The Detroit Newspapers's view

ANN ARBOR — In “Blue Shoes and Happiness,” the latest installment in the blockbuster “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” series, the female sleuths often discuss the merits of buying a Mercedes-Benz.

“I would never get a Mercedes-Benz,” said Grace Makutsi, the assistant detective who is hooked on fancy shoes. “Even if I had the money. They are very fine cars, but people would talk.”

In some circles, that’s precisely why you buy a Mercedes.

But in the case of the seven-passenger 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL Class, the German brand’s first full-size luxury sport utility vehicle and a sibling to the ML Class and R Class utility vehicles, my fear is that the big Benz may not be showy enough — and that maybe tongues won’t wag if you buy one.

That’s because the Alabama-built GL Class — worthwhile as it is — is an exercise in subtlety when you park it next to its chief competitor, the hip-hop-inspired 2007 Cadillac Escalade.

I drove a couple of preproduction versions of the new Mercedes-Benz SUV, here and in California. The GL450 has a base sticker of $55,675, including a $775 shipping charge.

My test SUV in Michigan was amply equipped with a number of options, including a $2,630 rear-seat DVD entertainment system with dual screens in the front headrests, and had a $68,075 price tag. The GL450 is on sale now.

The new Escalade ladles on the chrome from top to bottom, but the base GL450 is a bit more restrained — you might even say tasteful — limiting the chrome treatment to such areas as the two horizontal bars on the grille, the door handles and tailgate.

The Mercedes SUV is handsome, though, with triangular headlights, sharply chiseled front fenders and classic luxury SUV lines.

The one nod to conspicuous consumption is the 7 1/2 -inch three-pointed star on the grille.

The Escalade also offers the biggest wheels and tires in its segment, including whopping 22-inch chrome rims and matching low-profile rubber for an extra $2,995. The GL Class skips the larger wheels and tires and only offers optional 19- and 20-inch packages. For some buyers who want to make a statement, that oversight alone may be the deal-breaker.

Perhaps even more distressing to true Benz aficionados is that you can’t get some of the high-tech goodies that are available on the flagship 2007 Mercedes-Benz S Class sedan. I took for granted that the luxury SUV would offer such sophisticated features as massaging seats and “waterfall” cabin lighting that wraps the passengers in a warm glow at night. But you can’t get them on the GL450.

You also can’t get the automaker’s high-tech night-vision system, which is available on the S Class, or the updated adaptive cruise control. You can’t get the vaunted second-generation PreSafe system, either, which prepares the vehicle in the seconds before a crash.

My list of disappointments about the GL450 included the fact that leather is optional — a real letdown on such a pricey ride — and that you can’t get adjustable pedals, which are available on the Escalade.

If it falls short on some amenities, the four-wheel-drive GL450 more than makes up for it with its road manners, thanks to such features as four-wheel independent suspension and speed-sensitive power steering. It is a snap to park for a 5,249-pound vehicle. It also has world-class braking, handles slightly better than the Escalade and doesn’t feel as top-heavy. But it’s not nearly as powerful as the Cadillac.

There is only one powertrain choice in the GL450 — a DOHC 4.6-liter V-8 that makes 335 horsepower and 339 pounds-feet of torque. It is mated to a class-leading seven-speed automatic transmission.

The GL450 skips the bulky shift lever that you see on most SUVs, in favor of a small, electronic stalk on the steering column that helps to clean up the center console.

The SUV returns 14 mpg in city driving and 18 mpg on the highway, which is about par for the segment.

The GL450 is equipped with a solid array of safety features, including eight air bags, antilock brakes, electronic stability control and brake assist, which applies full-power braking in emergency stops.

For many families, the SUV has become a rolling family room. In this critical area, the GL450 only earns middling grades from me.

The two-tone cabin is rugged-looking, with large grab handles on either side of the center console that look copied from the Volkswagen Touareg, plus lots of updated materials, such as matte metal. To cut down on the claustrophobic feeling in the rear, there’s a standard sunroof with a fixed glass panel and a shade over the third row.

But it’s clear that Mercedes-Benz didn’t turn to moms to sign off on the cabin design.

The third row has ridiculously small cupholders that you can’t adjust. You load the DVDs for the entertainment system into a slot located under the right passenger’s seat in the second row. And some of the seat controls are located in a panel that juts out from the bottoms of the front seats. In other words, too many of the small details in the new Mercedes-Benz SUV seem like afterthoughts.

On the plus side, the third row has a pushbutton power-folding feature that makes the GL450 flexible and easy to use. But the second-row seat, which folds flat, does not have a power-folding feature and is not very intuitive. There is also very little rear cargo space with the third row up.

The GL450 fares better as a workhorse, even though it has unibody construction with roots more in the sedan world than the truck world.

The new Mercedes SUV has a 7,500-pound towing capacity. Its four-wheel-drive capability is enhanced with such standard features as downhill speed regulation and hill-start assist.

An optional off-road package bundles a two-speed transfer case and locks for the center and rear differentials. This package also includes a modified air suspension that can raise the ground clearance to 12 inches — enough to ford some streams.

The GL450 originally was intended to replace the more military-like G Class, but Mercedes now says it will continue to produce the older G Class in limited amounts.

The GL450 is like a spa-on-wheels compared to its Spartan predecessor. But it has a ways to go before it becomes a truly groundbreaking entry in this crowded segment.