2016 MERCEDES-BENZ GL-CLASS GL 450 4MATIC SPORT UTILITY 4D

Presented by Olympic Auto Sales,

Atlanta’s premier Luxury Buy Here Pay Here Dealership.

The GL-Class has always been content with traditional-SUV styling, foregoing the glitz and chrome and of other luxury utility vehicles. The current styling language sticks to that theme, though it has enough curvature and angularity in the right spots to keep the look modern and rugged.

Like any respectable high-end people mover, the GL has LED lighting front and rear. The familiar Mercedes grille is pronounced, and the long profile of this three-row crossover enhances the wedge shape created by the side character lines. The overall effect is less boxy than the previous generation, but it's still just as rugged as ever. GL550s are differentiated from 350 and 450 models with their flared wheel arches and 21-inch wheels. And the AMG gets its own look, with big wheels and body-kit pieces.

The GL 'utes are some of the most composed full-size SUVs on the market, and the electric power steering and optional active anti-roll bars only help that. The steering feel on versions with smaller wheels and tires—19-inchers and under—doesn't feel too loose or light, but it's not overrun with feedback, either. The variable-ratio rack has different response at low speeds than it does at higher ones; the transition's much less obvious here than in some of Mercedes' smaller, lighter cars.

While its exterior projects a rugged look, the interior is why you buy a GL-Class. It's cavernous, comfortable, and almost as versatile as the people-hauling king, the minivan.

Folding down the seats opens up the GL's cargo space to cavernous proportions. With the third row up, it has a modest 16 cubic feet of space; with the third-row seats flipped forward, the GL has 49.4 cubic feet of storage space; and with the second row folded forward, it has 93.8 cubic feet of very useful cargo space. While the max space is immense, it's not quite as much as a full-size SUV or large crossover from GM.

Throughout the interior quality materials abound, with an upholstered dash, real wood trim, and soft-touch surfaces anywhere the hand may roam. Mercedes allows for a quite a bit of opulence, too, with such available features as heated and cooled cupholders, a heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated front seats, supple and attractive "designo" leather upholstery, and Harman Kardon or Bang & Olufsen sound systems.

*This vehicle is Certified Pre-Owned and is eligible for our third party warranty program.