Luxury and potholes are right up Mercedes GLS’s lane

The offroad limousine segment is a rarefied one, and if you want a luxury all-terrain vehicle with three rows of seats some of the pinnacle contenders include the BMW X7, Bentley Bentayga and the vehicle on test here: the Mercedes-Benz GLS.

The GLS is dubbed the S-class of SUVs and the new third-generation version fits the bill. It offers more comfort and luxury and space than its predecessor, having grown in size to more comfortably fit up to seven passengers. 

At 5,207mm long this hulk is even larger than its main rival, the 5,151mm BMW X7. The Benz isn’t as overtly flashy as the Beemer and its giant grille, but still carries a lot of imposing gravitas behind its three-pointed star. Taking one look at its sheer size and heavily tinted rear windows, one passenger remarked that it looked like a mafia-mobile...