Mercedes GL450: luxurious and subtle

I couldn't quite place the familiarity of the Mercedes GL450 Grand Edition at first. Seated in the humongous and exceedingly comfy driver's seat, I nudged the GL450 ever so gently onto the rutted, and generally bone-shaking dirt road that connects my residence to an expanse of stalled development. Even at low speed, this washboard-like stretch will thoroughly mix a can of paint in about thirty seconds flat, and yet I felt only the gentlest undulation, as if piloting a small boat down some gentle stream. OK, now I get it; boat, comfy, abuses of the English language like ‘humongous'… the GL450 reminds me of an American SUV, only better.

I think it was the ‘three on the tree' style shifter that first began to tip me off that despite a well-publicised break up, something of Chrysler seems to have finally rubbed off on Mercedes. Seated in the GL450 I was reminded not of the sundry Range Rover, BMW, or Audi SUVs that I've tested in recent years, or even of the highly stylised Dodge Durango, but rather of a (don't-call-it-a-Chevy) Trail Blazer someone lent me a few months ago.

Both cars are roomy beyond belief, feel a tad heavy until you pour on the petrol, and have a certain je ne sais quoi that might be called mojo in the lower 48. But while Trail Blazers and Excursions have a certain utilitarian blandness to them, and Escalades and Caddies have a certain overstated blingness, the GL450 is both luxurious and subtle.

To be clear, I'm not saying the GL450 really looks, feels or drives like it was born and bred in Detroit. More like its American grandfather, we'll call him Abe, married Nana Frederika after the signing of the Potsdam Agreement and settled in Stuttgart to design cars.

Back on the dirt track, the incredibly smooth ride offered yet another way in which the GL450 breaks from any comparison to the typical "yank tank." I'm not sure what exactly they've done to the suspension but it's incredibly smooth on fairly unforgiving terrain. I suppose a more nuanced road feel, and by ‘road' I mean lack thereof in this case, might be an asset in more technically oriented offloading of the sort that Jeep and Land Rover excel at, but for exploring wadis and meandering back roads the GL450 would be hard to beat.

As a daily driver, the Mercedes feels its size a bit, but honestly there's something kind of unnerving about supercharged SUVs that almost magically perform like sportscars. OK, that's a wide margin for ‘almost,' but my point is that the GL450 feels like what it is; a large SUV with all the copious bells and whistles to keep the family happy. With its roomy interior even my 6 foot 2 inch frame fitted comfortably in the otherwise dreaded rear seat. That being said, if I had a GL450 in the driveway I'd be happy to do all the driving myself.

Facts

The progress

Week 1
Highs Much longer wheelbase than rivals, 'only' Dh299K now! Lows None so far...

Week 2
Highs Very versatile and user-friendly, great cargo space arrangement. Lows Faulty tailgate

Week 3
Highs Comfortable ride, remarkably poised for a two-tonne SUV.Lows Feels heavy

Week 4
Highs Flexibility of space inside, strong body. Lows None