Star-Telegram.com's view

Special to the Star-TelegramThe big, luxury sport utility vehicle is anything but dead, no matter what you might have heard.Rising gasoline prices really don’t have much effect on people who can afford high-end cars, and luxury SUV sales have been rising even as sales of large sport utilities in general have been dropping.

Therefore, it’s probably not much of a gamble for Mercedes-Benz to introduce yet another large SUV.

In this case, it’s the all-new GL-class, which in the U.S. market will be known as the GL450.

The “450” designation denotes the engine size, or almost: It comes with a 4.6-liter V-8 that cranks out 335 horsepower.

With seating for seven, the GL adds another rung on the Mercedes SUV ladder above the current M- and R-class models, but below the $81,000-$105,000 G-class. Unlike the body-on-frame G-class model, though, the new GL has a unibody format, in which body and frame are one unit.

The GL is similar in concept to the midsize M-class sport utility line, just larger — large enough to have seating for up to seven passengers. It even looks a lot like the M-class, and shares many components with both the M-class and the new Mercedes sport-tourer, the R-class wagon that was introduced for 2006.

Designed to compete in the high-end U.S. sport utility market, but perhaps not the top, the GL will be positioned against such current models as the full-size Lincoln Navigator, Cadillac Escalade, Lexus LX 470, and Range Rover Sport. No prices have been announced yet, but the GL’s competitors run into the $60,000s.

Some good news about the GL is that it will be built at Mercedes’ plant near Huntsville, Ala., along with the M- and R-class models. The more Mercedes’ dealers can sell, the better the employment outlook for the Alabama plant.

My take on the GL is that it was a necessity to give Mercedes a vehicle to compete against the full-size models that have sold well in the U.S. market — the Escalade and Navigator, as well as give some competition to the Lexus LX 470 and the Range Rover lines.

In recent years, consumers who would choose a Mercedes usually wouldn’t think of buying a Cadillac or Lincoln product, but without a full-size Mercedes SUV, the brand may have been losing some customers to the American luxury brands. The Escalade, for sure, has become the darling of two moneyed U.S. consumer groups — professional athletes and entertainers.

The G-class, known as the G-Wagen, has been only a niche player in the U.S. market. Based on a 20-year-old design, using the truck-style body-on-frame arrangement, the G-Wagen is aimed more at affluent off-road aficionados than the kind of consumers who would buy an Escalade, Navigator or LX 470.

Although it’s still a status symbol no matter how serious of an off-road vehicle it might be, the G-Wagen nevertheless suffers from a lack of refinement that the majority of upscale buyers prefer.

The GL-class, however, takes SUV refinement to a new level for Mercedes. It’s 200 inches long, which is two-and-a-half inches shorter than a standard-length 2007 Escalade, and seven-and-a-half inches shorter than the 2006 Navigator. The current Escalade ESV, though, runs 221.4 inches long.

Inside, the GL450 is quite roomy, however. Mercedes says that even third-row passengers have ample knee room, although I haven’t had the opportunity to sit in the GL-s third seat yet to judge for myself.

Because people drive most of the time with the third seat of their vans and SUVs empty, and choose to use that area instead for cargo, the GL450 comes with a power folding third seat that is divided so that either half or all of it can be folded away at the touch of a button to create a completely flat load floor behind the middle seat.

Although a V-6 diesel model will be sold in Europe, that one is not going to be available in the United States, at least for now. The only model we’ll get is the GL450, which goes on sale in April. The engine is connected to a new seven-speed automatic transmission, and it will have such standard mechanical and safety features as antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution, downhill speed regulation, stability control, and uphill assist.

Power front seats, automatic climate control, and a seriously off-road-capable four-wheel-drive system are part of the GL450’s package.

Side-curtain air bags will be standard for all three rows of seating, and side air bags will be standard in the front seats and optional in the middle row.

The GL also provides a front body structure designed to lessen the impact on pedestrians and cyclists that the vehicle might strike, Mercedes says.

The four-wheel-drive is Mercedes’ full-time 4Matic system that automatically adapts to any road conditions, and has a two-speed transfer case to allow for low-range driving in extreme off-road situations.

Other tech features include an air suspension, speed-sensitive power steering, and an adaptive damper system. For trailer-towing, the vehicle offers an electronic stabilization system that helps keep the trailer under control, even applying the brakes automatically if necessary.

Mercedes says the interior is offered with “man-made leather” seating trim. The GL450 should be more readily available than the G-Wagen, which is made in Europe and is available only in limited quantities in the U.S. market.

G-Wagen fans are probably relieved that Mercedes is continuing importation of those vehicles, at least for now. There was speculation that the G-Wagen would be discontinued once the GL arrived.

Known as the Gelaedewagen in Europe, and previously sold in the United States only by a Santa Fe, N.M., independent distributor, the G-wagens were added to Mercedes’ U.S. product lineup in 2002. When the G-Wagen was offered by the Santa Fe company, their numbers were even more limited than they are now, and their prices began at $130,000. When Mercedes decided to export the G-Wagen directly to its U.S. dealers, the price was cut nearly in half. But the vehicle still is quite pricey, and its boxy styling isn’t for everyone.

Handcrafted at a special factory in Graz, Austria, the G-Wagen is what Mercedes calls a “no compromise off-roader with a cliff-climbing, stump-pulling personality.” It can climb grades of up to 36 degrees.

The base G500, which is the official name for the G-Wagen in the United States, comes with a 292-horsepower V-8 engine, while the top-of-the-line G55 AMG model gets a 469-horsepower engine.

Its superior four-wheel-drive system has three locking differentials — front, center and rear — allow it to go just about anywhere that it will fit.

It comes fully loaded, with no factory options available.

Standard amenities include full leather interior with burl walnut trim, a wood-and-leather steering wheel, automatic climate control, power windows/door locks/mirrors, cruise control, heated seats (front and rear), 10-way power adjustable front seats with memory, GPS navigation system, high-end audio system with six-disc CD changer, and 18-inch alloy wheels.

– – –

G. Chambers Williams III is staff automotive columnist for the San Antonio Express-News and former transportation writer for the Star-Telegram. His automotive columns have appeared regularly in the Star-Telegram since 1995. Contact him at (210) 250-3236; chambers@star-telegram.com.