2020 Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 - Wild Luxury SUV

2021 Mercedes-AMG GLS 63

Engine: 4.0-liter V8 with twin turbocharging and integrated EQ Boost starter-alternator

Displacement: 3982 cc

Output: 603 hp at 5750-6500 rpm
+ up to 21 hp from EQ Boost starter-generator

Peak torque: 627 lb-ft at 2500-4500 rpm
+ up to an additional 184 lb-ft from EQ Boost starter-generator

Drive system layout: AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive with fully variable torque distribution

Transmission: AMG SPEEDSHIFT TCT 9G transmission

Acceleration 0-60 mph: 4.1s est.

Top speed: 174 mph* (electronically limited)

Base Price: $132,100

While a five-seater with high-performance aspirations like the GLE would make more sense as a wagon, there's no denying that the three actually usable seating rows (no, the E-Class wagon's rear-facers don't count) makes the GLS 63's existence slightly more justified. All that extra size and weight at least serves a practical purpose.
It's also more reasonable about its performance goals. For instance, the GLS 63 eschews the GLE's Race mode that recognizes via GPS when it’s on a track and thus time to put away the electronic minders that keep the shiny side up. The GLS forgoes the ludicrous notion that a massive SUV is going to end up on a race track. It knows what it is, and that's a big, honkin’ seven-seater that, like its name implies, is the crossover equivalent of that gold standard of luxury sedans, the S-Class.

That said, those performance goals may be more reasonable than the GLE's but they're still astonishing. Curb weight had yet to be certified at the time of our test drive, but the AMG 63 is bound to be more than the six-cylinder GLS 450 that clocks in at 5,412 pounds. And yet, it shoots up to 60 mph from a standstill in just 4.1 seconds, according to AMG. A decade ago, that would have matched a Ferrari F430 Berlinetta. It’s positively insane for such a large vehicle.

On twisting California mountain roads, the GLS 63's extra heft prevents the sprightlier corner attacks that the GLE seems to take on with enthusiasm. Driven with the same spiritedness as its smaller sibling, the GLS 63’s brakes — 15.7 x 1.5-inch discs and six-piston calipers in front, 14.6 x 1.3 inch with single-piston calipers out back — start to emit the acrid scent of overcooked pads. However, on wider sweepers and expansive highways – you know, the kind of terrain the GLS 63 is most likely to traverse – its 123.4-inch wheelbase, longer by 5.5 inches, makes it feel more planted.

As with its smaller sibling, there are multiple drive modes. There's Trail and Sand, which adjust the AWD algorithms for soft or loose terrain and raise the ride height up to 2.16 inches. At the other end of the spectrum, Sport and Sport+ speed up the throttle response, increase suspension stiffness, hold gears longer and, of course, add the compulsory louder exhaust. We weren’t able to test the vehicle off-road, but the on-asphalt drive modes behave as advertised. The accurate but uncommunicative steering doesn’t bother us as much in the GLS as it did in the GLE – again, it's those different performance goals. The GLS 63 shines best as a long-distance hauler, gobbling up interstate miles like Pac-Man does dots.

And while it does that, occupants will be treated to extremely comfortable surroundings. The interior is a marked improvement over the previous-generation GLS 63’s, slathered in soft Nappa leather and bits of shiny aluminum in all the right places. A 12.3-inch touchscreen blends into the digital instrument cluster and looks like an integrated part of the dash, rather than a tacked-on iPad. Every button and dial is pleasant to the touch. There are countless ways to activate the car’s abundant features through the MBUX interface – voice, touchpad, touchscreen, steering wheel buttons, or you could use similar features on your own phone via Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. We also dug the augmented road sign overlays that the nav system puts on the front-facing cameras, a helpful but unobtrusive example of technology done right.
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