In Australia the GL 350 CDI is powered by a 3.0litre diesel V6 or the GL 500 by a 5.5litre petrol V8.  Our test car was the latter, putting out an impressive 285kW with maximum torque of 530Nm available over a wide 2800-4800rpm range - sufficient to blast some 2½ tonnes of SUV from 0-100kmh in only 6.5seconds.  This power gets to the road via a 7G-TRONIC 7 speed automatic transmission and the Mercedes 4MATIC all wheel drive system.

The GL 500 is stacked with a myriad of features including the COMAND APS cockpit management, multimedia and data system operating through a 6½" colour screen.  It incorporates an easy to use Sat Nav system plus reversing camera and can be operated with the voice activated Linguatronic control system.  Bluetooth connectivity is of course standard and there's also multiple media interfaces for i-Pod, USB etc.

A calming grey leather interior with Mercedes badging on all available surfaces ensured we didn't forget what brand of vehicle we were driving.  We rode in exquisitely large first class seats with electric controls, heating and not just lumbar support as these seats are 'Multicontour' and can be shaped to suit your own particular ergonomic needs.  Naturally there is ample storage for all passengers and three zone climate control air conditioning with outlets to the third row of seats.  Boot capacity is massive when the third row is folded down (providing 2,300L of space) but with 7 people on board luggage space is restricted.  The rear seats fold electrically at the touch of a button.  The large rear door is equally easy to operate and is opened and closed electro-hydraulically, without any unseemly huffing and puffing.

The retro looking gear selector stalk is located on the RH side of the steering column and offers PNR & D.  Steering wheel paddles allow manual selection of the 7 forward speeds.  Wipers, high beam and turn indicators are controlled from a stalk on the LH side of the column and a further stalk on this side controls the adaptive cruise control.  Three stalks, two paddles and two multi-function buttons on the face of the steering wheel mean that most things are controllable without taking ones hands off the wheel, however the placement of all these controls took a little getting used to, and I confess I accidentally knocked the gear selector into neutral early on in my drive.  Another quirky Mercedes retro feature is the foot operated parking brake to the left of the pedals with a hand release on the lower right hand side of the dash - time surely for a simple single electronic switch.

Not unexpectedly the GL 500 is well endowed with safety features.  Primary safety starts of course with the all wheel drive system plus traction control, stability control and ABS Brakes with Brake Assist.  The Pre-Safe^® system can sense imminent danger and pretensions seatbelts, and will even close windows and the sunroof.

An abundance of airbags includes front and side for the front occupants, side airbags for the second row occupants and full length side curtain airbags covering all three rows.

We headed off into the bush to find our share of mud, sand and grass to drive through.  On the highway it's very easy to forget you're not driving a nimble sedan.  This car chews up the Ks effortlessly.  The transition to muddy tracks was surprisingly uneventful.  There is so much technology at work behind the scenes this vehicle just about drives itself!  The Airmatic Adaptive Damping System raises or lowers the car as required.  The GL 500 has a two speed low range transfer case, making it a 'real' 4x4.  For tricky downhill manoeuvres the Electronic Traction System or 4 ETS with the Downhill Speed Regulation (DSR) feature removes all the white knuckle moments when creeping down steep embankments.  We didn't do any rock climbing as such, but this 4x4 with its low profile tyres and 21" alloy wheels is not really setup for rocks.

Mercedes quote a combined 13.5L/100kms for the V8.  We averaged somewhat more (a touch over 17) in what was a very new car which we admit driving for enjoyment, not economy.

What we found really difficult with this car was simply getting our head around the vast array of controls and the range of systems they operate.  We used the manuals extensively but have real doubts that most owners would do this.  In reality it's likely they will never fully understand their car.

Of course, Mercedes do it so well and so safely, it's a shame that most GL 500s won't get to see real 4 x4 driving, but will, we suspect, be simply used as very safe, very comfortable, school buses.  And there's the enigma - the GL 500 is a brilliantly comfortable and safe city car but at the same time it's also a real 4x4.

As you can imagine all these wonderful features and state of the art safety technology comes at a price.  For just under $182,000 you can drive away in your own go anywhere super 4 x 4 and know that you're in good hands.  Mercedes offer a 3 year unlimited kilometre warranty including roadside assistance.

Yvonne & David Williams

Vehicle supplied by Mercedes-Benz Australia / Pacific Pty Ltd