty of new infotainment features, they're all driven through the CUE interface, which can be frustrating to use at times.

The Lincoln Navigator was once the popular kid in the class, but no longer.

However, it receives a twin-turbo V-6 engine of its own for 2015, no longer offering a V-8 option, and the rest of the vehicle gets a slight makeover as well.

The Infiniti QX80 is also more affordable than the competition, and it comes with legitimate luxury and off-road ability under polarizing sheet metal.

Finally, there's the Lexus LX 570, which essentially gets a little more leather than the Toyota Land Cruiser it is directly based on.

It's oversized in every dimension, but it's also the most rugged for off-pavement use in the group.