Mercedes GLS

Settle into the GLS and the first thing you notice is quiet — doors close with a bank-vault thud, and the cabin seals off the outside world like it was never invited. Leather runs deep across three rows, the switchgear carries real weight under your fingers, and the second-row captain's chairs recline far enough that a four-hour drive feels like an afternoon in a private lounge. Every surface answers to touch the way it should at this price: cool metal, soft trim, nothing hollow or borrowed from a lesser model in the range.

Engine & Performance

Under that composure sits a 3.0-litre inline-six turbo with mild hybrid assistance, paired to a 9G-TRONIC transmission that shifts so cleanly you'd swear the car was reading the road ahead rather than reacting to it. Power arrives without drama — a steady shove forward, not a jolt — and the GLS carries its considerable weight with the kind of ease that makes seven passengers and a trunk full of luggage feel incidental. Built for the entourage, the airport run, the cross-country haul, all handled with the same unbothered composure.

Nothing about the GLS rushes. It simply arrives, and everyone inside arrives comfortable, unruffled, and ready for whatever the day demands next.